Hailed as "a cellist of uncommon attainments" by the Boston Globe, Suren Bagratuni was winner of the Silver Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory. He has gone on to a distinguished international career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and recording artist. In addition to performing throughout the former Soviet Union, he has toured worldwide earning enthusiastic praise in both traditional and contemporary repertoire.
As soloist Mr. Bagratuni has performed with all the major orchestras in the former Soviet Union, including the Moscow Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev, and has also appeared with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and many others.
Recital and chamber music appearances have included guest invitations with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Newport Music Festival, Festival of the Hamptons, the "Russian Winter" Festival in Moscow, the El Paso Pro Musica Festival, and numerous international festivals in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Korea and Taiwan.
Other solo appearances have included recitals in major concert venues of New York, Seoul, Taipei, Paris, Geneva, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Melbourne, Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin and a highly praised Munich recital debut at the Gasteig; on tour in South Africa in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town; at the Krannert Center in Illinois, Worchester’s Mechanics Hall, and Jordan Hall in Boston.
Mr. Bagratuni’s discography consists of 17 CD and LP recordings, including “Music of Armenia” with 5 World premiere and an American premiere recordings.
Mr. Bagratuni has recorded for Centaur, Melodiya, Marco Polo, and has been featured on CBC Radio Canada, the Bayerischer Rundfunk in Germany, and WNYC in New York, NPR, and WGBH Radio in Boston.
Mr. Bagratuni is Professor of Cello at Michigan State University where he maintains a very busy teaching schedule, and serves as Chair of String area. He is the Artistic Director of the International Music Academy in Todi, Italy, and Artistic Director of the annual Cello Plus Festival, called "one of the premiere classical happenings."
Professor Bagratuni has presented master classes throughout Europe, South America, the Far East, South Africa, Armenia, Canada and at many schools in the U.S. including the New England Conservatory, Peabody Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Mr. Bagratuni began his musical education there at the age of seven, studying with renowned professor Zareh Sarkisyan. He began performing at age ten, by age fourteen appeared as a concerto soloist, and by age 17 was a winner of National and International competitions. He continued his studies at the Moscow Conservatory where he was tutored by professor Natalia Shakhovskaya and taking lessons from legendary Daniel Shafran. In 1988, he won first prize in the Vittorio Gui International Competition in Italy.