USU piano student wins international award
Aram Arakelyan, a piano performance major studying with Gary Amano at Utah State University, took top honors this spring at the Kingsville International Piano Competition. Arakelyan captured two awards at the competition – the Isabel Scionti prize for the best single performance at the competition and the first place overall award in the senior solo division.
The Kingsville International Piano Competition was March 29-31 on the campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The competition is divided into two divisions – Junior, up to 19 years of age, and Senior, up to 25 years of age. Arakelyan took top honors in the Senior division. He earned a cash award of $2,000 at the competition.
Arakelyan is Amano’s fifth student to win first place at the Kingsville competition.
A native of Armenia, Arakelyan came to the United States several years ago to compete in the Gina Bachauer Junior International Competition. Following the competition, with the help of a piano scholarship, he began his studies at Utah State University.
Amano has been Arakelyan’s teacher for the five years he’s been at Utah State. He said Arakelyan is an extraordinary talent.
“It has taken a few years to help him realize his wonderful potential,” Amano said. “He can play and compete with the best students. This is something I try to develop in students with his kind of talent.”
The Kingsville competition required a 20-minute program with a repertoire of choice by the contestant from contrasting musical periods.
Arakelyan is a senior at USU and is nearing graduation. He often performs on campus, playing piano at numerous campus events, both in the spotlight as a solo perfomer and providing background music for innumerable receptions. For two summers he worked as the accompanist at Bear Lake’s Pickleville Playhouse.
“I want to build my career and to be able to do everything,” Arakelyan said. “Musicians have to be able to play music, no matter what it is. I love to play background music and to record. I play and I’m at the piano constantly. I’m still learning.”