Concert Biographies

Ovidiu Marinescu, one of the outstanding musicians of his native Romania, was chosen to play at Carnegie Hall for Romanian President Constantinescu on an official visit to the United States.  Soon after, he made his debut with the New York Chamber Symphony in Beethoven's Triple Concerto, followed by recitals in Merkin Hall (New York), Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.   After his debut with the National Radio Orchestra of Romania in 2001 in the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, which was broadcast live on the radio station “Romania Cultural”, he returned to perform "Ipostaze 3" by Adrian Iorgulescu, followed last season by a performance of his own arrangement of the Mozart Concerto in G Major.  Most recently, Marinescu played Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the Slobodkin Center, the Elgar Concerto with the Helena and North Penn Symphonies, and Schumann in Cleveland.  His critically acclaimed first recording "Fiesta Latina" was followed by a recording of the complete Miaskovsky cello works with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Kenneth Boulton released by Cambria.  His performances this season include appearances in the Shostakovich Concerto no. 1 with the Cleveland Philharmonic, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Helena Symphony and Southeastern PA Symphony Orchestra, and Schumann Concerto with the Independence Sinfonia.

Marinescu has performed at festivals in Luzerne, Bayreuth, Chautauqua, South Bohemia, Orlando and Brasov, the New Hampshire Music Festival, and Magie Barocche in Italy.  Active as a chamber musician, between 1995 and 2002 Marinescu was a member of Adirondack Ensemble, a year-around resident group in New York State that performed over 200 concerts, presented school programs and founded Adirondack Music Camp.   Currently, he performs with Trio Casals and Trio Lipatti.

A product of the illustrious Romanian National Academy of Music, he won first prize and Music Critics' Award in the George Dima Cello Competition.  In the United States, he studied with Wolfgang Laufer at the University of Wisconsin, and with Orlando Cole, at Temple University.  Marinescu has been honored in Romania with invitations to perform with many renowned orchestras including the orchestras of Cluj, Iasi and Brasov. In addition, he has toured with Bucharest Symphony.  Ovidiu Marinescu feels a strong commitment to expanding the cello repertoire by making transcriptions of works such as Mozart violin concerti and in supporting the composition of new music. He has commissioned and performed many new works, among which are those of Lawrence Moss and Jae-Wook Kim, as well as those of his brother, Liviu Marinescu.  In December of 2000, Mr. Marinescu premiered with Newark Symphony a new work for cello and orchestra, "Anecdote," by Hilary Tann, and last season he presented the first performance of “Ostinato” by Liviu Marinescu with “Orchestra 2001” in Philadelphia.  Penn Presents featured Marinescu in a multi-media program at the Annenberg Center in Philadelphia, in works for solo cello, film and electronics by four local teams of composers and filmmakers.  Marinescu is on faculty at West Chester University.

Equally outstanding as a conductor, Marinescu combines a precise technique with great musical inspiration.  He is the Director of the West Chester University Symphony, which under his leadership made a sold out debut at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and embarked in its first European tour.  Subsequently, the orchestra was invited to participate in the prestigious Catania International Festival in Sicily, Italy.  He served as the conductor for the Wilmington Orchestra between 2003-7, as the Music Director of the Manalapan Orchestra in New Jersey, and Principal C onductor of the Goppisberg Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.  His guest conducting includes the Bacau and Brasov Philharmonics in Romania, and Orquesta de Extremadura in Spain, both as conductor and soloist.  Marinescu led the Delaware Chamber Orchestra in its first tour abroad, with performances for the South Bohemia Festival in the Czech Republic.  

Known for his powerful interpretations of orchestral works by Russian composers, Marinescu was invited to record Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5 and Marche Slave with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra in Moscow.  Soon to be released are CD’s with orchestral music by Stephen Limbaugh III, David Laganella, and Andrea Clearfield, also recorded in Moscow, and orchestral music by Samuel Barber.   He has developed several programs for young audiences, including a narrated version of Lt. Kije by Prokofiev.

Sylvia Ahramjian is acclaimed for her spirited performances and innovative recital programs.  She has appeared as soloist with the Delaware, Newark, Kennett, Dover, and Lancaster Symphonies, as well as the Bucharest Sinfonia.  In the fall of 1995, Ms. Ahramjian performed the Brahms’ Double Concerto with the Ploiesti Philharmonic in Romania, returning in May of 1997 to appear with the orchestras of Bacau, Ploiesti, and Rimnicu-Vilcea.  Together with her husband, cellist Ovidiu Marinescu, she presented duo recitals in Rome and Venice, Italy in 1998.  In 1999 she performed with Trio Casals at the famed Moscow Conservatory in Russia, through a grant from West Chester University. In the fall of 2008 she performed two performances of the Beethoven Triple with Trio Casals, one with the Helena Montana Symphony and one with the South Eastern Pennsylvia Orchestra. In 2002 she was part of a delegation from West Chester University that visited China.  She gave presentations on American Music at Macau University and the Shanghai Teachers University.  She also gave a master class to students at the Shanghai University.  In 2006, she gave Master Classes and performances at both China Conservatory in Beijing and Ghoizhou University in China.  She has also performed with Magie Barocche International Festival in Italy. In March of 2007 she was a guest artist with Colloquy, a contemporary chamber ensemble, at St. Martin within Ludgate Church in London.

A well-respected teacher, Sylvia Ahramjian is Professor of Violin and Viola at West Chester University, an artist faculty member at the Wilmington Music School, and a faculty member at Temple University and Temple University Preparatory School.   From 1983 to 1985, Ms. Ahramjian was a faculty member and head of chamber music at the Luzerne Music Center in New York. She taught at the Goppisburg Festival in Switzerland for two summers. For several years she taught at the Adirondack Music Camp and for the last three summers gave Master Classes at the International Festival in Brasov Romania. Her students have attended Juilliard, Curtis, and the Eastman School of Music and have won many awards and honors, including performance opportunities with the Philadelphia, Lancaster, Delaware and Lansdowne Symphony Orchestras.  Two of her students have won the High School Division of the Music Teachers National Association Competition.  A string quartet she coached at West Chester University was a national finalist at that competition. In 1995 and 1996, she was on the faculty of the Festival of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Americas in Puerto Rico where, in addition to teaching,20she performed both solo and chamber music. She taught for three years at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts until the economy forced its demise.

Ms. Ahramjian is a graduate of the Juilliard School where she was a scholarship student, working with Ivan Galamian and Margaret Pardee.  She received her Master of Music degree from Indiana University, studying with Josef Gingold, and did post-graduate study with Paul Rolland at the University of Illinois.

Sylvia Ahramjian was the Concertmaster of the Lancaster Symphony for over 20 years. An avid chamber musician, she is a member of Trio Casals, the Luzerne Chamber Players, and many other chamber groups in the Philadelphia area.  She has recorded the Khachaturian Trio on Golden Crest Records.=2 0Her new recording Crossroads, is now available.  She is currently working on a new CD with all viola music.