Internationally Renowned Sima Trio Performs at VSU April 6

VALDOSTA — As part of their Georgia Tour, Sima Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, in Valdosta State University’s Whitehead Auditorium. The concert is open to the public and free of charge.

“Praised for their ‘powerful’ and ‘heartfelt’ interpretations of classical and ethnic repertoire, Sima Trio is quickly becoming one of the leading, young trios of its generation,” according to the group’s biography. “Connected by their Armenian heritage, the members of this New York-based ensemble have studied with such teachers as Dorothy Delay, Peter Oundjian, Joaquin Soriano, Solomon Mikowksy, Timothy Eddy, and Ralph Kirshbaum at Juilliard, Yale, Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid, Manhattan School of Music, Mannes, and the Royal Northern College of Music, respectively. Winners of international competitions, violinist Sami Merdinian, cellist Ani Kalayjian, and pianist Sofya Melikyan are highly sought after soloists and chamber musicians who have performed at such major venues as Carnegie Hall, Teatro Colon, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Concertgebauw, Seoul Arts Center, Shanghai Theatre, Salle Cortot, La Jolla Sherwood Auditorium, Orange County Performing Arts Center, and Yerevan Philharmonic Hall, among others.”

Sima Trio won the 2012 New England International Chamber Music Competition. The group’s mission is to bring music to life, engage and educate communities, and create cross-cultural awareness. The trio prefers to perform in diverse locations and is passionate about community engagement and education; the stop in Valdosta includes the trio offering master classes at VSU.

Saturday’s program features three musical works, one each by Sergei Rachmaninoff, W. A. Mozart, and Arno Babadjanian. Dr. M. Brent Williams will assist the group on the Mozart piece, playing the viola. He is a member of VSU’s Department of Music faculty, a noted violinist, principal second violin with the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra, concertmaster of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, as well as assistant concertmaster of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

“I had the great fortune to meet and even compete against Sami, Ani, and Sofya at the Osaka Chamber Music Competition and Festa a couple of years ago,” said Williams. “Luckily for chamber music enthusiasts in the region, we’ve managed to stay in touch and have worked out a nice mini tour for them. Needless to say, their performances are extremely engaging, and it will be my great pleasure to share the stage with them ….”

Whitehead Auditorium is located on the first floor of the VSU Fine Arts Building, at the intersection of Brookwood Drive and Oak Street.

Visit www.simatrio.com to read more about Sima Trio.

Contact M. Brent Williams at mbwilliams@valdosta.edu for more information.