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Faculty Bio

Raffi Besalyan
Pianist

The young Armenian pianist, Raffi Besalyan is on the Piano Faculty at Rowan University and has been a top prizewinner in national and international piano competitions, including the MTNA National Piano Competition and the 2001 Josef Hofmann Competition. He was also a prizewinner in the 2000 Frinna Awerbuch International Competition in New York.

A graduate of the Yerevan (Armenia) Komitas Conservatory as a student of Sergei Barseghian, Mr. Besalyan received his master of Music degree at Rowan University as a student of Veda Zuponcic, and studied at the Manhattan School of Music with Byron Janis and Sara Davis Buechner. His studies at the Moscow State Conservatory included classes with Alexei Nasedkin, Victor Merzhanov, and Naum Shtarkman.

Critics have praised Mr. Besalyan’s performances for their virility, passion and extraordinary technical command, especially in the Romantic and 20th Century repertoire. The Armenian Reporter (New York) said, “Standing ovation and cries of ‘Bravo’ and “Encore’ went or pianist Raffi Besalyan…he mesmerized the audience with his gracious, delicate yet powerful presentation.”

Mr. Besalyan’s repertoire includes the major works of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Prokofieff. Having studied with American artists, he has mastered many of the solo works of Gershwin and Samuel Barber.

Mr. Besalyan has performed internationally as recitalist, soloist and with orchestra, including the Laguna Festival Orchestra in Venice, Italy, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, the Yerevan Symphony, the Belgorod, Russia Symphony, the Kharkov, Ukraine, Symphony Orchestra, and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. As a winner of the South Orange Symphony Concerto Competition, he performed the Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 3 with that orchestra.

In 2001, Mr. Besalyan made his first concert tour of Japan, with solo recitals and master classes in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. Future engagements in Russia, Armenia, Japan, Italy, and the United States during the 2003-2004 Season include solo recitals, chamber music appearances with Metropolitan Opera tenor Jon Garrison, as well as appearances as soloist with orchestra.

Mr. Besalyan recently gave his New York Recital Debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as Artists International’s Special Presentation Award Recipient.

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Department of Music, Wilson Hall @ Rowan University
201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028
phone • 856.256.4651 / fax • 856.256.4644

Dr. Robert Rawlins, Music Department Chair, music@rowan.edu