By Aram Arkun
Mirror-Spectator Staff
BOSTON – The Friends of Armenian Culture Society presented the 65th annual Armenian Night at the Pops on May 27 at Boston’s Symphony Hall. It was a well-attended event which both exposed many non-Armenians to Armenian culture and supported the career of a young Armenian musician.
The highlight for the evening for Armenians was the Boston debut of cellist Edvard Pogossian, who performed Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme” together with the Pops Orchestra conducted by Keith Lockhart. Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance from “Gayané” as well as a Yekmalian/Gregorian version of the Hayr Mer prayer were also part of the Armenian-oriented program.
Pogossian is a sophomore at Juilliard, and a recent winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Young Artists Competition in 2011. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Zipper Hall and on National Public Radio’s “From the Top” show. Pogossian is a founding member of the Zelda Piano Quartet.
The evening program also included a suite of songs from the movie “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” as well as a variety of songs performed by Sutton Foster, together with pianist Michael Rafter. Foster has performed in 11 Broadway shows and is a popular television star
