The Strad magazine describes cellist Ani Aznavoorian as having “Scorchingly committed performances that wring every last drop of emotion out of the music. Her technique is well-nigh immaculate, she has a natural sense of theater, and her tone is astonishingly responsive.” Ms. Aznavoorian has appeared as soloist with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Belgrade Philharmonic, and the Juilliard Orchestra. She has also appeared as recitalist and chamber musician in over 20 countries spanning 5 continents.

 

Ms. Aznavoorian is an avid chamber musician and teacher. She is the principal cellist of Camerata Pacifica, one of the premier chamber music organizations on the west coast and she appears regularly at chamber music festivals around the globe. She has also served on the distinguished music faculty at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, and has spent summers as faculty of the Great Mountains Music Festival and School in South Korea.

​

 

Her numerous accolades include being the recipient of the prestigious Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award for her outstanding cello playing and artistry, being named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and being a prize winner of the International Paulo Cello Competition. She is a proponent of new music and she has premiered concertos by Lera Auerbach and Ezra Laderman and continues to expand the chamber music repertoire with commissions by John Harbison, David Bruce, and Bright Sheng. Ms. Aznavoorian records for Cedille Records and she proudly performs on a cello made by her father Peter Aznavoorian in Chicago.