Commissions

Dilijan has proudly commissioned 54 new chamber music works by Armenian and non-Armenian composers. It is a great testament to the legacy of the series that many of these compositions, born within Dilijan, have found continued life outside of Zipper Hall and the concert series itself. These original works are being performed in concerts and festivals globally, in Armenia, Europe, and across the US, completely independent of Dilijan.

Being a producer of new works is vital to the mission of Dilijan, creating an avenue through which the Armenian community can add its voice to the world repertoire of Chamber Music.

Neither Dilijan nor the Lark Musical Society could plant these seeds in the classical music canon without the partnership of great music lovers in our community. A heartfelt thanks to our far-seeing donors, who have committed their support to the creation of new music.

Dilijan wishes to acknowledge the generous benefaction of honorable underwriters like:

– Dr. & Mrs. Hovsep and Hilda Fidanian
– Dr. & Mrs. Harmon and Lucine Agbabian-Hubbard
– Mr. & Mrs. Justus and Helen Schlichting
– Mr. Haig Bagerjian

And corporate partners like:

– Hamazkayin Cultural Organization
– Soli Deo Gloria
– Los Angeles Philanthropic Committee for the Arts
– Chamber Music America

List of Works Commissioned by Dilijan

• Vache Sharafyan – Serenade with a Dandelion (2005)
  Premiered September 25, 2005, by Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian
• Vartan Simonian – Andante Insenato (2006)
  Premiered on December 17, 2006, by Alexis Hatch and Alik Barsoumian
• David Haladjian – Quintet “…the rest is silence…” (2006)
  Premiered on November 5, 2006, by Ida Levin, Hellen Callus, Alan Vogel, Michele Zukovsky, Niko Abondolo
• Paolo Cavallone – Frammenti Lirici (2006)
  Premiered on January 7, 2007, by Tony Arnold and Movses Pogossian
• Artur Avanesov – Im Luys (2006)
  Premiered on January 7, 2007, by Tony Arnold and Movses Pogossian
• Vache Sharafyan – Piano Quintet (2007)
  Premiered on September 15, 2007 by Movses Pogossian, Aroussiak Baltaian, Brian Dembow, Peter Stumpf, Vache Sharafyan
• Ashot Kartalyan – Quintet (2007)
  Premiered on December 16, 2007, by Ray Reinebach, Nazanin Eliahoo, Margaret Wu, Boryana Popova, David Lee Ruest
• Artur Avanesov – Zemestani/Bahari/Beheshti (2008)
  Premiered on October 5, 2008, by Movses Pogossian and Dzovig Markarian
• Tigran Mansurian – String Trio (2008)
  Premiered on January 18, 2009 by Movses Pogossian, Kim Kashkashian, Rohan de Saram
• Ashot Zohrabian – Novelette (2010)
  Premiered on March 19, 2010 by Elise Kuder, Michael Kelly, Rupert Thompson, Gavin Martin
• Martun Israelian – Adagio and Allegro for Piano Trio (2010)
  Premiered on September 26, 2010 by Movses Pogossian, Timothy Landauer, Joanne Pearce Martin
• Ian Krouse – Nocturnes (2010), for baritone singer and string quintet
  Premiered by Vladimir Chernov, Searmi Park, Varty Manouelian, Andrew McIntosh, Timothy Landauer, Ian Krouse
• Miyuki Ito – Floating Memories (2010), for marimba and violin
  Premiered on October 31, 2010, by Kuniko Kato and Movses Pogossian
• Artur Avanesov – A few aspects on global warming (2010)
