Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m.—RUTLAND—The ninth season of Passages at the Paramount continues on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. with a new approach between the Paramount and Young Concert Artists, Inc, featuring two young concert artists from its roster: Narek Arutyunian, clarinetist and Yun-Chin Zhou, pianist.
Bruce Bouchard, executive director of the Paramount, commented, “This idea was presented to us by Young Concert Artists and we jumped at the chance. These two artists are fast-tracking important solo careers and the opportunity to present a ‘two-for-one’ afternoon was most intriguing to us.”
These much heralded artists have formed a bond and fill a few dates during their concert year playing together. They have collaborated on a fascinating program and the result should be mesmerizing. Bouchard continued, “In an attempt to engage younger audiences, the Paramount has instituted a special $12 student price for all Passages concerts; further, we have moved all concerts to 3 p.m. on Sundays which we hope will serve as a more user-friendly concert time.”
Clarinetist Narek Arutyunian is an artist who has performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall as well as Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet with the Boston Pops. Mr. Arutyunian has also appeared as soloist with the Meridian Symphony, the Albany Symphony, the Long Bay Symphony, and the Longwood Symphony. 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.
Winner of the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he was presented in debut recitals at Merkin Concert Hall and the Kennedy Center to rave reviews. By the age of 16, he had already won first prizes in the International Young Musicians Competition in Prague and the Musical Youth of the Planet Competition in Moscow. He recorded the Weber Concertino for clarinet with the State Symphony Orchestra of New Russia.
Born in 1992 in Gyumri, Armenia, Mr. Arutyunian’s family moved to Moscow when he was three. 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 candidate at the Manhattan School of Music, where he continues his studies with Mr. Neidich. Mr. Arutyunian’s clarinet is a personal gift from the conductor and violinist Vladimir Spivakov. He receives general support for his career from the Guzik Foundation in California.
A native of Shenyang, China, pianist Yun-Chin Zhou’s given name means “pure melody.” In addition to his acclaimed New York and Washington, recital debuts at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and at the Kennedy Center on the Young Concert Artists Series, Mr. Zhou has performed around the U.S., at Saint Vincent College, the Center for Arts in Natick, the Lied Center of Kansas, the Port Washington Library, the Jewish Community Alliance, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Colgate University, Friends of Music, the Evergreen Museum and Library, the Bedford Chamber Concert Series, and the Harriman-Jewell Series, among others. He has collaborated with YCA artists including in the Great Hall Series with violinist Paul Huang and at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall with clarinetist Narek Arutyunian, with whom he appears again this season in concerts at the Morgan Library and Museum and the Oneonta Concert Association. Last season, the New York Times extolled his “sensational” and “brilliant” performance of Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 3 with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall with conductor Michael Stern.
Mr. Zhou won first prize at the 2013 Young Concert Artists international auditions, as well as the John Browning Memorial Prize, Ruth Laredo Memorial Award, the Slomovic Prize, and seven performance prizes. He also captured first prize in the 2013 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition at Juilliard, which brought him a full scholarship and an appearance on WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase with Robert Sherman. He won top prizes in the 2007 China International Piano Competition, the 2006 Gulangyu Piano Competition in Xiamen, the Busoni Piano Competition in Italy, and the Cleveland Piano Competition. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout China, including the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing. Mr. Zhou began his piano studies at the age of seven. From the age of 19, he studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald, with whom he continues his studies at the Juilliard School.
Tickets are $22 for adults and $12 for those under 18 and are available at the box office, charge-by-phone by calling 802-775-0903 or online at paramountvt.org.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Theatre
YUN-CHIN ZHOU
