Dilijan Chamber Music Series Presents Important Premieres and a Masterpiece by Brahms

LOS ANGELES—The critically acclaimed Dilijan Chamber Music Series presents its “Heart that Sings” concert on November 3rd at Zipper Hall in downtown Los Angeles. An important US Premiere by the living classic of Armenian music, Tigran Mansurian, headlines the concert, which also features new works by Los Angeles composers Artashes and Ashot Kartalyan, as well as a beloved masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire, String Sextet No. 2 by Johannes Brahms.

Mezzo-soprano Danielle Segen of the UCLA VEM Ensemble is joined by her VEM colleagues, violinists Ji Eun Hwang and Aiko Richter, violist Morgan O’Shaughnessey, and cellist Jason Pegis. Also featured are distinguished musicians Robert deMaine (Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra), Movses Pogossian (Dilijan Artistic Director and UCLA Professor of Violin), and Varty Manouelian (LA Philharmonic). The concert will also include an exclusive preview presentation of “Modulation Necklace”, a CD of Armenian Music by the Naxos-distributed New Focus Recordings label, featuring the UCLA VEM Ensemble.

The 15th Anniversary Season of the Dilijan Series presents an exciting mix of old and new, known and unknown. Beloved masterpieces by Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Haydn will be performed alongside works by Komitas, Arutiunian, Mansurian, Sharafyan, and other Armenian composers. In addition to some of Dilijan’s favorite returning artists, such as singers Tony Arnold and Shoushik Barsoumian, pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, violist Paul Coletti, cellists Antonio Lysy, Clive Greensmith and Peter Stumpf, the Series will be welcoming several musicians in their Dilijan debut: LA Phil oboist Anne Gabriele, remarkable pianist and Artistic Director of the Yellow Barn Festival Seth Knopp, Canadian violinist/violist Scott St. John, clarinetist Yasmina Spiegelberg (Switzerland), cellist Yoshika Masuda (Japan), among others. The three Dilijan commissions of the season are works by Martin Ulikhanyan (homage to Tigran Mansurian’s film music), Dan Sedgwick, and a short film by Alik Barsoumian, which will premiere alongside a live performance of the Prelude from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde opera.

Established in 2005 by members of the Lark Musical Society (Vatsche Barsoumian, Founder/Director), the Dilijan Chamber Music Series is dedicated to showcasing traditional masterworks of Western classical chamber music, as well as pearls from the treasury of Armenian music. A strong believer in new music, the Series has commissioned and premiered 54 works since its inception. For more information and ticketing, please visit https://dilijan.larkmusicalsociety.org/ There is ample paid parking available in the nearby garages, including Disney Hall across the street from the Colburn School. Enjoy visiting the Dilijan YouTube channel for a large selection of performances from the previous seasons.