Catherine Manoukian facts for kids

Catherine Manoukian (born June 2, 1981) is a talented Armenian-Canadian violinist. She is known for her amazing performances and unique approach to music.

Biography

Early Life and Musical Roots

Catherine Manoukian was born in Toronto, Canada. Music was a big part of her family life from the start! Both of her parents are professional violinists. They met while studying music at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Her father learned from Carlo Van Neste, and her mother studied with Arthur Grumiaux.

A Rising Star: Catherine's Career

Catherine's professional music journey began very early. When she was just twelve years old, she won the top prize at the Canadian Music Competition. In the same year, she played with an orchestra for the very first time! This was with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, where she performed Paganini's challenging Violin Concerto No. 1.

Since then, Catherine has played with many famous orchestras around the world. These include the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also worked with well-known conductors like Mario Bernardi and Keith Lockhart. Catherine has performed on major stages in cities like New York, Paris, and Tokyo. She has also played chamber music (music for small groups) at big festivals such as Aspen.

Catherine often chooses to play music that is new or unusual. As a teenager, she even recorded a CD of Chopin's music that was specially arranged for the violin. Many of these arrangements were made just for her!

Catherine's Unique Education

Catherine Manoukian's path in education is quite different from many musicians. She didn't go to a special music school. Instead, she trained privately with famous violin teachers like Dorothy DeLay in New York, as well as with her own parents in Toronto. She also took private lessons in important music subjects like harmony and chamber music.

This way of learning gave her time to study other things too. She earned a special Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. She also studied philosophy at a higher level, focusing on how we know things and how our minds work. She is currently taking a break from her PhD program in philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Catherine says her interest in philosophy started because she wanted to understand what musicians do from a wider point of view. This has grown into a project where she uses her philosophical ideas to think about how to teach and help professional artists grow. She credits her teacher, Dorothy DeLay, for sparking this interest in her.

Her Special Instruments

Catherine Manoukian plays on a very special violin. It was made in 1861 by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume and once belonged to the famous violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. She uses violin bows made by Eugene Sartory around 1910.

Personal Life

Catherine Manoukian is married to a conductor named Stefan Solyom. They live together in Sweden.

Discography

• Elegies and Rhapsodies (1998)

  Catherine Manoukian, violin

  Akira Eguchi, piano

• Chopin on Violin (1999)

  Catherine Manoukian, violin

  Akira Eguchi, piano

• Lyricism (2002)

  Catherine Manoukian, violin

  Satoshi Sando, piano

• Catherine Manoukian, Violin (2006) (Shostakovich A minor and Khatchaturian Violin Concertos)

  Catherine Manoukian, violin

  Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, orchestra

  Eduard Topchjan, conductor

See also

• List of Canadian musicians
• Canadian classical music
• List of violinists