ABOUT

Pianist Sofya Melikyan is praised for being a “a highly sensitive performer, who always subordinates technical aspects to the rhetoric” (Remy Franck, Pizzicato) and “a musician with strong, self- confident voice” (Klassik Heute).

She has been regularly presented at important venues around the world and as a soloist with orchestras including the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Spain, Cordoba Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, Valencia Symphony Orchestra, New Europe Chamber Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Master Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic of Galicia, Sinfonia Toronto, under conductors such as Adrian Leaper, Yaron Traub, Nurhan Arman, Salvador Brotons, Jaume Santonja, Yi-Chen Lin, Francisco Valero Terribas, Tigran Hakhnazaryan, among others.

Winner of numerous international piano competitions, Melikyan's performances have been broadcast by the National Radio and Television of Spain, National Radio and Television of Armenia, National Radio of Catalonia, Melbourne ABC Classic FM Radio Station, Chicago WFMT Radio station, Radio France, Deutschlandfunk Radio, Mezzo French Television Station, WDR 3 Radio Station in Germany, New York WXQR Radio Station, and many others.

Recent performance highlights include concerts at the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, American Liszt Society in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, DC,  Bulgaria Concert Hall in Sofia, Santiago de Compostela Auditorium in Spain, Muziekcentrum in Gent, Flagey in Brussels,  "Chopin+" Festival in Luxembourg, Salle Cortot in Paris, Malaga Philharmonic Society, Spanish Music Festival in Cadiz, where she premiered works by eleven female composers. Other noteworthy stages on which she has performed include  Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Palau de la  Música in Valence, Palace of Festivals in Santander, Monumental Theatre in Madrid, Belgrade Philharmonic Hall, Armenian Philharmonic Hall, Jordan Hall in Boston, Izumi Hall in Osaka, Guangzhou Opera House in China, Kaufhaus in Freiburg, among many others.

Aside from her extensive career as a soloist, Sofya Melikyan is also a passionate and highly sought-after chamber musician. She has collaborated with such artists as Amaury Coeytaux, Gary Hoffman, Torleif Thedeen, Tanja Becker - Bender, Silvia Simionescu, Lise Berthaud, Kim Kashkashian, Karen Ouzounian, Philippe Graffin among others. As a member of former New York based Sima Trio, Melikyan was a Gold Medal winner at the New England International Chamber Music Competition in Boston. Her newly formed trio with violinist David Haroutunian and cellist Mikayel Hakhnazaryan has recently released on British label "Rubicon Classics" an album featuring Piano trios Op. 87 & 101 by Brahms. The CD is the first volume of series of recordings dedicated to Brahms’ chamber music with piano. Selected as a CD of the day by France Musique, it continues receiving enthusiastic press internationally.

Melikyan has also recorded two solo albums: "Women" with works by contemporary female composers on IBS Classical, as well as “Spanish Piano Music” with music by Granados and Mompou on Etcetera Records. Both CDs have received widespread international acclaim. (5* Classica, 10* Klassik Heute ; Golden disc “Melómano”, 4* “Pizzicato”; recommended by “Der Tagesspiegel”). Her next solo album dedicated to Ricardo Viñes will be released in 2022.

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Sofya Melikyan began her musical training at the Tchaikovsky Special School of Yerevan with Anahit Shajbazyan. She completed her further training at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid with Joaquin Soriano (graduated with Honors), Ecole Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris with Ramzi Yassa (graduated with Honors) and Manhattan School of Music in New York with Solomon Mikowsky. Other pianists who have mentored her are Brigitte Engerer and Galina Eguiazarova.