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International Clarinetist Narek Arutyunian to Perform at Raitt Recital Hall


Internationally award-winning clarinetist Narek Arutyunian will perform a sold-out show at Raitt Recital Hall as part of the Pepperdine University Recital Series in Malibu on Sunday, February 12, at 2 PM.

The program will include Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano; Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint for Clarinet and Tape; Ivan Olenchik’s Spanish Caprice for Clarinet Solo; Franz Lizst’s Reminiscences de Norma; and Carl Maria von Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante for Clarinet and Piano.

Winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Arutyunian has performed Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall in New York City, as well as Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet with the Boston Pops.

Arutyunian has performed extensively in Asia, Australia, and Europe, where he appeared at the Louvre in Paris and the Palazzo del Principe in Genoa, among others. He has appeared as soloist with the Meridian Symphony, the Albany Symphony, the Long Bay Symphony, the Longwood Symphony, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and in Russia with the Kaliningrad Philharmonic, the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.

He has performed recitals at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, the Lied Center of Kansas, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, the Westport Arts Center, the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, Music for Youth, Iowa State University, Southern Adventist University, Missouri State University, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall.

Arutyunian’s festival appearances include Juilliard ChamberFest, where he performed Osvaldo Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, the New York Festival of Song, Krzyzowa Music Festival in Poland, Germany’s Usedomer Musikfestival, Musica Viva’s Huntington Estate and Sydney Festivals in Australia, the 2013 Young Concert Artists Festivals in Tokyo and Beijing, and the Marlboro Music Festival.

Born in 1992 in Gyumri, Armenia, Arutyunian’s family moved to Moscow, Russia when he was three. By the age of 16, he had already won First Prize awards in the International Young Musicians Competition in Prague and the Musical Youth of the Planet Competition in Moscow. He recorded Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet with the State Symphony Orchestra of New Russia.

He graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory where he worked with Evgeny Petrov. He received his bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School, where he worked with Charles Neidich. He is currently a master’s degree candidate at Manhattan School of Music, where he continues his studies with Neidich.

Arutyunian’s clarinet is a personal gift from conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov. He receives general support for his career from the Guzik Foundation in California.

The Recital Series at Pepperdine University has delighted audiences with new and emerging classical musicians since 1993. With intimate Sunday afternoon performances in Raitt Recital Hall, the series is nationally known for its high quality performances, stunning location, beautiful and acoustically superior venues, and the engagement and loyalty of its audience.

Tickets for this recital are currently sold out. To be added to a waiting list, call the box office at 310-506-4522. For additional information about the performances, and to purchase tickets, visit the Center for the Arts website.