The guest performer at the YerazArt Foundation’s Dinner Reception and Benefit Concert on October 3, clarinetist Narek Arutyunian, is an artist who “reaches passionate depths with seemingly effortless technical prowess and beguiling sensitivity” (The Washington Post).

Arutyunian has performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall as well as Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet with The Boston Pops. Mr. Arutyunian has also appeared as soloist with the Meridian Symphony, the Albany Symphony, and the Longwood Symphony. He has performed recitals at the Morgan Library and Museum, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, the Lied Center of Kansas, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, the Westport Arts Center, the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Music for Youth, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, to name a few.

Arutyunian has performed extensively in Australia, Asia, and in Europe, where he appeared at the Louvre in Paris and the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa, among others.

Born in 1992 in Gyumri, Armenia, Arutyunian graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory. By the age of 16, he had already won First Prizes in the International Young Musicians Competition in Prague and the Musical Youth of the Planet Competition in Moscow. A winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he was presented in debut recitals at Merkin Concert Hall and the Kennedy Center to rave reviews.

Arutyunian’s growing career has also included numerous educational outreach programs in New York City public schools and around the country.

He lives in New York City, and works with Charles Neidich at the Juilliard School.

YerazArt Fellow, 24-year-old violinist Hrayr Karapetyan, won Grand Prix at the 1st International Music Competition  Triomphede l’Art held in Brussels (Belgium) held from August 24 to 30, 2015.

He is a student at the Leuven Conservatory of Music (LUCA) in Belgium. Hrayr was a participant in the YerazArt North American Concert Tour in 2009.

Harutyun Melikyan - 10 years old - awarded 2nd prize in the Infantile Category at the Maria Herrero Piano Competition held in Granada (Spain) from July 20 to 24, 2015.

Harutyun is a student at Jrbashyan Music School in Yerevan. 

Mane Galoyan received her bachelor’s degree at the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory in the class of Prof. Susanna Martirosyan (2014). In 2009 she won at the Renaissance International Contest-Festival in Gyumri (Armenia). In 2013 she won a gold medal at the 7th Youth Delphic Games in Kazakhstan, was awarded the Presidential Prize of Armenia, and came in second at the 6th International Competition of Opera Singers “Saint Petersburg”. In 2014 the singer was selected to join the Young Artists Vocal Academy at the Houston Grand Opera. That same year she won a prize at the 33rd International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Dusseldorf. She also won the 7th Bibigul Tulegenova International Vocal Competition in Astana (Kazakhstan) and received fourth prize at the 6th China International Voice Competition in Ningbo. In 2015 she won the 27th Concert of Arias: Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Opera Singers at the Houston Grand Opera.

YerazArt Fellow, 15-year-old violin prodigy Diana Adamyan, was invited to perform with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert dedicated to the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial in London on July 21, 2015. In addition, for the second year in a row, Diana has been invited to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada where she will attend their Young Artists Program in June. Last year, Diana participated on a full scholarship at the 16th Annual National Arts Centre Summer Music Institute, Young Artists Program, where she worked with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, along with 70 other gifted students from Canada and abroad who were all chosen through a highly competitive selection process.

YerazArt Fellow, 21-year-old soprano Mane Galoyan, was awarded the first place prize of $10,000 at the 27th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers on February 5, at the Houston Grand Opera (Texas). 

Galoyan was the featured artist at the YerazArt Foundation’s Annual Benefit Event this past fall in Belmont, Massachusetts. Earlier in 2014, with support from YerazArt, Mane participated in two international competitions: one in Kazakhstan (7th International Singing Competition after Bibigul Telegenova, September 2014), where she also won First Prize, and more recently in China (Fifth China International Vocal Competition Ningbo, November 2014), where she ranked 4th. 

Mane’s connection to YerazArt dates back to 2009, when she was invited to take part in the YerazArt North American Concert Tour in the fall of that year.

15-year-old trumpet player Daniel Melkonyan  was awarded the Bronze Nutcracker, claiming Third Place at the 15th Annual International Nutcracker TV Contest for Young Musicians held in December 2014, in Moscow. This year 49 young musicians had applied to participate in the wind instruments category.  Out of 19 trumpeters, only two were chosen to participate – from Russia and Armenia. This is the first time in the competition’s history that an Armenian wind instrumentalist is awarded a prize.  Melkonyan has recently been invited to participate at the New Names of CIS Countries Concert to be held in March 2015 in Voronezh - the city named as the cultural capital of Russia in 2015. 

Through our Instrument Donation Program, YerazArt provided new instruments, including a trumpet, to Melkonyan’s school - the Tchaikovsky Special Music School Yerevan in 2013.  In addition YerazArt facilitated Daniel's participation in the Nutcracker competition and the upcoming New names of CIS Countries Concert through our Professional Development Program.

YerazArt Fellow and 14-year-old violin prodigy Diana Adamyan has been invited to participate on a full scholarship at the 16th Annual National Arts Centre Summer Music Institute, Young Artists Program to be held in Ottawa, Canada, in June.

Diana will be working with Maestro Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, along with 70 other gifted students from Canada and abroad who were all chosen through a highly competitive selection process.

Adamyan is the 2012 winner of the Silver Nutcracker Award, at the prestigious Nutcracker International TV contest for Young Musicians, annually held in Moscow. In 2013, she was invited to perform to a mesmerized crowd at the YerazArt annual benefit held in Massachusetts (USA).