Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “representing the young, up-and-coming generation,” and a “superb cellist with a large, expressive, singing tone, passionate musicianship, and magnificent playing” by the Journal Tribune,  Armenian-American cellist Ani Kalayjian enjoys a prolific career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and educator that has taken her to Japan, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, and throughout Europe and the United States.   Newly appointed Artistic Director at the Woman's Club of Englewood, Ani founded a brand new chamber music series, Carriage House Concerts, whose mission is to connect the community through the art.  She has also been recently appointed as Co-Artistic Director of LYRICA Chamber Music Series in Chatham, NJ and performed all over Jordan with Oberlin College, return visits to American University of Beirut, and AGBU Sao Paolo.

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Ani’s recent engagements included tours with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra around the U.S. at Ordway Hall in St. Paul, Dartmouth University, the 92nd St. Y in NY, and in Rome, Bologna, Siena, Berlin and Vienna.   She made several trips to Lebanon serving as principal cellist of the Lebanese Philharmonic for multiple concerts given at the American University of Beirut as well as solo concerts at Haigazian University where she performed a World premiere, ‘Yesterday is No More’ written for her and violinist Rebecca Jackson by award-winning composer Polina Nazakinskaya.  During her time in Lebanon, Ani gave outreach performances to underserved communities at St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Insan School for Iraqi & Syrian refugee children, Byblos Birds’ Nest Armenian orphanage, Karageusian Foundation, and in the Syrian refugee camps.   She also performed in Los Angeles at La Sierra University with members of the LA Philharmonic, the Bartow-Pell Mansion, Saugerties ProMusica, Pleasantville Music Society, and a summer residency at Wellesley College with pianist Adam Golka and violinist Jessica Tong.

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Ani has performed at major venues around the world including Izumi Hall in Osaka, Japan,  National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Myra Hess Series in Chicago, Little Rock Chamber Music Society in Arkansas, Lark Chamber Music Society in LA, BargeMusic, Brooklyn Historical Society, Dweck Center Library, Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, Concerts International Memphis, the Rutgers Zimmerli Arts Museum in New Brunswick, NJ, Orange County Segerstrom Hall in California, and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, among others.

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A passionate chamber musician, Ani has attended various festivals including the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival in California, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival as a Shouse Artist in Michigan and the American String Project in Seattle as well as the Lichfield Festival in England.  She has also performed at Michael Tilson Thomas’ Carnegie Hall workshop in New York, Pablo Casals Prades festival in France, Mendelssohn on Mull in Scotland, Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada as an Artist-in-Residence, Sarasota festival in Florida, Apeldoorn festival in Holland, London Masterclasses, Strings Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, New York String Seminar, Holland Music Sessions, RNCM International Cello Festival in England, and Chateau de la Moutte festival in St. Tropez.

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Ani’s competition successes include winning Grand Prize winner of the International Chamber Music Competition of New England, First prize in the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust competition in England as a soloist where she was also granted the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation Prize, as well as a top prize at the J.C. Arriaga chamber music competition.  Ani has enjoyed collaborations with such musicians as Ani Kavafian, Jorja Fleezanis, Andres Cardenes, Danny Phillips, Orion Weiss, Kim Kashkashian, among others, and has served as co-artistic director of AGBU’s Performing Artists at Weill Recital Hall.  She was one of two cellists accepted into the inaugural season of David Finckel and Wu Han’s Music@Menlo chamber music festival.  Ani was also featured in a BBC documentary playing in a masterclass with Steven Isserlis at International Musicians Seminar Prussia Cove in England.

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An avid teaching artist, Ani is the Head of the Cello department at the Elisabeth Morrow School and on faculty at Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey and enjoys giving masterclasses to musicians around the country.  She has also been on faculty at the Horace Mann School.  Ani received an M.A. with Distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music in England as a student of Ralph Kirshbaum and a B.A. from the Mannes College of Music as a student of Timothy Eddy.  

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Upcoming performances include a World Premiere of Polina Nazakinskaya’s new ballet at the Joyce Theatre in NYC,  solo & chamber music concerts at Brandeis University, the Sebago-Long Lake, Finger Lakes, & Music at Montauk Chamber Music Festivals as well as upcoming tours to the Middle East.  Keep up with Ani’s upcoming concert dates and news at www.anikalayjian.com and @anicellist on Instagram.