PCM’s Barrett Hall is set to host a concert, entitled Before the Wars/Russia on April 15, at 4 p.m. The event will feature several artists who will perform various musical pieces, followed by a reception.
Performers for the concert will be:
Dr. Sarkis Baltaian will be one of the performers at the concert. He is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue. He has appeared in numerous music festivals and is currently the Director of Instrumental Music at the Orange County School of the Arts. Baltaian has been teaching music history classes focusing on piano repertoire at PCM since 2015.
The guest pianist, In-Sook Baltaian, has also garnered praise for her performances in venues around the world. She has received several degrees, including a Graduate Certificate from USC, and a Diploma of Execution from the Ecole Normale of Music in Paris.
Kathryn Eames, who teaches piano and theory classes at PCM, will also perform at the event. Eames is an orchestral pianist who has played with the American Youth Symphony, the YMF Debut Orchestra, and the USC Thornton Symphony, among others.
Elizabeth Hedman, who joined PCM’s Strings and Chamber Music faculty in 2017, will be the violinist for the concert. She has soloed with several orchestras, including The Santa Barbara Symphony, The National Repertory Orchestra, and The Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra.
The event will be hosted by Brian Lauritzen, who joined PCM’s faculty in 2022. Lauritzen is a multi-award-winning host of Arts Alive and has had conversations with several top classical musicians and artists. He is also a writer and producer of features for KUSC’s concert broadcasts and hosts “Inside the Music” at the LA Phil.
Pianist Vatché Mankerian joined the PCM faculty in 1988 and teaches piano, composition, and music history classes. A multi-faceted artist, he distinguishes himself as a pianist, composer, lecturer, author, and teacher. He has written works for piano, chamber ensembles, and electro-acoustic media, as well as incidental music for theatrical productions and cinema.
An active freelance clarinetist and teacher in Los Angeles, Laura Stoutenborough joined the PCM clarinet faculty in 2016. She performs frequently with orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and extensively with the Los Angeles Opera. Stoutenborough won the Principal Clarinet position of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra in 2010, where she performed as Principal Clarinet until 2013.
Guest artist Garik Terzian has also performed extensively throughout the former Soviet Union, United States, Mexico, Spain, Ireland, and Czech Republic. He has frequently appeared as a soloist with various orchestras including Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra, Chihuahua Symphony Orchestra, Chihuahua Philharmonic Orchestra and New Valley Symphony Orchestra.
The concert program will feature several musical pieces from different composers, including Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Kabalevsky, and Rachmaninoff. The performance will begin with 1912 Prokofiev’s Ballade, Op. 15, for Cello and Piano, followed by 1918 Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale (Trio), and 1927 Kabalevsky’s Four Preludes for Piano, Op. 5. Finally, the performance will end with 1934 Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, for Two Pianos.
The event will conclude with a reception that includes a variety of food from Julienne Fine Foods. Tickets for this event are $100 each for the general public. For more information about the event, visit https://pasadenaconservatory.org/donate/musical-interludes-sponsorship/.
.