  Premiered on Oct. 31, 2010, by Kuniko Kato and Movses Pogossian
• Vache Sharafyan – Verses (2010), for vibraphone and violin
  Premiered on October 31, 2010 by Kuniko Kato and Movses Pogossian
• Stepan Rostomyan – Tagh of Angels (2010)
  Premiered by Tony Arnold, Movses Pogossian, Vardan Gasparyan, Tigran Arakelyan, Ryan Zwahlen, Andrea Moore and Vicki Ray
• Vache Sharafyan – Have Mercy on me, O God (Psalm 51)
  Premiered on September 25, 2011, by Daniel Plaster, Varty Manouelian, Movses Pogossian, Gina Coletti and Vardan Gasparyan
• Artashes Kartalyan – String Quartet (2011)
  Premiered on December 18, 2011, by Movses Pogossian, Varty Manouelian, Brian Dembow and Ana Landauer
• Tigran Mansurian – Canti Paralleli (2012)
  Premiered on March 25, 2012, by Shoushik Barsoumian and Vicki Ray
• Ashot Kartalyan – Piano Trio (2012)
  Premiered on April 15, 2012, by Movses Pogossian, Kim Scholes and Vicki Ray
• Artur Avanesov – “Praise the Lord” (2012)
  Premiered on February 24, 2013, by the Lark Mastersingers, Vatsche Barsoumian (dir.)
• Ian Krouse – Fire of Sacrifice (2011)
  Premiered on April 21, 2013, by Shoushik Barsoumian and the Lark Mastersingers, Vatsche Barsoumian (dir.)
• Gabriela Lena Frank – Seven Armenian Songs on Quatrains by Nahapet Quchak (2013)
  Premiered on April 21, 2013, by Tony Arnold, Kuniko Kato and Movses Pogossian
• Paul Chihara – The Girl from Yerevan (2013)
  Premiered on Nov. 17, 2013, by Movses Pogossian, Richard O’Neill and David Starobin
• Vardan Adjemian – Violin Sonata (2014)
  Premiered on February 23, 2014, by Movses Pogossian and Inna Faliks
• Artashes Kartalyan – String Octet (2014)
  Premiered on April 6, 2014, by Movses Pogossian, Guillaume Sutre, Nicole Sauder, Nicolette Kocsardy, Richard O’Neill, Stephanie Nagler, Antonia Lysy and Luke Kim
• Vache Sharafyan – Divertissement (2014)
  Premiered on October 26, 2014, by Movses Pogossian, Varty Manouelian, Guillaume Sutre, Armen Ksajikian and Michael Valerio
• Kristapor Najarian – Six Duets for Two Violins (2014)
  Premiered on December 14, 2014, by Ani Kavafian and Ida Kavafian
• Serj Tankian/John Psathas – 100 Years (2014)
  Premiered on December 14, 2014, by Michele Zukovsky, Movses Pogossian, Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, Vardan Gasparyan, Armen Guzelimian, Rick Helterbrand, Bahareh Moghtadaei, Danielle Bayne, Nune Kartalyan, Ava Manukyan, Jenny Mirzoian, Mariam Pushian, Mariana Sanamyan
• Tigran Mansurian – Die Tänzerin (2015)
  Premiered on January 18, 2015, by Varty Manouelian and Kim Kashkashian
• Ashot Kartalyan – Duet for Clarinet and Percussion (2015)
  Premiered on February 22, 2015, by Phil O’Connor and Kuniko Kato
• Aram Hovhannisyan – Pachyan Fragments (2015)
  Premiered on February 22, 2015, by Tony Arnold, Movses Pogossian and Kuniko Kato
• Daniel Sedgwick – All Some None (2015)
  (Text by Khənko Aperj, adapted by Marjorie Gere) For three speaking instrumentalists (violin, clarinet, and bassoon) and two high voices
  Premiered on March 22, 2015, by Zare Arakelyan, Nanor DerBedrossian, Movses Pogossian, Phil O’Connor and John Steinmetz
• Martin Ulikhanyan (b. 1981) – Ayg 2015 (2015)
  (In collaboration with filmmaker Alik Barsoumian)
