FoM 2026 / 40th ANNIVERSARY
Sunday, September 27 at 3pm
First Presbyterian Church, 96 Main Street, Stamford, NY
Suggested donation: $15 adults, $10 students and seniors, free for ages 13 and under
No reservations required.
Friends of Music of Stamford, NY presents a special Pegasus: The Orchestra 10th Anniversary Season concert.
Pegasus: The Orchestra
Karén Hakobyan, conductor and harpsichord
Ruggero Allifranchini, violin
Noah Kay, oboe
Ari Evan, cello
From Within: Strings & Voices is an intimate string-orchestra program centered on the ensemble’s own leading voices. Led by founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Karén Hakobyan, the concert features Pegasus in a 12-piece string orchestra formation, with concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini, principal oboist Noah Kay, and principal cellist Ari Evan appearing as soloists. In this opening program, Pegasus turns inward to highlight the artistry, individuality, and collaborative spirit at the heart of the orchestra.
Conducting and playing from the harpsichord in the first half, Karén Hakobyan leads Bach’s Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor, featuring Ruggero Allifranchini and Noah Kay in a luminous exchange between two solo voices. Ruggero Allifranchini then takes center stage in Haydn’s Violin Concerto in G Major, a work of Classical grace and refined virtuosity.
After intermission, Ari Evan is featured in Azarashvili’s Concerto for Violoncello and String Orchestra, a lyrical and deeply expressive work for cello and strings. Noah Kay returns as soloist in Bach’s Sinfonia “Arioso” from Cantata BWV 156, before Pegasus closes the printed program with Britten’s spirited Simple Symphony. As a celebratory encore, the orchestra performs the Prelude from Grieg’s Holberg Suite.
Program
Bach: Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C minor, BWV 1060R
Haydn: Violin Concerto in G Major, Hob. VIIa:4
INTERMISSION
Azarashvili: Concerto for Violoncello and String Orchestra
Bach: Sinfonia “Arioso” from Cantata BWV 156
Britten: Simple Symphony, Op. 4
2026 Friends of Music Schedule
April 19 – Invoke Multi-string Ensemble
May 17 – Hermitage Trio
June 21 – Ivalas Quartet
July 19 – Stephanie Chou Jazz Ensemble
August 16 – Gocha Abuladze, baritone & Ana Glig, piano
September 27 – Pegasus: The Orchestra
October 18 – Sophia Stoyanovich, violin & Derek Wang, piano
November 15 – Shelest Piano Duo
December 6 – Cerus (Saxophone) Quartet
