(July 10, 2022 - Article featuring Fragosiriani on Syros Agenda News Website.)
For original article in Greek, slide to the 5th photo in the gallery.
For original article on Syros Agenda Website - click here
Greek to English auto-translation available when opening the link in Google Chrome.
(June 14, 2019 - Interview with Sevan Ataoglu for AGOS Newspaper. Translated from Turkish to English)
Digital version of original article on AGOS Website - click here
He returned to the city that he was born in with his compositions (June 14, 2019 - AGOS Newspaper)
After giving numerous recitals in the U.S., Canada, Italy, Spain, he made his debut recital at Istanbul Zorlu PSM stage on June 12th. Performing for the first time in the city he was born in, we met with him a day before his recital. His confidence and high motivation resembled an athlete waiting for his game time, rather than a calm musician.
Do you remember your first memory that made you want to pursue piano?
I remember it quite well. In our family there was a rule that we could only start playing the piano after the age of 6. My great uncle Herman Miskciyan's piano was brought to my grandfather's house when he passed away in 1991. My cousin started taking lessons on that piano when she was six years old, I was four at that time. On Fridays, the whole family would get together and her lesson would be right before the dinner. Every Friday I would hear the sound of piano, and when their lesson ended, I would run to the piano but I would end up finding it locked. When I turned 6 after two years of chasing the piano, no one was able to stop me. Who knows, maybe the piano being locked was helpful, as I had been yearning for it for two years.
To continue you music education, you moved to Canada, a cosmopolitan country where the musicians that you collaborated had different backgrounds from various parts of the world. How did this variety of different backgrounds influence you?
In Istanbul I went to a cosmopolitan kindergarten, and I had friends from various backgrounds, including Canada, Argentina, Italy, China, Japan, Bosnia, UK. Therefore I didn't experience much difficulty transitioning in that sense. I have no doubt that everyone brings their own culture to the music school. It was a nice experience for me.
In your biography, 'El Sistema' and 'Students for Students' caught my attention. Can you talk more about them?
'El Sistema' is a worldwide organization that provides music education to children that don't have access to one. With friends from various areas of music at University of Toronto, we formed an orchestra and organized a concert to raise funds for the organization. I try to get involved in fundraising activities as much as I can.
For a new graduate, it looks like 2018 and 2019 was quite busy. Do you have a manager? How are these events get organized?
In the current era of communication, "I only play my music" cannot be a realistic statement, and it shouldn't be one. I really enjoy communicating and staying touch with everyone as much as I can, and I don't see anybody as a "connection". Each concert has its own personal story, and I love that it is like that. Of course, at some point, I might not be able to manage everything by myself and I might end up needing professional assistance. Why not have a manager if they can manage me better than myself?
You will be giving a recital in Istanbul for the first time, what awaits the audience?
In the Istanbul recital, I will include my own compositions and arrangements. I do continue with the Classical repertoire but I also have big interest in making arrangements and original compositions that roots back to my childhood. Starting this year, I started to include my own compositions and arrangements, this way an audience member who came for classical repertoire can also enjoy arrangements and original compositions, and vice versa. In this concert, I will include works by Khachatur Avetisyan and Komitas. The programme will also include 'Elegy' by Arno Babadjanian, and 'Yiğidim Aslanım' by Zülfü Livaneli, as well as some improvisations with preplanned form/structure.
You are continuing with arrangements and original compositions. What kind of path are you planning of taking moving onwards?
In the near future there are many recording and concert projects. I don't currently have a plan to continue with the academics. If I return back to school now, I believe that I will loose momentum in my current and future projects. I keep meeting new colleagues and people from different areas of life, I would like to continue to keep collaborating with everyone as much as I can. The biggest problem with my compositions and arrangements are that they are not written down; they are all written in my head. I couldn't have the time to write them down. A long and busy period is waiting for me.
What advice would you give to musicians who would like to follow a similar path as you do?
There are always difficulties. It's never easy, I didn't find my way easily either. No one should make excuses, the excuses can pass the time in the short term and they are dangerous and it can become addictive. A life full of excuses is a wasted life. The key is to adapt well, understand the situation and remain focused on the solution. No matter what, everything can be solved with a positive mindset. Determination is all we need.
