TRIO SIMA
Kalayjian, Merdinian, Melikyan
contact the trio sima at:
OCTOBER 24TH, 16:00H: Treetops Chamber Society STAMFORD, CT
NOVEMBER 20th, EASTON, MD: CHESAPEAKE CHAMBER MUSIC FUNDRAISER
DECEMBER 2ND, 19:30H: WMP CONCERT HALL NY, NY
Praised for their “powerful” and “heartfelt” interpretations of classical and ethnic repertoire, the SIMA Trio is quickly becoming one of the leading, young trios of its generation. Connected by their Armenian heritage, the members of this NY based ensemble have studied with such teachers as Dorothy Delay, Peter Oundjian, Joaquin Soriano, Solomon Mikowksy, Timothy Eddy, and Ralph Kirshbaum at Juilliard, Yale, Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, and the Royal Northern College of Music respectively. Winners of international competitions, violinist Sami Merdinian, cellist Ani Kalayjian, and pianist Sofya Melikyan, are highly sought after soloists and chamber musicians who have performed at such major venues as Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colon, Palau de la Musica Valenciana, Concertgebauw, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Theatre, Salle Cortot, La Jolla Sherwood auditorium, Orange County Performing Arts Center, and Yerevan Philharmonic Hall, among others.
In its inaugural season, the Trio’s upcoming engagements include a South American tour in Frutillar, Chile, Cordoba & Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as recitals at the Rutgers Zimmerli Arts Museum in New Brunswick, Bulgari house concert, St. James church in White Plains, and Myra Hess Series in Chicago.
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Sami Merdinian, violinist
Argentinian violinist Sami Merdinian is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the world. Sami has recently appeared as a soloist with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, the Montevideo Philharmonic, fhe Charlemagne Orchestre and Symphony Pro Musica, as well as a recital at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall in Yerevan, Armenia. Future engagements include a South American and a European tour as a recitalist and chamber musician. Mr. Merdinian has performed in several Music Festivals including Holland Music Session, The Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, The Festival of The Hamptons, Aspen Music Festival, among others.
He has been the winner of various competitions including the “Franz Liszt” Competition, “Promociones Musicales”, the Sewannee Festival Concerto Competition and the XII International Young Solo Instrumentalists Competition in Argentina. Mr.Merdinian has also been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards including the Grunheisen Scholarship given by the Argentine Mozarteum, the Juilliard Alumni Scholarship, the Dorothy Delay Scholarship and the Tiffany & Co. Rising Star Award.
While at The Juilliard School and Yale University, he studied with legendary Dorothy Delay and Peter Oundjian, and has been in masterclasses and collaborations with artists such as Ida Kavafian and Ani Kavafian, Emanuel Ax, Itzahak Perlman, Lorin Maazel, and members of the Tokyo, Juilliard and Guarnieri String Quartets.
Future engagements include performances with the Argentinean National Symphony and a European tour with the Philharmonia of the Nations, including a performance at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as recital tours throughout the Middle East and North and South America.
Mr. Merdinian plays on a 1622 Amati on loan by Yale University
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Ani Kalayjian, cellist
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “representing the young, up-and-coming generation,” cellist Ani Kalayjian has appeared in concert both as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Recent competition success includes winning the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust competition in England where she was also granted the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation Prize, and performed in Prague in November 2006. Ani completed her masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music as a student of Ralph Kirshbaum. Undergraduate studies were at Mannes College of Music as a student of Timothy Eddy.
Ani was one of two cellists accepted into the inaugural season of David Finckel and Wu Han’s Music@Menlo festival. She has taken part in the International Musician’s Seminar at Prussia Cove , Michael Tilson Thomas’ Carnegie Hall workshop, Pablo Casals Prades festival, Mendelsohn on Mull, Banff, Sarasota, Apeldoorn, London Masterclasses, New York String Seminar, Holland Music Sessions and the RNCM International Cello Festival. At Prussia Cove, she was featured in a BBC documentary playing in a masterclass with Steven Isserlis.
