Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “representing the young,
up-and-coming generation,” and a “superb cellist with a large,
expressive, singing tone, passionate musicianship, and magnificent
playing” by the Journal
Tribune, Armenian-American cellist Ani Kalayjian enjoys a prolific
career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and educator that has
taken her to Japan, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, and throughout
Europe and the United States. Ani’s engagements this season have
included tours with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra around the U.S. and
Europe. She has performed at the American University of Beirut as well
as solo concerts at Haigazian University where she performed a world
premiere, ‘Yesterday is No More,’ written for her and violinist
Rebecca Jackson by award-winning composer Polina Nazakinskaya. During
her time in Lebanon, Ani gave outreach performances to underserved
communities at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Insan School for Iraqi &
Syrian refugee children, Byblos Birds’ Nest Armenian orphanage, and in
the Syrian refugee camps.
A passionate chamber musician, Ani has performed at various festivals
including the La Jolla, Great Lakes and the American String Project in
Seattle as well as the Lichfield Festival in England, Pablo Casals
Prades Festival in France, Mendelssohn on Mull in Scotland, Banff Centre
for the Arts in Canada, Sarasota Festival in Florida, Apeldoorn Festival
in Holland, Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Chateau
de la Moutte festival in St. Tropez. Recent performances include chamber
music concerts at Weill Recital Hall, the Bartow-Pell Mansion,
Saugerties ProMusica, Pleasantville Music Society, a chamber music
summer residency at Wellesley College, and at Music at Montauk Chamber
Music Festival. Ani received an M.A. with Distinction from the Royal
Northern College of Music in England as a student of Ralph Kirshbaum and
a B.A. from the Mannes College of Music as a student of Timothy
Eddy. This is her first appearance at the SLLMF.
[2018]