(May 2019 - PAROS Cultural Magazine's Upcoming Istanbul Recital Announcement. Translated from Turkish to English)
Young Pianist Artun Miskciyan will be at Zorlu for the first time on June 12th
Despite his young age, after giving recitals in the US, Canada, Italy, and Spain, he will be meeting with his audience for the first time in Turkey at Istanbul Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage under the sponsorship of Modafen!
Born in 1995 in Istanbul he started his piano studies at the age of six with Aykut Yılmaz and continued with Professor Metin Ülkü at the age of 8. He got accepted to Mimar Sinan University Conservatory as a part time student and continued his studies with Professor Metin Ülkü. During this time, he continued his academic studies at Modafen, which encompassed an academic program that allowed students to continue to pursue their interests in arts and sports, while still continuing their academic studies at Modafen. This system allowed Artun to continue in his piano studies at the conservatory and continue his academic studies at Modafen at the same time.
In 2009, based on his mark that he received in the nation-wide high school entrance exam, he had the opportunity continue his academic studies at Kadikoy Anatolian High School. In the following years, he received the 'Best Baroque Interpreter Prize' at Pera International Piano Competition, and 'Polish Embassy Special Prize' at the National Chopin Competition in Ankara. After graduating from the conservatory with top average, he moved to Canada and continued his academic studies at Etobicoke School of the Arts. He continued his piano studies with Professor Marietta Orlov at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists (Formerly known as Young Artists Performance Academy), a division of the Royal Conservatory for highly gifted young musicians. In 2014 he graduated from ESA with the second highest average, and got accepted to University of Toronto's Life Sciences and Industrial Engineering programs with scholarships, as well as to the university's Piano Performance program with highest audition mark. Deciding to continue pursuing a career in music, he continued his studies at University of Toronto's Piano Performance program and had the chance to study with 3 professors: Marietta Orlov, Jamie Parker, and Enrico Elisi. During his studies, he gave numerous recitals in the U.S. and Canada, and joined various music festivals in Europe. In 2015, he made his debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he won AmiCA Fest's Concerto Competition and performer Mozart's 12th piano concerto with Camerata Belliniana Chamber Orchestra in Italy. Same year, he performed Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto with University of Toronto's Symphony orchestra, to raise funds for SISTEMA. He graduated from the university's performance program with honours in 2018. Including his own compositions and arrangements to his concert repertoire, the artist is involved in various future concert and recording projects.
With the sponsorship of Modafen, he will be presenting works by Chopin, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Medtner and Lyapunov, as well as his own compositions and personal arrangements of cultural melodies, on June 12th, 2019 at 6:30pm at Zorlu PSM Turkcell Stage.
Tickets can be purchased via Biletix.com and TSM box office.
(June 13, 2019 - Marmara Newspaper after the Istanbul Recital Announcement. Translated from Armenian to English)
Istanbul-born Pianist Artun Miskciyan’s successful recital in the city
Artun Miskciyan, who is originally from Istanbul and now living in Toronto, gave a magnificent recital yesterday.
As we mentioned before, Artun Miskciyan is the grandson of the well known pianist and doctor Herman Miskciyan’s brother. Artun has given numerous recitals in Canada, America, and Europe and has won numerous competitions. He started playing the piano at the age of 6, got accepted to the Mimar Sinan State Conservatory and has become one of Modafen’s most successful alumni. This time, he had specially been invited to give a recital in Istanbul. With his great playing and speeches between pieces captivated the audience from the first minute. Before every piece, he would introduce them and inform the audience so that they could feel closer to the works that they were about to hear. The first part of the concert consisted of the Classical repertoire. With quite mastery and excellence, Artun performed works by Medtner, Schubert, Chopin, Lyapunov, and Rachmaninoff. In the second part of the programme Artun performed ‘The Blooming Cherry Tree’ by Avetisyan, ‘Elegy’ by Arno Babadjanian, a few of his own compositions, and finally ended the programme with his personal piano arrangement of Zülfü Livaneli’s famous song ‘Yiğidim Aslanım’(My Brave, My Lion).
At the end of the programme, he received a standing ovation. As a response to the ovation, Artun performed an encore, which was his personal solo piano arrangement of Komitas’s Vagharshapat Dance, combining both Komitas’s original version and Avetisyan’s arrangement of the same piece for orchestra with traditional instruments.
We heartfeltly congratulate Artun Miskciyan, who is already making us proud.