LEXINGTON, Mass. — Yerevan’s Music for Future Foundation (M4FF) will present a fundraising concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, at the Scottish Rite Museum and Library. Eight young Armenian musicians, ranging in age from 10 to 18, will showcase their talents through a program encompassing both solo and ensemble performances. All proceeds from this concert will go directly to M4FF, supporting its mission to identify and nurture gifted musicians from Armenia and provide them the training and mentorship necessary to compete and thrive in the classical music world.
The eclectic program repertoire will include works by Babadjanian, Beethoven, Chopin, Dvorak, Khachaturian, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saens. Adding to the excitement, the concert will also feature two Boston premiere performances: The Serenade for Saxophone by Yuri Gevorkyan and In Memory of Artsakh for piano, the most recent work of Arno Melkonyan, a composer, pianist and guitarist from Yerevan and alumnus of the Berklee College of Music.
Violinist/violist Ara Gregorian, chair of String and Piano Chamber Music at New England Conservatory will also be on hand to discuss music education and professional music careers in the United States.
Founded in 2019 by Sergey Smbatyan, artistic director and principal conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, M4FF provides unparalleled opportunities for its scholarship recipients. Said Smbatyan, “It is our aim and mission at the Foundation to nurture the young talents, to expand their educational opportunities and to guide them on their path to fulfilling careers in music.”
M4FF scholarship holders receive intensive musical training, participate in international performances and masterclasses with world-renowned musicians, and attend competitive music festivals, all experiences together instilling musicians with the confidence, discipline, and exposure needed to launch their musical careers.
Since welcoming its first cohort in 2020, more than 80 scholarship holders have participated in the program, performing in festivals across Armenia, Europe, and the UAE — including the Livorno Music Festival (Italy), the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and “Moscow Meets Friends” (Russia), and the Middle East Classical Music Academy and InClassica (UAE). Foundation scholarship recipients have also won awards in numerous international competitions, such as the Khachaturian International Youth Competition and the Santa Cecilia International Competition, earning 144 prestigious prizes, including more than 20 Grand Prix and over 80 First Prize titles.
Talented young musicians of the M4FF have been admitted to some of the world’s leading music institutions, including the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Cologne University of Music and Dance, Royal Academy of Music in London, Detmold University of Music, Zurich University of the Arts, Zagreb Academy of Music, Mozarteum University Salzburg, and Folkwang University of the Arts in Germany.
Tickets for this performance are $25 for students and $50-$75 for adults. All are invited to a post-concert reception to meet the performers and to learn more about the mission and impact of M4FF.
This event is hosted by Friends of the Armenian Culture Society (FACS). Ticket sales and additional information are available online at www.facsboston.org.
