A Musical Pilgrimage across five continents

Programme:
Beloved Orchestral Works, Lieder, Arias and Duets including Bach’s Air from Suite in D, Rossini’s “Dominus Dei”, Franck’s “Panis Angelicus” as well as the “Ave Maria” of Schubert and from Verdi’s Otello.

€12 and pensioners €7
Free entrance for students, soldiers and EURO<26 card holders
Tickets available at the Theatres’ box office

Sona Gargaloyan was born in Armenia. She started piano lessons at the age of seven in Aslamazyan CyYSO Academy. Later, she turned to vocal music and choir direction, attending the special Choral Association of Armenia. She studied at the Komitas State Conservatoire in the class of the famous soprano Professor Gohar Gasparian, obtaining the Master Diploma with distinction. Following decision by the Examination Committee she gained the qualification of “Opera and Concert Soloist and Singing Professor”. In the operatic field, Sona Gargaloyan has interpreted principal roles in Verdi’s La Traviata and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. At the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia she participated in concerts and recitals. In 2003 she took part in the Celebration Concert for Cyprus’ Accession to the European Union. As part of the “Cyprus Month” cultural events organized by UNESCO in Paris in 2006, she represented Cyprus as a soloist in a concert with the Ensemble Philharmonia under the direction of Spiros Pisinos, presenting Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs. Sona Gargaloyan has collaborated repeatedly as a soloist with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra: in 2006 she performed in the opera gala of the inauguration ceremony for the re-opening of the Lefkosia Municipal Theatre, where she interpreted the role of Gilda from Verdi’s Rigoletto. In 2007 she participated in the concert series titled “Tribute to Armenia” and in 2008 in the “Community Outreach Programme”. She has collaborated with conductors Aram Katanian, Vigen Tchartchoglian, Maciej Zoltowsky, Haig Utidjian and Spiros Pisinos. She has also given concerts in Germany, Italy, Malta, France and Greece. As a voice pedagogue, Sona Gargaloyan has had more than fifteen years of experience and has brought out and supported many young talents.

Berj Karazian completed his musical studies in 2000, as the last vocal student of Professor Tatevik Sazandaryan at Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan. Professor Sazandaryan stated that she regretted that she would not live long enough to see her protégé’s unquestionable success. As a graduate of KSC, Berj Karazian became qualified as a concert and opera singer and vocal art teacher. He continued his studies at KSC, completing his postgraduate studies in 2003 under Professor Gayane Geghamyan.  Berj Karazian has performed in Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Serbia, Syria and Lebanon and has given solo concerts in Armenia, France, Italy and Syria. Since 2002, he has been performing in the Opera Studio of the State Conservatory, National Academic Opera & Ballet Theater, and the Khatchaturyan State Philharmonic Hall.  In the operatic filed, Berj Karazian has interpreted several roles including Count d’Almaviva in the opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini (2004), Alfredo in La Traviata by Verdi (2006), Tamino in The Magic Flute by Mozart (2006), Cassio in Otello by Verdi (2006), Goro in Madame Butterfly by Puccini (2008), Prince in The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev (2009) in the Royal Theatre of Glasgow and the Festival Theatre of Edinburg.  He has also participated in concert performances of Mozart’s Requiem (2005), Rossini’s Stabat Mater (2006) and Messiah by Handel-Mozart (2007). Berj Karazian has won several prizes such as 2^nd prize at the Republic Competition for Young Singers in 1997 and 2^nd prize at the Tatevik Sazandarian Republic Competition in 2006.

Spiros Pisinos held the position of chief conductor and artistic director of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra between 2005 and 2008. He has conducted orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Milan’s Pomeriggi Musicali, Genoa’s Carlo Felice Οpera Οrchestra, the Sinfonia Finlandia, the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras and the West Australia Symphony.  He has toured with the Orchestre National de Montpellier which he has also conducted from the piano as soloist, the Nuremberg Symphony and the Mariinsky Young Philharmonic Orchestra following an invitation by Valery Gergiev. In order to celebrate the “Day of Europe” on 9 May 2009, Spiros Pisinos conceived and conducted the first performance of Beethoven’s IX symphony by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, along with extra leading musicians from all neighbouring countries surrounding Cyprus (mostly from Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra) and the Czech Philharmonic Choir – Brno. On his initiative and under his artistic direction, Spiros Pisinos founded and conducted the Ensemble Philharmonia composed by professional Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot and other accomplished musicians from European Union member states. Since 2004, the Ensemble Philharmonia has performed in Cyprus and Paris with great success. In the operatic realm, Spiros Pisinos has conducted at Dusseldorf’s Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Bremen, Cottbus and Mannheim Operas working on a particularly wide repertoire. In 1999 and 2000 he assisted Antonio Pappano (Music Director of Royal Opera Covent Garden) in major operatic productions, and subsequently Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic and Orchestre National de France. Spiros Pisinos also performs chamber music as a pianist. Noteworthy performances include his collaboration with the Jerusalem String Quartet and the Vienna String Soloists, an 11-member ensemble of the Vienna Philharmonic.  In 1978, Spiros Pisinos completed his piano studies at the Ethnikon Odeon Kyprou under Loulou Symeonidou and followed up with private instruction under Enrique Barenboim, father and teacher of Daniel Barenboim. A recipient of the Leventis Foundation scholarship, Spiros Pisinos studied orchestral conducting at the Vienna Conservatory under Professors Georg Mark and Rheinhard Schwarz from where he graduated in 1996. In 1982, prior to devoting himself exclusively to music, Spiros Pisinos had studied Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania and had subsequently carried out radiological research at M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Spiros Pisinos is a recipient of the French government’s Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.