Sevag Derghougassian

Over the past decade, Sevag has composed more than 40 classical pieces for solo piano, chamber groups, as well as piano and orchestra. Sevag learned under the tutelage of several teachers including at home in 1988 and later with Stephan Emiyan and Victor Bunin.

Having earned both a Baccalaureate Diploma and Bachelor of Arts (Piano) from the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music, Sevag has applied his talent to teaching new generations of students at his alma mater since 2001 while continuing to perform concerts.

Composer and Pianist

Toujours dans le sillage «debussinien», avec un mélange d’école russe moderne et un brin de Messiaen, voilà les références (s’il faut toujours en trouver!) de cette œuvre d’une remarquable vitalité. Telle une marche déterminée et dans un lyrisme abrupt, se développe cette œuvre habitée de tension et guettée par des thèmes d’une lancinante obsession. De toute évidence, Der Ghougassian est meilleur compositeur que pianiste quoi qu’il ait défendu vivement et brillamment l’œuvre de son cru. Edgar DAVIDIAN

Music School Beit el Kekko

Employment: Piano Teacher, Lebanese National Conservatory, 2001 - present

Languages: Armenian (native language), Arabic, English, and Turkish

Nationalities: Lebanese, Armenian

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: 23 December 1977

Contact

sevagmusic@gmail.com

Education

10 April 2001 Bachelor of Arts/BA in Music (Piano)

18 November 1997 Baccalaureate Diploma in Music (Piano)

Compositions

2024 Bagatelles Opus 41 - for Oboe & Piano

2023 Bagatelles Opus 40 - for Flute & Piano

2023 Distractions Opus 39 - for Solo Violin“American”

2023 Distractions Opus 38 - for Solo Viola

2021 Sonata Opus 22 - for Viola & Piano

2021 Distractions Opus 37 - for Solo Cello (to Juan Aguilera Cerezo)

2021 Distractions Opus 36 - for Piano"Grand Sonata" (To Yuja Wang)

2020 Toccata Opus 35 - for piano"Genocide"

2019 Etudes Opus 34

2019 Song of Nature Opus 30(from Song of Myself Op.30)

2019 Piano Quartet No. 2 Opus 33 "Mitz"

2018 String Quartet No. 2 Opus 32 "Movements Phenomena" (To Sorin Horlea)

2018 Song of Myself Opus 30

2018 Piano Concerto No. 4 Opus 29 "Let's Jazz Differently"

2017-2018 24 Preludes & Fugues for Piano Opus 28 & Opus 31 To my beloved Yerevan

2017 Sonata No. 2 for Violin & Piano Opus 27 'Vengeance'

2017 Requiem for 2 pianos

2016 Requiem for Choir Opus 26

2016 Sonata for Cello & Piano Opus 25 'Tragic'

2015 Trio No. 2 for Violin, Cello & Piano Opus 24

2015 Suite for Piano Opus 23 'Catherine'

2014 Elegy for Cello and Piano Opus 22

2013 Fantasias for Piano Opus 20 'Mirrors'

2013 Quintet Opus 2 for children - for Flute, Clarinet, Xylophone, Bassoon and Piano 'In Memory of D. Shostakovich'

2004 - 2013

~COMIC SONATAS for PIANO~

SONATA No. 7 Opus 21 for the Piano 'World of Insects'

SONATA No. 6 Opus 19 for the Piano 'Moments'

SONATA No. 5 Opus 11 for the Piano 'Classic of Modern'

SONATA No. 4 Opus 9 for the Piano 'Assassination of Hiram Abiff'

SONATA No. 3 Opus 7 for the Piano 'Sodom & Gomorrah'

SONATA No. 2 Opus 5 for the Piano 'Faust'

SONATA No. 1 Opus 5 for the Piano 'Prelude Onstage'

2012 Concerto No. 3 Opus 13 for Piano and Orchestra - Concert Fantasy 'The Struggle'

2012 Sonata for Contrabass and Piano Opus 10 'MILITARY'

2012 String Quartet No. 1 Opus 16

2012 Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano Opus 14 In Memory Of Steven Rosenthal

