Known for his thrilling performances and musical creativity, violinist/violist Ara
Gregorian made his New York recital debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall
and his debut as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra in Symphony Hall. Since
that time, he has established himself as one of the most sought-after and
versatile musicians of his generation with performances in New York’s Carnegie
Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center and
in major metropolitan cities throughout the world including Boston, Los Angeles,
Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, Vancouver, Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Helsinki.
Throughout his career, Gregorian has taken an active role as a performer and
presenter of chamber music. He is the founder and artistic director of the Four
Seasons Chamber Music Festival which will celebrate its 25 th Anniversary
Season in the coming season and has appeared at festivals worldwide including
the SpringLight (Finland), Storioni (Holland), Summer Solstice (Canada), Casals
(Puerto Rico), Intimacy of Creativity (Hong Kong), Voice of Music in the Upper
Galilee (Israel), Taos, Bard, Bravo! Vail Valley, Santa Fe, Skaneateles, Music in
the Vineyards, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Cactus Pear, Chesapeake,
Madeline Island, Kingston and Manchester festivals. He is a member of the
Cooperstown Quartet, has performed extensively with Concertante and the
Daedalus Quartet, and has recorded for National Public Radio, New York’s
WQXR, and the Bridge and Kleos labels.
An active and committed teacher, Gregorian is the Four Seasons Chamber
Music Festival Distinguished Professor in Music at East Carolina University
where he has been on the violin/viola/chamber music faculty since 1998. He has
taken a leading role in creating opportunities for talented students and young
professionals through Four Seasons’ Spring Workshop and Next Generation
initiatives and is on the summer faculty of the Taos School of Music. In the Fall
of 2024, Gregorian will join the faculty at New England Conservatory where he
will serve as Chair of String and Piano Chamber Music.
Gregorian currently makes his home in North Carolina with his wife, violinist Hye-
Jin Kim, and their son Theodor. He performs on a Francesco Ruggeri violin from
1690 and a Grubaugh and Seifert viola from 2006.