  Premiered on April 26, 2015, by Shoushik Barsoumian, Randy George, Movses Pogossian and Vardan Gasparyan
• Vahram Sargsyan – Epitaph for string quartet (2015)
  Premiered on October 11, 2015, by Movses Pogossian, Armen Der-Kevorkian, Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu and Vardan Gasparyan
• Artur Avanesov – “Quasi harena maris” for piano quintet (2016)
  Premiered on March 26, 2016 in the Komitas Chamber Music Hall, Yerevan, Armenia, by Movses Pogossian, Isabella Reyes, Daniel Mireles, Bryant Gozali, Artur Avanesov
• Ashot Zohrabian – String Quartet No. 3 (2016)
  Premiered on February 21, 2016, by Gabriela Diaz, Kate Vincent and Charles Tyler
• Armen Hyusnunts: Aria and Dance (2016)
  Premiered on March 20, 2016, by Armen Hyusnunts, Movses Pogossian, Guillaume Sutre, Benjamin Bartelt, Antonio Lysy
• Donald Crockett – String Quartet No. 3 “Cortège” (2016)
  Premiered on October 16, 2016, by Movses Pogossian, Martin Beaver, Che-Yen Chen, Jonathan Karoly
• Artashes Kartalyan – Three Songs for soprano, violin and percussion (2017)
  Premiered on January 15, 2017, by Tony Arnold, Kuniko Kato, Movses Pogossian
• Ashot Kartalyan – World Premiere for soprano and violin (2017)
  Premiered on January 15, 2017, by Tony Arnold and Movses Pogossian
• Michel Petrossian – “A Fiery Flame, A Flaming Fire” Piano Trio (2017)
  Premiered on February 19, 2017, by Varty Manouelian, Charles Tyler and Daniel Sedgwick
• Vahram Sargsyan – Kyrie, solo voice and chamber choir a cappella (2017)
  Premiered on January 28, 2018, by Vahram Sargsyan and the Lark Geghard choir
• Artashes Kartalyan – Choral Cycle on poems by Misaq Metzarents, chamber choir a cappella (2017)
  Premiered on January 28, 2018, by the Lark Geghard choir
• Michael Kelly – String Octet (2018)
  Premiered on March 18, 2018, by the Apple Hill String Quartet and VEM Quartet
• Ashot Kartalyan – Psalm No. 8 (2018)
  Premiered on October 21, 2018 by Jon Lee Keenan, Edward Levy, Movses Pogossian and Steven Vanhauwaert
• Arthur Aharonian – The Cry Of My Soul” (2018), song cycle on texts by H.
  Premiered on October 21, 2018 by Shoushik Barsoumian, Phil O’Connor, Arthur Aharonian
• Arthur Aharonian – Three Armenian Popular Dances (2018)
  Premiered on October 21, 2018 by Movses Pogossian, Phil O’Connor, Arthur Aharonian
• Vache Sharafyan – Suite for Clarinet Quintet
  Premiered on February 17, 2019 by Michele Zukovsky, Movses Pogossian, Varty Manouelian, Robert Brophy, Armen Ksajikian
• Michel Petrossian – Liber Secretorum Henoch, for String Quartet (2018)
  Premiered on March 17, 2019 by Movses Pogossian, Andrew McIntosh, Che-Yen Chen, and Coleman Itzkoff
• Artur Avanesov – String Quartet
  Premiered on March 17, 2019 by Movses Pogossian, Andrew McIntosh, Che-Yen Chen, and Coleman Itzkoff
• Daniel Sedgwick – World Premiere for voice and violin (2019)
  Scheduled to premier on March 8, 2020, by Tony Arnold and Varty Manouelian
• Martin Ulikhanyan – World Premiere for clarinet and string quartet, “Tribute to Tigran Mansurian”
  Scheduled to premier on April 19, 2020, by Burt O’Hara and VEM String Quartet
• Alik Barsoumian – World Premiere of an original short film
  Scheduled to premier on April 19, 2020