2011 Five Piano Studies Opus 15 (Nos. 1 – 5)

2011 Piano Sonata for 4 Hands Opus 18 'Messy Love'

2010 Four Pieces for the Piano Opus 15 (No. 1 Scherzi, No. 2 Waltz, No. 3 Study, No. 4 Prelude)

2010 Sonata for Bassoon and Piano Opus 17 (to Kristian Oma Rønnes)

2006 Concerto No. 2 Opus 12 for Piano and Orchestra 'WAR'

2006 Piano Quartet No. 1 Opus 6

2004 Concerto No. 1 Opus 8 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra 'Experiment'

2004 Sonata No. 1 Opus 4 for Violin and Piano 'The Promise'

2004 Trio No. 1 Opus 3 for Violin, Cello and Piano 'Sarcasm' (to Rodolphe Gault, Bahia El Bacha & Claire Foison)

1999 Nocturne for Violin and Piano, Opus 1 'In Memory of H. Esmerian'

Public Performances

*March 22, 2024 CONCERT AT CONSERVATORIO PEP VENTURA DE ALCELA LA REAL IN MARCH 22 AT 17:00 LOCAL TIME IN WHICH WORLD PREMIERE OF SUITE "DISTRACTIONS" OPUS 37 WAS PERFORMED BY DEDICATEE CELLIST JUAN AGUILERA CEREZO. "El próximo viernes, 22 de marzo, a las 17:00 horas y en el Conservatorio Pep Ventura de Alcalá la Real, realizaré la V jornada del Aula Permanente de Música Contemporánea, que inauguré hace 3 años. Además, será el III Homenaje Tributo a la violonchelista armenia Medea Abrahamyan. Tocaré la Sonata de Eduard Sadoyan, escrita para Medea, y haré el estreno de la Suite "Distractions" para cello solo, escrita para mí por el compositor libanés Sevag Derghougassian. Será un recital para el alumnado de violonchelo y sus familiares, así como para quien desee asistir. Pero, sobre todo, es para violonchelistas. Saludos"

*FEBRUARY 23, 2024 recital for two pianos "CHORDS OF TWO WORLDS" At the Amphitheater Jean Paul II - USEK, Lebanon. In Program: Requiem Opus 26, two pianos edition. Performance by Betty Salkhanian Kourtian and George Daccache.

* FEBRUARY 12, 2024 Nocturne Opus 1 was performed at “A MUSICAL ROADTRIP WITH VIOLIN AND PIANO” in Amsterdam by Dona Nouné - violin, and Georges Daccache - piano in ENGLISH REFORMED CHURCH.

October 22, 2023 Solo piano recital at Beit Tabaris - BEIRUT, LEBANON Program: L.V. Beethoven - Sonata Opus 13 (Pathetic), Sonata Opus 53 (Waldstein), S. Derghougassian - Prelude & Fugue No. 12 (File 45), and F. Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

June 4, 2023 “Voyage Musical de New York à Beyrouth” At Notre-Dame du Liban in Paris - Nocturne Opus 1 was performed by Dona Nouné, violin and Georges Daccache, piano.

December 8, 2022 « Poetic and Musical Promenade in Oriental Exoticism » - Sonata for Piano 4 Hands opus 18 and Requiem opus 26 for 2 pianos were performed in the Musée des Beaux-arts de Dijon, France. "Promenade poétique et musicale dans l'exotisme oriental" Concert conçu et donné avec le concours des classes de piano et de théâtre du CRR de Dijon, dans le cadre du festival "Les Nuits d'Orient". Les dramaturges et compositeurs arméniens et libanais seront à l'honneur, au "Musée des Beaux-arts de Dijon"

November 13, 2022 Paris Premier of Sonata opus 25 for Cello and Piano titled “Tragic”, performed by Alexander Spreng (cello) and George Daccache (piano) at Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Liban as part of Musical du Liban.

May 30, 2022 Polish Premiere of Distractions Opus 37 for Solo Cello, performed by KONRAD KOMUSINSKI - Suzuki Cello Studio Lublin.

November 28, 2021 Paris premier of piano trio number 2 titled “So Bad So Good” by members of Orchestre Colonne”: Laura Daniel-Dugué (violin), Louis Dugué-Castelli (piano), Aurore Daniel (cello). The concert took place at Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris.

