Catherine Manoukian

Catherine Manoukian, born on June 2, 1981, is a talented violinist. She is from both Armenia and Canada.

About Catherine Manoukian

Her Early Life and Family

Catherine Manoukian was born in Toronto, Canada. Her parents were also 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.

Her Amazing Music Career

Catherine Manoukian started her professional music career very early. When she was just twelve years old, she won a big prize at the Canadian Music Competition. In the same year, she played with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for the first time. She performed Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1.

Since then, Catherine has played with many famous orchestras around the world. These include the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also worked with well-known conductors like Mario Bernardi and Keith Lockhart.

She has performed on major stages in big cities like New York, Paris, and Tokyo. Catherine also plays chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments. She has appeared at important music festivals like Aspen and Caramoor.

Catherine often plays music that is new or different. When she was a teenager, she recorded a CD of Chopin's music arranged for the violin. Many of these arrangements were specially created for her.

Her Unique Education

Catherine Manoukian's education path is quite special for a musician. She did not go to a regular music school. Instead, she had private lessons with famous violin teachers. She studied with Dorothy DeLay in New York and also with her parents in Toronto.

She also learned important music subjects like harmony and chamber music through independent lessons. This allowed her 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 studies in philosophy at the University of Toronto.

Catherine says her interest in philosophy came from wanting to understand music and musicians more deeply. She wants to use her philosophical ideas to help teach and develop new artists. She credits her teacher, Dorothy DeLay, for inspiring this interest.

Her Special Instruments

Catherine Manoukian plays on a very old and valuable violin. It is an 1861 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin that once belonged to the famous musician Eugène Ysaÿe. She uses bows made by Eugene Sartory around 1910.

Her Personal Life

Catherine Manoukian is married to a conductor named Stefan Solyom. They live in Toronto, Canada. They have two children and a dog.

Her Music Albums

• 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) (This album features 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