Beethoven, violin sonata No.5 "spring", Op.24, Allegro.
Antranik Malkastian - Violin
Jingsi Lu - Piano
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About
Born in Aleppo, Syria of Armenian descent, Malkastian has performed internationally at venues such as the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and the Arab Cultural Arts Center. Finalist of the Andrea Postacchini competition at age 12, and a laureate of the 2019 Tibor Varga international violin competition in Switzerland, Malkastian is a winner of gold and special awards at the Forte international competition 2014, and the Grand Prix award at the Maestro 2016 international competition.
Malkastian has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as The Contemporary Ensemble of John Heiss at the New England Conservatory, where he performed Hartmann’s Concerto Funebre in Jordan Hall. Other engagements include appearances with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra in MD, the Montgomery College Orchestra, and the Gomidas Chamber Orchestra, with whom he toured Armenia and Lebanon.
Malkastian joined the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 2017. He played under the baton of Maestro Daniel Barenboim and shared the stage with other internationally acclaimed musicians such as Martha Argerich. He performed at festivals and venues such as the Waldbuhne, Disney Hall, the Lucerne Festival, BBC Proms, and the Salzburger Festival. Previously, he has held concertmaster positions at the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra and the Syrian Youth Orchestra.
With great passion for music beyond violin playing, Malkastian was appointed as Assistant to Music Director and Audition Pre-Screener to NPR’s “From the Top” from 2018 to 2020. During this time, he critically listened to performance tapes and reviewed applications of musicians of all instruments under the age of 18. He helped the music director in following up with talented young musicians, choosing performers, and programming pieces for the live radio shows.
Malkastian also enjoys playing chamber music. He has performed at Apple Hill, Kneisel Hall (as a guest young artist), Mendocino festival young artists, the Innsbrook Concert Series, and California Summer Music festival. Most recently, he has appeared as soloist and chamber musician at Boston’s Con Brio series, guest artist at Tufts University’s Distler Performance Hall, where he performed violin/viola Duets with viola faculty Scott Woolweaver, as well as educational outreach concerts of chamber music with the Chameleon Arts Ensemble.
Driven by innovative thinking and making a difference through music, Malkastian was selected as an NEC fellow to work closely and perform with Boston’s self conducted and Grammy nominated string orchestra, A Far Cry. He learned valuable skills in regards to running a non-profit organization, observed artistic meetings, and performed with the group on their “American Noir” program, which included performing Korngold’s string serenade at NEC’s Jordan Hall, as well as outreach educational concerts at Harvard and the Longy School of Music.
An active improviser, Malkastian’s improvisations range from the classical style all the way to rock and pop music, sometimes using the electric violin as well. He has appeared with Jazz pianist and Grammy award winner Peter Martin at the Innsbrook concert series, and has also taught a workshop on improvisation at the Peabody Preparatory.
Inspired by his Syrian-Armenian Background, Malkastian was one of the founders and on the board of advisory for the project “Citizen Displaced”, a collaborative work between musicians and dancers to keep raising awareness to the devastating refugee crisis all over the World. The project was launched in 2017, and has successfully raised donations for refugees. Music was written by composer Pablo Salazar, and included improvisation, visual arts, and modern ways of performing.
Malkastian is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, where he completed his Master of Music under Ayano Ninomiya. Previously, he studied with James Stern and Irina Muresanu at the University of Maryland, where he received his Bachelor of Music, alongside with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 2018. He was the chosen honorary undergraduate of string players at the UMD School of Music in 2014, performed at Dekelboum Hall for the commencement ceremony, and is a proud alumni of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity.
Outside of music, he enjoys swimming, traveling, and reading scientific articles and theories. Antranik plays on a violin and bow generously on loan to him from the Maestro foundation.