Artistic Director of Dilijan Chamber Music Series, violinist Movses Pogossian is a prizewinner of the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Competition, and the youngest-ever First Prize winner of the 1985 USSR National Violin Competition. He made his American debut performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Boston Pops in 1990, about which R. Dyer of the Boston Globe wrote: "There is freedom in his playing, but also taste and discipline. It was a fiery, centered, and highly musical performance..." Movses Pogossian has since performed with orchestras such as the Brandenburger Symphoniker and the Halle Philharmonic in Germany, the Sudety Philharmonic in Poland, the Tucson Symphony, the El Paso Symphony, the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra of New York, and the Toronto Sinfonia. An active chamber musician, Mr. Pogossian has performed with members of the Tokyo, Kronos, and Brentano string quartets, and frequently collaborates with the Apple Hill Chamber Players, touring worldwide and teaching annually at their summer music festival in New Hampshire. Movses Pogossian is Founder of the annual Shady Side Chamber Music Festival in Pittsburgh, and a regular participant at several music festivals. A committed propagate of new music, he has premiered over 30 works, and worked closely with composers such as G. Kurtag, A. R. Thomas, A. Arutunian, T. Mansurian, D. Felder, and V. Sharafyan. His latest releases include G. Kurtag's monumental "Kafka Fragments" for soprano and violin on Bridge label, and a solo violin CD of World Premiere recordings on Albany label. Movses Pogossian's principal teachers were Levon Zorian, Villy Mokatzian, Valery Klimov, and Louis Krasner. Since earning his advanced degrees from the Komitas Concervatory in Armenia and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Moscow, Mr. Pogossian has held teaching positions at Duquesne, Bowling Green, Wayne State, and SUNY Buffalo Universities, and was recently appointed to UCLA's full time faculty. He resides in Glendale, California with his wife, Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist Varty Manouelian, and their three young children.