Duo Amici and Gohar Vardanyan

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Episcopal High School - Chapel , 4650 Bissonnet , Bellaire, Texas 77401

Celebrating women in music with a concert given by internationally acclaimed artists, Duo Amici: Valérie Hartzell with mezzo-soprano & pianist Tamara McCoy, and critically acclaimed virtuoso, Gohar Vardanyan. After the concert, the Awards Ceremony will take place and prize-winners announced.

Artistic Director to the “Classical Minds” Festival & Competition, Valérie Hartzell, has performed on radio, television, in over 30 festivals, and is an international competition prize-winner in 8 competitions. Currently, she resides in Bedforshire, England where she maintains an active solo and chamber music career. As a pianist, Tamara McCoy has performed all over the U.S, and over-seas in Russia, the Czech Republic, and Brazil. She has a Doctoral degree in Piano Performance at the University of Kentucky. Tamara lives in Anchorage, Alaska where she performs with the Anchorage Opera Chorus and is Adjunct Faculty at the Alaska Pacific University. Valérie and Tamara met in 1997 while Tamara was working on her Bachelor Degree and Valérie on her Master Degree at Radford University. Duo Amici was founded in 2015 after Tamara was awarded an Individual Artist Award from the Rasmuson Foundation of Alaska. This grant allowed the duo to tour Alaska and England in Spring of 2016. They performed works for piano and guitar, voice and guitar, and solo works for their respective instruments. In April 2016, they gave an eleven concert tour of Alaska, including concerts for the Homer Council on the Arts and the Performing Arts Society in Kenai. A month later they collaborated on a six concert tour in England, including a London debut.

Armenian guitarist Gohar Vardanyan, currently residing in New Year City, has performed throughout the U.S. including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and guitar societies in Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, and NYC. She has appeared on NPR in the U.S. and Radio Nacional in Argentina. Ms. Vardanyan has performed as a soloist with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra and Panama National Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a guest artist at the “Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra” in Panama and the Hamilton International Guitar Festival in Canada. She is also an author of three books from Mel Bay Publications and an instructor on Strings by Mail’s YouTube Lessonettes, a series of mini video lessons. www.goharvardanyan.com

For family members of enrolled festival participants: Admission to Friday and Saturday night concerts is included in tuition for those enrolled in the festival, and their family members are admitted at $5 each.

General Admission to Concerts: Friday and Saturday nights – each concert $15 General Admission, $10 Senior Citizens, $5 Students and Children. Concert package for both nights - $25 General Admission, $15 Senior Citizens, $10 Students