Pianist, Composer and Conductor
2019-2020 Season
SEPTEMBER 28, 2019
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
An educational concert, lecture, and art class for families and children of all ages, presented with Goldman Sachs. Pegasus principals provide a creative afternoon of programming for various wind and string combinations with piano.
Piano Series: Piano Duo Extravaganza
JANUARY 11, 2020
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Vyacheslav Gryaznov and Karén Hakobyan present Gryaznov’s original composition Rhapsody in Black in three movements based on Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and Rachmaninov’s beloved Suite No. 2 for two pianos.
Gala Concert: Schumann, Tchaikovsky &
MARCH 14, 2020
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
2007 Tchaikovsky international gold medalist Sergey Antonov (cello) and first prize winner of the 2018 Honens competition Nicolas Namoradze (piano) join Pegasus: the Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, and Schumann’s Introduction and Allegro Appassionato, Op. 92, respectively, with Karén Hakobyan as conductor. The second half will culiminate with Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 7 conducted by Karén Hakobyan.
MAY 9, 2020
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Pegasus string principals to join forces with Karén Hakobyan to perform Schubert’s monumental Trout Quintet. The program will also feature Hakobyan’s composition for Piano Sextet “Cras, Es Noster” (Tomorrow, be ours).
Rachmaninoff 5 Piano Concerti
MAY 9, 2020
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
New York City, USA
Pegasus: The Orchestra presents an evening of Rachmaninoff featuring 5 piano stars performing all of his piano concerti in one evening conducted by Karén Hakobyan with Pegasus: The Orchestra.
2018
Pre-Tour Concert with Anatoly Zatin and Vlada Vassilieva
JANUARY 27, 2018
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Piano Trio with Levon Chilingirian and Suren Bagratuni
FEBRUARY 28, 2018
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
New York, USA
Piano Trio with Levon Chilingirian and Suren Bagratuni
MARCH 2, 2018
CSU Fresno
Fresno, USA
First Presbyterian Church of Stamford
APRIL 12, 2018
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Guest Artist with the Garden State Philharmonic
MAY 19, 2018
Jay & Linda Grunin Center for the Arts
Toms River, NJ
MAY 24, 2018
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Folk Inspirations
JUNE 9, 2019
St. Illuminator's Church
New York, NY
Gifts from New York
JULY 6, 2018
Kobayashi City Cultural Center
Miyazaki, Japan
Duo Concert with Eiko Kano
JULY 8, 2018
Mozart Salon
Osaka, Japan
Gifts from New York
JULY 12, 2018
Muzicaza
Tokyo, Japan
THE NEW YORKERS
JULY 16, 2018
Tsuchiura Tokyo Jiyugaoka Living Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Guest Artist with the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra
October 5 , 2018
Beirut, Lebanon
Art of the Duo - Pegasus at Mana Chamber Series
October 19 , 2018
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
November 1, 2018
Sage Music, Long Island City
-----------------
November 3, 2018
Carry Hall at DiMenna Center
New York City
Fall Winds - Pegasus at Mana Orchestra Series
November 30, 2018
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Four Seasons - Pegasus at Mana Orchestra Series
February 9, 2019
Eiko Kano, violin
Karen Hakobyan, conductor
Pegasus: The Orchestra
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
April 6, 2019
Kristina Bacharch, soprano
Karen Hakobyan, conductor
Eli Amdur, narrator
Pegasus: The Orchestra
Mana Contemporary
Jersey City, USA
Karén Hakobyan, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor
Pegasus: The Orchestra is a dynamic nonprofit professional orchestra based in New York, hailed by New York Concert Review as “a truly first-rate ensemble.” Founded in 2017 by conductor, pianist, and composer Karén Hakobyan, its mission is to empower rising musicians, promote innovative repertoire, and foster creativity in an inclusive environment.
With a composer-arranger as founder, artistic director, and principal conductor, Pegasus frequently performs orchestral works in original arrangements by Hakobyan, written specifically for the ensemble’s flexible instrumentation. The orchestra has been in residence at Mana Contemporary Cultural Center and the Monira Foundation, presenting innovative programs that blend classical tradition with modern imagination.
Recent highlights include the Fifth Anniversary Season (2022–2023), featuring the orchestra’s Lincoln Center debut with all five Rachmaninoff piano concertos in one evening, and a sold-out Merkin Hall concert celebrating the 150th anniversaries of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. The 2024 Season Finale honored the 120th anniversary of Aram Khachaturian with a vibrant program of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Khachaturian, praised by New York Concert Review for Hakobyan’s “impressive energy and precision, eliciting clarity and vitality from the ensemble.”
The 2025 Season Finale featured pianist Asiya Korepanova in Amy Beach’s Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor. New York Classical Review lauded her “Rachmaninoff-like rubato and intensity” and praised Pegasus for its “commanding energy and a strong sense of ensemble” in Dvořák’s New World Symphony.
Pegasus opened its 2024–2025 season with Americana, a program reflecting on the American musical landscape in all its triumph and turbulence, including works by Florence Price, Piatigorsky, Copland, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in a bold new arrangement for 18 players conducted from the piano by Hakobyan.
Pegasus’s 2019 Merkin Hall debut earned strong praise from New York Classical Review: “Hakobyan and his players punched out an incisive ritornello and snappy answers to the soloists, who played an exhilarating game of stretto tag.”
Pegasus has been featured by media outlets such as Al Jazeera, Voice of America, Ardzagang Armenian TV, the Russian Television Network of America, The Voice of Armenians TV program, WGCH Talk Radio, WQXR New York Classical Radio, Get Classical, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, Broadway World, The New York Classical Review, and The Violin Channel.
Pegasus’s 2025–2026 season opens with Ravel150: Hidden Gems & Masterworks at Merkin Hall, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel. The season continues with Pegasus’s return to the TheraYouth Foundation at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts in New Jersey, featuring Haydn’s Symphony No. 59 “Fire,” Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with Sergey Antonov, Komitas’s Armenian Miniatures, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, and Hakobyan performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Throughout the year, Pegasus also presents a series of chamber programs showcasing the ensemble’s principals. The season concludes on May 15 with an All-Armenian Program, featuring distinguished soloists to be announced.
Looking ahead, Pegasus is preparing for its milestone 10th Anniversary Season (2026–2027) with ambitious programming that celebrates the orchestra’s artistic growth and mission. Plans include major collaborations with leading artists as well as Pegasus’s own principals. This reflects the core purpose of the organization: to elevate and empower the exceptional musicians who form the heart of Pegasus, honoring the artistic integrity and collaborative spirit on which the ensemble was founded. The season will also introduce Pegasus’s Concerto Competition, Young Artist Program, International Call for Works, and the launch of Pegasus Private Salons, culminating in the ensemble’s long-anticipated Carnegie Hall debut. These initiatives mark an inspiring new chapter for Pegasus — and their success depends on the generosity of those who believe in its mission and wish to help shape its future.
Pegasus is dedicated to fostering artistic freedom, creating performance opportunities, promoting innovative repertoire, and advocating for music education, humanity, and equality. The orchestra maintains a piano sponsorship with Yamaha, which provides instruments for select performances, helping support its mission to inspire and unite communities through music.
Pegasus: The Orchestra
Karen Hakobyan © All rights reserved.