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The sisters Ani Aznavoorian, cellist and Marta Aznavoorian, pianist, are each renowned soloists and chamber musicians in their own right.  

The Strad magazine describes cellist Ani Aznavoorian as having “scorchingly committed performances that wring every last drop of emotion out of the music. Her technique is well-nigh immaculate, she has a natural sense of theater, and her tone is astonishingly responsive.” Ani is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the most recognized ensembles, and she has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Finnish Radio Symphony, the International Sejong Soloists, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the Edmonton Symphony. This season marks Ani’s fifteenth year as Principal Cellist with Camerata Pacifica. 

Ani received the prestigious Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award for her outstanding cello playing and artistry. Some of her other awards include first prizes in the Illinois Young Performers Competition (televised live on PBS with the Chicago Symphony), the Chicago Cello Society National Competition, the Julius Stulberg Competition, and the American String Teachers Association Competition. She was a top prizewinner in the 1996 International Paulo Competition, held in Helsinki, Finland. Ani was an award winners of the National Foundation of the Arts talent search, was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

As a first-year student at The Juilliard School, Ani won First Prize in the institution’s concerto competition—the youngest cellist in the history of the school to do so. As a result, she performed with the Juilliard Orchestra in a concert with conductor Gerard Schwarz at Avery Fisher Hall. With only 12 hours notice, Ani stepped in to replace Natalia Gutman in three performances of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 with the San Jose Symphony. Other notable appearances include concerts at Weill Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Ravinia’s Bennett Hall, Aspen’s Harris Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, WFMT Live from Studio 1, and NPR’s Performance Today.

“A pianist of exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse” (Boston Globe), Armenian-American pianist Marta Aznavoorian is known for her inspiringly spirited playing and vast emotional reach. The multi Grammy-nominated artist has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world as orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She made her professional début at the age of 13 performing Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 with the Chicago Symphony at the invitation of Sir Georg Solti. She went on to perform with orchestras throughout the United States and abroad including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Chicago Symphony and the New World Symphony at the invitation of Michael Tilson Thomas, who was also the conductor.  

Marta has appeared at some of this country's most prestigious festivals, including Ravinia, Tanglewood and Marlboro. She has performed and recorded with violinists Joshua Bell, Philip Quint and Stefan Milenkovich.

Marta has many awards and accolades, including 1st Prize in the Stravinsky International Competition and the Special Prize for best interpretation of the commissioned contemporary work. She was an award winners of the National Foundation of the Arts talent search, was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.  

Winning over audiences with the expressive energy and originality that she brings to new and traditional classical music, Aznavoorian has recorded extensively for the Naxos, Warner Classics and Erato labels, and has just released her 7th album on Cedille Records. Aznavoorian is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Lincoln Trio, which Fanfare Magazine called the “hottest trio in the business.”

REVIEWS

"True artists showing great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments"
—Los Angeles Times

" . . . the superb playing of the Aznavoorians, who are expressive, technically poised and well blended throughout."
—chicagoclassicalreview.com

“. . . a lively and lovely program.”
—Classical Modern Music Review

“. . . in presenting an in-depth overview of the Armenian musical landscape, past and present, the Aznavoorians have done a valuable service.”
—Textura

“The most rapturously poignant album of the year so far is Gems From Armenia, by the Aznavoorian Duo . . . Sisters Ani and Marta Aznavoorian – cello and piano, respectively – draw on their heritage for a lyrical playlist of material that spans from the 19th century to the present. It underscores the disproportionately rich influence this tiny nation’s music continues to make around the globe.”
—Delarue New York Music Daily