Recent concerts have included appearances at the Lichfield Festival (2005 Gordon Clark Scholar), Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove in England, American String Project at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, and a Weill Recital Debut at Carnegie Hall. An active chamber musician, Ani has collaborated with Jorja Fleezanis, Toby Appel, Ani Kavafian, Kenneth Cooper, Eriko Sato, among others. Ani’s passion for chamber music has led her to performances on the Mostly Music chamber music series in NJ, as well as a tour with Trio Nareg with Ani Kavafian and Armen Guzelimian including performances at Chamber music in Historic sites, Hermitage Foundation, and Samueli Theatre at the 0range County Performing Arts Center in California. She has toured with the Bayside Trio around Maine and Massachusetts, including concerts at University of Southern Maine, Bates College, Elan Fine Arts Gallery, and Eastern Nazarene College. Recent engagements have included solo recitals at Harvard and Dartmouth Universities, Andover Library in MA, Trinity Church in NYC, Puffin Cultural Forum in NJ, a European and U.S. tour with Camerata Nordica, and chamber music recitals with Mark Peskanov and Doris Stevenson at Barge Music. Ani was chosen as a fellowship artist at the La Jolla chamber music festival in August 2008, was recently co-artistic director of AGBU’s Performing Artists at Weill Recital Hall, and toured in Maine at Colby College, St. Luke’s church, and Saco River Grange Hall with the Bayside trio in October 2008. Upcoming concerts include solo recitals in northern NJ, string quartet concerts at Tanglewood, Misericordia University, and in Princeton with the Brunell quartet, and a piano trio recital with Stefan Jackiw and Joyce Yang on the Sid Singer concert series in Mamaroneck, NY.
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Sofya Melikyan, pianist
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Sofya Melikyan began her musical training at the age of five at the Tchaikovsky Specialized Music School of Yerevan, studying piano with Anahit Shahbazyan. In 1994, Ms. Melikyan moved to Spain, where she continued her studies at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, under the tutelage of pianist Joaquin Soriano. Upon graduating with Highest Honor Prize in 1999, she worked with Galina Egiazarova in Madrid, and Brigitte Engerer in Paris. In 2001 she began post-graduate studies in Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot under the guidance of pianist Ramzi Yassa, where she unanimously received the Diplome Superieure d'Execution in 2003. Currently living in New York, Ms. Melikyan has recently completed her Master of Music degree in piano performance at Manhattan School of Music of New York, where she was a scholarship student of a Cuban pianist Solomon Mikowsky. Ms. Melikyan has actively participated in Master Classes with such musicians as Vitali Margulis, John O'Connor, Fanny Solter, Francois-Rene Duchable, Piotr Paleczny, Menahem Pressler and Horacio Gutierrez.
Sofya Melikyan has been awarded First Prize and a Prize for outstanding Music Talent at the Marisa Montiel International Piano Competition in Linares, First Prize at the Ibiza International Piano Competition in Spain, First Prize for Music Interpretation awarded by “Amigos del Colegio de Espana” Association in Paris. She has also received top and special prizes at the 15th Jose Iturbi and Maria Canals International Competitions in Spain. To date, Ms. Melikyan toured throughout Spain, Germany, France, Russia, Armenia, Italy, Serbia and U.S. She appeared as a soloist with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Spain, Malaga Symphony Orchestra, Valencia Symphony Orchestra, New Europe Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Andalucía, among others. Ms. Melikyan’s Festival appearances include solo recitals, chamber music and concerti performances at prestigious Domenico Scarlatti, Valladolid, Canary Islands, Ibiza International Festivals in Spain, BEMUS International Music Festival in Belgrade, as well as Creil Festival in France. Recent performance activities include a debut recital at Carnegie’s Weill Hall in New York, concerts in “Palau de Valencia” in Spain, “Salle Cortot” in Paris, “la Caixa Forum” and live broadcast on National Radio of Catalonia in Barcelona, appearance at the Dame Myra Hess Series and live broadcast on WFMT in Chicago, three concerts as a soloist and in ensemble at the First Armenian Music Festival in Juan March Foundation’s Concert Hall in Madrid.
An avid chamber musician she has been mentored by Daniel Epstein at the Manhattan School of Music, performing to much critical acclaim with various ensembles in Europe and U.S., including Silvestri ensemble and regularly performing with musicians of Radio and Television Orchestra of Spain. In 2005 her piano duo was a winner of Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition at Manhattan School of Music.
She has made many live recordings for Radio and Television broadcasts in Europe and U.S. To name a few: National Radio and Television of Spain, National Radio and Television of Armenia, Chicago WFMT Radio station, Muzzik French Television Station, among others. Ms. Melikyan has also released two CDs featuring the music of Haydn, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Dutilleux and Khachaturian.
Her future engagements include appearances with Radio and Television Orchestra of Spain, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, “Jonde” Orchestra of Spain, as well as recitals in Juan-March Foundation in Madrid, “Conde Duque” Cultural Center in Madrid, Festival “Las Canals” in France, Philharmonic Hall in Armenia, Brooklyn Library in NY, among others.
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PAST performanceS:
FEBRUARY 7th, 4pm: dweck Center brooklyn library Brooklyn, NY
MARCH 7TH, 19:30H: ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM BRUNSWIK, NJ
MARCH 10TH, 19:30H: WMP CONCERT HALL NY, NY
MARCH 27TH, CHESAPEAKE CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION EASTON, MD
APRIL 18TH, 13:30H: ST. JAMES CHURCH WHITE PLAINS, NY
MAY 2ND, 16:00H: HUNTINGTON, NY; PARISH HALL
