Pianist Sergei Babayan in Concert at Fresno State

FRESNO — Award winning pianist Sergei Babayan will perform in recital as part of the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concert Series at Fresno State. The performance will take place at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 9 in the Concert Hall on the Fresno State campus.

The concert is co-sponsored by the Armenian Studies Program of Fresno State. Babayan will be performing works by Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Brahms.

Acclaimed for the immediacy, sensitivity, and depth of his interpretations, Sergei Babayan’s performances reveal an emotional intensity and bold energy, equipping him to excel in repertoire ranging from Rameau to Ligeti. Winner of the 1989 Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition in Cleveland, this Armenian pianist returns to Fresno for another display of his “unequaled touch, perfectly harmonious phrasing and breathtaking virtuosity” ( Le Figaro, Paris).

One of the most charismatic personalities on today’s concert stage, Babayan’s vibrantly expressive performances have spirited audience acclaim worldwide. Ever since his arrival in the United States, on his first trip outside of the Soviet Union in 1989, his breathtaking virtuosity and a wide- ranging tonal palette have brought him critical praise and accolades.

Babayan was born in Armenia to a musical family and started to play the piano at the age of three. He began his musical studies at the age of six under Luisa Markaryan and later with George Saradjev. He continued his studies at nineteen with Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory and completed post-graduate work there in 1989 as a student of Professor Vera Gornostaeva. He also studied privately with Lev Naumov in Moscow.

After making his New York recital debut in 1990 at Alice Tully Hall to great critical acclaim, Babayan embarked on a busy schedule that has included solo appearances with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Osaka Symphony, among others.

The Concert is supported by The Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation, The Ararat Foundation of Alexandria, Virginia, Grace Jelalian Shahinian Armenian Concerts Fund, and the Leon S. Peters Foundation.

General tickets for the Concert are available for $25 per person, for seniors tickets are $18, and tickets for students are $5.00 per person. Ticket reservations for the concert may be made by calling 278-2337. http://www.keyboardconcerts.com/concert-sergei-babayan.aspx

Parking will be available in Lot P1 (Shaw and Maple entrance to campus). For more information please contact the Armenian Studies Program at 278-2669 or visit fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies.