The Armenian Music Program Presents
Stanzas in August: Armenian Music, New & Rediscovered

Vahram Sargsyan (Sarkissian) is an Armenian-Canadian composer, conductor, and singer based in Montreal. His music bridges early Armenian chant and contemporary experimentation, spanning influences from fifth-century modal traditions to innovative extended vocal techniques. His works have been performed in more than thirty countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Canada, and the United States. Recipient of the 2023 Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music and named Artist of the Year 2024 in Laval by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Sargsyan is also active internationally as an experimental vocalist. He has cultivated a distinctive vocal language characterized by exceptional range, a wide palette of timbral colors, and a creative integration of both traditional and newly explored sound-production methods. He co-founded Phth, a Montréal-based experimental vocal ensemble that explores the boundaries between composition, improvisation, and extended voice. His Great Mystery appears in the Oxford University Press anthology World Carols for Choirs, and has been recorded by the BBC Singers. His instrumental work Hunting the Hunter was premiered under his baton at Carnegie Hall in 2012. Sargsyan’s Epitaphios was commissioned by Movses Pogossian, and was premiered at the Dilijan Chamber Music Series, and his choral composition Joyful Light has been performed internationally more than a hundred times. Sargsyan lectures and gives workshops on extended vocal techniques at leading choral festivals and international symposia. Educated at the Yerevan State Conservatory and McGill University, he holds advanced degrees in composition and choral conducting. He is a member of the Composers’ Union of Armenia and the Canadian League of Composers.

Armenian-American violinist Movses Pogossian made his American debut performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Boston Pops in 1990, about which the Boston Globe wrote: “There is freedom in his playing, but also taste and discipline. It was a fiery, centered, and highly musical performance…” Laureate of several competitions, including the Tchaikovsky International Competition, he extensively performs worldwide. A devoted chamber musician, Pogossian has performed with members of the Tokyo, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets, and with such artists as Kim Kashkashian, Jeremy Denk, Lynn Harrell, Ani and Ida Kavafian, and Rohan de Saram. He frequently collaborates with the Apple Hill Chamber Players, teaching annually at their summer music festival in New Hampshire. A committed champion of new music, Pogossian has premiered over 100 works, and works closely with composers such as G. Kurtág, K. Saariaho, T. Mansurian, Gabriela Lena Frank, and many others. Pogossian’s discography includes the Complete Sonatas and Partitas by J. S. Bach, solo CDs “Inspired by Bach”, “Blooming Sounds”, “In Nomine”, “Hommage à Kurtág” (2022), a 4 CD-set “Serenade with a Dandelion”, and, most recently, another 4 CD-set “Stanzas in August: Armenian Music, new and rediscovered”. The Bridge Records CD of Complete Violin Works of Wolpe made the 2015 Top Ten list in Sunday Times (UK), and the Modulation Necklace series of Armenian (New Focus Recordings) and “Con Anima” (ECM) have garnered critical acclaim. Pogossian is Distinguished Professor of Violin at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Founding Director and Advisor of the UCLA Armenian Music Program. As Head of the Los Angeles Chapter, he actively participates in the Music for Food project (musicforfood.net) which raises awareness of the hunger problem and gives the opportunity to experience the powerful role music can play as a catalyst for change.

Ally Cho is a doctoral student of Violin Performance at UCLA under the guidance of Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian. Her musical journey began in Gold Coast, Australia, where she first picked up the violin at the age of 5. Her path has been a remarkable adventure, taking her across the seas in pursuit of her dream. In 2018, Ally crossed continents to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in classical violin under the tutelage of Lucie Robert at Manhattan School of Music in New York City, broadening her horizons with chamber music opportunities. Since 2023, Ally has been a part of the VEM Quartet, the resident ensemble of the UCLA Armenian Music Program. She aspires to be a virtuoso violinist, captivating global audiences and inspiring future musicians. Her musical journey continues, with many more chapters and achievements yet to be composed.

Damon Zavala is a Mexican-American violist and violinist from Oregon. Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music, Damon dedicates himself to part-time teaching of string chamber studies at UCLA, under the guidance of Brian Chen and Movses Pogossian, and at the SOL-LA Music Academy in Santa Monica. While at UCLA, he actively participates as a violist in the Armenian Music Program and is a member of the VEM Quartet. This experience not only enriches his understanding but also amplifies his ongoing commitment to showcasing a broad spectrum of cultural expressions in music. This dedication has most recently led him to a pivotal role with the Sphinx Organization, where he currently manages community arts organizations to enhance the representation of underrepresented communities in orchestral settings, striving to ensure that Black and Brown voices can be heard and valued. His efforts to broaden his teaching outreach and contribute significantly to both educational and commercial music sectors underscore his dedication to diversity and inclusion in classical music.

Niall Tarō Ferguson is a cellist, composer, and orchestrator. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2017 from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studied cello performance with Antonio Lysy and music composition with Ian Krouse and Bruce Broughton. Niall has participated in many international music festivals and performed on many of LA’s premiere contemporary music series. His concert works have been performed throughout California and overseas. As of 2019, Niall is a Program Associate with the Asia / America New Music Institute (AANMI), a collective that pursues cultural exchange through modern music. In April 2019 he participated in his first AANMI tour and contributed to lectures at institutions throughout Asia. Niall is of Japanese descent on his mother’s side and of Scottish and Irish descent on his father’s. He goes by both his Gaelic and Japanese names, Niall or Tarō, respectively.

Canadian-American saxophonist Jan Berry Baker has performed as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician on many of the world’s great stages. Recent engagements include performances across the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Scotland, England, Ukraine, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. She has been featured as a concerto soloist with orchestras in Canada, Ukraine, USA, and most recently with the Sinfonica de Oaxaca in Mexico.

An advocate of contemporary music, Jan is Co-Artistic Director and saxophonist with Atlanta-based new music ensemble Bent Frequency. Founded in 2003, Bent Frequency brings the avant-garde to life through adventurous and socially conscious programming, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and community engagement. Committed to exploding marginalized programming in classical music, one of BF’s primary goals is championing music by women, composers of color and LGBTQIA+. In the last few years, she and Co-Artistic Director and percussionist Stuart Gerber have formed the Bent Frequency Duo Project. Together, they have commissioned over 50 new works for saxophone and percussion and have given countless performances of these works across the USA, Mexico, and Europe including their Carnegie Hall debut in 2016. Their work to fund the creation, performance and recording of new music has been supported by numerous national and international grants such as the Copland Foundation, French American Cultural Exchange (FACE), Barlow Foundation, Amphion Foundation, Ditson Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (National Endowment for the Arts/Andrew Mellon Foundation), and Culture Ireland to name a few.

Jan regularly performs with orchestras such as the LA Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Atlanta Opera and Atlanta Ballet and has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Joffrey Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Chicago Chamber Players, and American Ballet Theater. She can be heard on American Orchestral Works with Grant Park Orchestra (Cedille), The Golden Ticket with the Atlanta Opera (Albany), The BF Duo Project recording Diamorpha (Centaur), Citizens of Nowhere featuring works for clarinet and saxophone (Albany) and is a featured performer on John Liberatore’s Line Drawings (Albany) and Robert Scott Thompson’s Folio, Vol.1, Vol. 2 and Solace (Aucourant).

As an artist and educator, Jan has held residencies at the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice (SICPP), Nürnberg Tage Aktueller Musik, Sam Houston State New Music Festival (TX), Charlotte New Music Festival, University of Georgia, New Music on the Point (VT) and Dakota Chamber Music Festival. She is highly sought after as a masterclass teacher and speaker, and has given presentations on contemporary music, entrepreneurship, nonprofits and grant writing, community engagement, socially conscious programming, career development and mentoring at major schools of music across the country.

Dr. Baker is Professor of Saxophone and Woodwind Area Head at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Department of Music and Special Assistant to the Dean for Faculty Mentoring. Prior academic appointments include Georgia State University, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, Northwestern University and University of Alberta. She studied with Frederick L. Hemke, William H. Street and Barbara Lorenz and earned a Doctor of Music degree in saxophone performance from Northwestern University. She is a founding member of the Committee on Gender Equity in the North American Saxophone Alliance and served as the inaugural leader of the CGE Mentoring Program. Jan Berry Baker is a Selmer Paris, Vandoren, and Key Leaves performing artist.

Varty Manouelian made her American Debut in 1993 with the North Carolina Symphony as First Prize winner of the Bryan International Competition. Shehas also been a prize winner at anumber of other competitions in Europe, including the Kotzian International Competition and the Wieniawski International Violin Competition. Manouelian has recorded and appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras in the United States, Bulgaria, Russia, Armenia, Poland, Spain and Italy. Her chamber music performances include Marlboro Music Festival, Apple Hill Festival, Sebago Festival, El Paso Festival, Olympic Music Festival, among others. She has collaborated as a chamber musician with such artists as Joshua Bell, Yuja Wang, Kim Kashkashian, Rohan de Saram, Garrick Ohlsson, Nobuko Imai, Thomas Adès, and members of the Juilliard, Guarner, Tokyo, Brentano, Borromeo, and Mendelssohn string quartets.

Dedicated teacher and educator, Varty Manouelian is a Lecturer of Violin at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, teaches violin and chamber music at the Colburn Academy and CSPA, and spends summers coaching chamber music at the Apple Hill Festival in New Hampshire. She has been an active participant at LA Philharmonic’s Music Outreach programs, having taught at YOLA since its inception, as well as at the Renaissance Arts Academy.

Prior to joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2004, Manouelian was a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. In Los Angeles, she frequently performs at the Los Angels Philharmonic’s Chamber Music Society and Green Umbrella new-music series, as well as at Camerata Pacifica, Monday Evening Concerts, and the Dilijan Series. Her recording credits include archival radio recordings for the Bulgarian State Radio, and CDs on Albany and Bridge Records labels. Her recent CD of Complete Violin Works of Stefan Wolpe (jointly with Movses Pogossian) made the 2015 Top Ten list in Sunday Times (UK). Varty Manouelian holds degrees from the State Music Academy in Bulgaria and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Boyan Letchev and Donald Weilerstein.

Taiwanese-American violist Che-Yen Chen has established himself as an active performer and educator. Since winning First Prize in the 2003 Primrose International Viola Competition and the “President Prize” of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, he was described as a musician whose “most impressive aspect of his playing was his ability to find not just the subtle emotion, but the humanity hidden in the music.” As the founding and former member of the Formosa Quartet, he won the first prize in the 2006 London International String Quartet Competition, founded the Formosa Chamber Music Festival in Taiwan, and has released recordings on EMI, Delos, New World, and Bridge Records. Chen was the principal violist of the San Diego Symphony and Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra for eight years and has appeared as guest principal with Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony. A former Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Two member, Chen frequently performs and teaches at music festivals across North America and Asia. Professor of Viola Performance and Chamber Music at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, Chen has previously served on the faculty of USC Thornton School of Music, UC San Diego, San Diego State University, California State University Fullerton, and McGill University. A native of Taipei, Chen began his viola study with Ben Lin and became a four-time winner of the National Viola Competition in Taiwan. As a fourteen-year-old, he came to the U.S.A. to matriculate at The Curtis Institute of Music under the mentorship of Michael Tree and Joseph de Pasquale and later at The Juilliard School studying viola performance and string quartet under Paul Neubauer and The Juilliard Quartet. Chen joined the renowned Ehnes Quartet in 2023.

Cellist Ben Hong joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1993 at age 24 as a section player and six months later, he won the assistant principal cello position. He currently serves as associate principal cello, appointed by LA Phil Music Director Gustavo Dudamel in 2015. Hong also performs frequently as a soloist and as a member of chamber music ensembles. He has collaborated with such artists as Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Janine Jansen, Lang Lang, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Concerto appearances with the LA Phil have included the U.S. premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s cello concerto Kai, with Rattle conducting at the Ojai Music Festival; the LA Phil premiere of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto, conducted by Long Yu at the Hollywood Bowl; and the U.S premiere of Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s concerto for cello and orchestra, en forme de pas de trois, conducted by Susanna Mälkki.

DreamWorks Pictures hired Hong to train Jamie Foxx and several other cast members of the 2009 film The Soloist. In addition, he was the featured soloist on the soundtrack, which was released on the Deutsche Grammophon label. In 2020, Hong was asked by the Los Angeles Lakers to perform a rendition of “Hallelujah” at the Staples Center as part of a pre-game tribute in memory of Kobe Bryant.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Hong won his native country’s national cello competition three years in a row before leaving home at age 13 for the Juilliard School. Later, he studied with Lynn Harrell at the USC School of Music before joining the LA Phil.