This International Women’s Day, the FEU is delighted to welcome back alumna pianist Natalia Kazaryan (2011-2012). Unlike the majority of Natalia’s programs, which are inclusive of composers of all genders, this program’s sole focus is celebrating the work of women composers of the past 200 years — from Clara Schumann to Joan Tower.
Although Lili Boulanger’s Trois morceaux opens the program, for Natalia, the work is its emotional heart — her discovery of this powerful but largely unknown work a decade ago sparked her passion for championing great works by women. Following the Boulanger are works of Clara Schumann and Grazyna Bacewicz that, although written 100 years apart, share a powerful sense of emotional intimacy and heartbreaking melody.
The program’s second half brings together three of today’s most important women composers. Vivian Fung’s Glimpses explores the kaleidoscope of vivid timbres possible with the prepared piano, while Joan Tower’s Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman delights in rhythmic and melodic variety to such an extent that it sounds improvisatory.
And Emma Lou Diemer’s Piano Sonata No. 3, with its overtones of Copland and Glass, is always a favorite with Natalia’s audiences thanks to its unstoppable energy and poignant lyricism.
Practical Information
Date Thursday, March 9 | Time 7:30pm | Facebook Event
Covid: Wearing a mask is not mandatory, however it is strongly recommended.
Program
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Trois morceaux pour piano
Clara Schumann (1819-1896)
Three Romances, Op. 21
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Piano Sonata No. 2
Vivian Fung (1975-)
Glimpses
Joan Tower (1938-)
Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
Emma Lou Diemer (1927-)
Piano Sonata No. 3
About the Artist
The Washington Post hailed pianist Natalia Kazaryan’s recent performance as “one of the best classical concerts”. She is dedicated to giving equal platform to female composers in her public appearances. As a soloist, she has performed both major and lesser-known concertos — including those of Florence Price, Clara Schumann, Rachmaninov, Grieg, Prokofiev and Mozart — with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, Harrisburg Symphony, and other ensembles across the country. Recent standout solo performances include Portland Piano International, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and a George Walker Musical Portrait at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. Ms. Kazaryan is co-founder of Washington Arts Ensemble, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering an unforgettable chamber music experience in the nation’s capital. As a recording artist, she has released three EPs to Spotify and Apple Music. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Kazaryan won both a Fulbright Grant and a Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship to Paris to focus on Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, later completing her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan. She received a “Sobresaliente” Award from the hands of Queen Sofía of Spain and won Astral Artists’ National Auditions. Ms. Kazaryan holds an adjunct piano faculty position at Howard University.
Follow Natalia Kazaryan on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.