Aznavoorian Duo

Sisters Ani and Marta Aznavoorian began performing together as young girls. Although they have recorded separately, they made their recording debut as a duo with the album Gems from Armenia in 2022. Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian grew up in Chicago; they were descended from an Armenian grandfather who fled Turkey during World War I. The Aznavoorian Duo, which has also sometimes performed as the Aznavoorian Sisters, took shape when they were young, as they won first prize at the Illinois Bell Young Performers Competition; the victory involved a live performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on the Public Broadcasting System television network. The Aznavoorian Duo won a Recognition designation and a Talent Level 1 Award from the National Foundation for the Arts, leading to their appointment as Presidential Scholars in the Arts and to performances at the Kennedy Center and the White House. They continued to perform as a duo, appearing in 1988 at a fundraiser for Armenian earthquake relief, but the sisters diverged in their educations; Ani Aznavoorian attended the Juilliard School, studying with Aldo Parisot (she was the youngest person ever to win the school's concerto competition), and Marta studied with Menahem Pressler, receiving a bachelor's degree from Indiana University, and a master's from the New England Conservatory of Music. Both sisters have flourishing solo careers. Ani Aznavoorian celebrated her 15th year as principal cellist of Camerata Pacifica in 2022; she has also been a member of the Jupiter Chamber Players and the International Sejong Soloists. She has appeared as a soloist with orchestras around the U.S. and beyond. Marta Aznavoorian was a founding member of the Lincoln Trio, with which she has recorded prolifically, and has appeared widely as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber player. Both sisters are active educators; Marta is on the faculty at the DePaul University School of Music, and Ani teaches at the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and in summers at the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea. Together, the sisters established a foundation aimed at providing funding for music students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. The Aznavoorian Duo has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and has toured in France, Finland, and Armenia. The Duo has commissioned new works from a large range of contemporary composers, including Osvaldo Golijov, Bright Sheng, and William Bolcom. The Aznavoorian Duo released its debut album, Gems from Armenia, on the Cedille label in 2022.
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