TCA Sponsors UCLA VEM String Quartet Tour of Philly, Boston, Montreal, Detroit and LA

Ferguson is a cellist, composer, and orchestrator. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2017 from the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he studied cello performance with Antonio Lysy and music composition with Ian Krouse and Bruce Broughton. He has participated in many international music festivals and performed on many of LA’s premiere contemporary music series. His concert works have been performed throughout California and overseas. As of 2019, Niall is a Program Associate with the Asia / America New Music Institute (AANMI), a collective that pursues cultural exchange through modern music. In April 2019 he participated in his first AANMI tour and contributed to lectures at institutions throughout Asia. He is of Japanese descent on his mother’s side and of Scottish and Irish descent on his father’s. He goes by both his Gaelic and Japanese names, Niall or Tarō, respectively.

Pogossian is a celebrated prize-winning violinist, Distinguished Professor of Violin at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, and Founder/Advisor of the UCLA Armenian Music Program. He made his American debut performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Boston Pops in 1990, about which the Boston Globe wrote: “There is freedom in his playing, but also taste and discipline. It was a fiery, centered, and highly musical performance…” Laureate of several competitions, including the Tchaikovsky International Competition, he extensively performs worldwide. A devoted chamber musician, Pogossian is Artistic Director Emeritus of the Dilijan Chamber Music Series, which is founded and led to critical acclaim in Los Angeles for 15 seasons. He has performed with members of the Tokyo, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets, and with such artists as Kim Kashkashian, Jeremy Denk, Lynn Harrell, Ani and Ida Kavafian, and Rohan de Saram. He regularly collaborates with the Apple Hill Chamber Players, teaching annually at their summer music festival in New Hampshire. A committed champion of new music, Pogossian has premiered over 100 works, and works closely with composers such as G. Kurtág, K. Saariaho, T. Mansurian, Gabriela Lena Frank, and many others. Pogossian’s discography includes the Complete Sonatas and Partitas by J. S. Bach, solo CDs “Inspired by Bach,” “Blooming Sounds,” “In Nomine,” and, most recently, “Hommage à Kurtág” (2022) and a 4 CD-set “Serenade with a Dandelion.” The Bridge Records CD of the “Complete Violin Works of Wolpe” made the 2015 Top Ten list in the Sunday Times (UK), and the 2020 releases of Armenian contemporary music: “Modulation Necklace” (New Focus Recordings) and “Con Anima” (ECM) have garnered critical acclaim. As head of the Los Angeles Chapter, he participates in the Music for Food project, which fights hunger in local communities and gives the opportunity to experience the powerful role music plays as a catalyst for change.

Zavala is a Mexican-American violist and violinist from Oregon. Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in music, Damon dedicates himself to part-time teaching of string chamber studies at UCLA, under the guidance of Brian Chen and Movses Pogossian, and at the SOL-LA Music Academy in Santa Monica. While at UCLA, he actively participates as a violist in the Armenian Music Program and is a member of the VEM Quartet. This experience not only enriches his understanding but also amplifies his ongoing commitment to showcasing a broad spectrum of cultural expressions in music. This dedication has most recently led him to a pivotal role with the Sphinx Organization, where he currently manages community arts organizations to enhance the representation of underrepresented communities in orchestral settings, striving to ensure that Black and Brown voices can be heard and valued. His efforts to broaden his teaching outreach and contribute significantly to both educational and commercial music sectors underscore his dedication to diversity and inclusion in classical music.

Schedule

In Philadelphia, the Tekeyan Cultural Association chapter is cosponsoring the concert with the Villanova Armenian Students’ Organization on Friday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cinema at Connelly Center at Villanova University.

Tickets are $20. For more info/tickets call Vahe at 215-908-9502 or Sira at 267-902-0700.