Month March of 2020 Series of performances during the Corona Virus Pandemic from his home office via social media that included his Etudes Opus 34. (Sevag Derghougassian was the first composer in the world to perform and publish over social media, of his newly composed pieces - this included live written discussions and arguments over social media).

18 November 2019 Paris premiere of Requiem - two pianos transcription Performed by Betty Salkhanian Kourtian and George Daccache at Notre-Dame du Liban de Paris.

19 October 2019 Recording of Sonata for Violin and Piano number 2 entitled "VENGEANCE" that was composed in 2017 in memory of his teacher Yervand Yerkanyan and dedicated to the Romanian violinist Sorin Horlea. It was performed and recorded in the European University Cyprus (EUC) in Nicosia, Cyprus with an original 1857 Vuillaume violin. The piano part was performed by the composer and the violin, by Sorin Horlea.

15 April 2018 Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon, Requiem – two pianos transcription Performed by Betty Salkhanian Kourtian and George Daccache

6 February 2017 Performance of Sonata opus 25 for Cello & Piano "TRAGIC" - Créations Musicales Concert de musique de chambre. At Théâtre de la MJC (Maison des jeunes et de la culture) Zouk Mikael, Lebanon. Performed by Avetis Gyogchyan, Cello and Sevag Derghougassian, Piano

28 November 2015 Concert featuring chamber music by contemporary Lebanese composers. An event at Médiathèque Hermeland, located in Saint-Herblain, Loire-Atlantique, France on November 28th, 2015. At this concert, my trio No. 1 ‘Sarcasm’ was performed amongst the compositions of Naji Hakim and Abdul Rahman El Basha

7 April 2015 A taste and musical expedition at the guest table of Mathieu Fredon and all Bé2M restaurant team Tuesday, April 7, 2015 on the subject of Lebanon. Works by Lebanese composers of classical music: Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Sevag Derghougassian and Naji Hakim who will be present during the evening. Claire Foison, pianist Rudolf Gault, violinist, and Bahia El Bacha, cellist

17 March 2015 Concierto del Instituto Cervantes, Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, Universite Saint Joseph (USJ), Beirut, Lebanon, Spanish repertoire for the Piano Soloist

5 December 2014 AUB Music Club presents 'Chopin and Liszt, Assembly Hall, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon with Alec Babahekian (piano)

18 June 2014 Concierto del Instituto Cervantes, Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon, Spanish chamber music repertoire with Sergiu Zare (violoncello) and Cristina Pirlea (violin)

30 March 2012 Concierto del Instituto Cervantes, Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, Universite Saint Joseph (USJ), Beirut, Lebanon, Premiere of Five Studies for the Piano Soloist

21 September 2010 Freikeh Festival, Freikeh, Lebanon, French romantic repertoire for soprano and piano with Soprano Aline Maalouf

10 February 2009 Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon Nocturno in B minor with Cristina Pirlea (violin)

24 June 2008 Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon with Cristina Pirlea (violin)

6 June 2008 Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon, Second piano concerto – two pianos transcription Sevag DerGhougassian Soloist

6 June 2008 Pierre V. Aboukhater Hall, USJ, Beirut, Lebanon with Sergiu Zare (cello)

March 2004 Beirut, Lebanon, Premiere of Violin Sonata No. 1 (first edition) with Sorin Horlea (violin)

March 2004 Beirut, Lebanon, Premiere of Concerti for Piano with members of Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra

Summer 2003 Center for Chamber Music, Apple Hill, New Hampshire, US Apple Hill Summer Chamber Music Workshop Ensemble

June 2002 Highlights of Classical Music, Assembly Hall, American University of Beirut (AUB), Beirut, Lebanon with Claude Chalhoub (violin) and members of Staatsoper Berlin

Summer 2001 Western Eastern Divan Orchestra, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, US Premiere of Nocturne in B minor with Asaf Maoz (violin)

Discography

One-hour CD including works by Chopin, Liszt, Khachaturian and Derghougassian

Piano Concertos (scores) are found at Library of Congress, USA