Ani Kalayjian
Cello
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. 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, Open Chamber Music at Prussia Cove in England, La Jolla Chamber Music festival, and a Weill Recital Debut at Carnegie Hall. Ani's passion for chamber music has led her to performances to 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 Orange County Performing Arts Center in California, a U.S. and European tour with Camerata Nordica, and Bayside Trio, including concerts at University of Southern Maine, Bates and Colby Colleges, Elan Fine Arts Gallery, and Eastern Nazarene College. Recent engagements have included solo recitals at Harvard and Dartmouth Universities, 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. She was recently co-artistic director of AGBU's Performing Artists at Weill Recital Hall.
As cellist of the Sima Trio, she has performed at major venues in the USA, such as Rutgers Zimmerli Arts Museum in New Brunswick, Weill Recital Hall, Dweck Center, Saugerties ProMusica Series in New York, Avalon Theater in Easton, Parish Hall in Wye Mills, Ridotto series in Huntington, NY, Little Rock
Chamber Music Society, Fortuna Music Club and Fort Bragg Arts Center in California, among others, as well winning a top prize at J.C. Arriaga chamber music competition. Upcoming engagements include concerts in USA, Canada, Spain, Japan and Argentina, as well as invitation to Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit and collaboration with violist Kim Kashkashian.
