ARMEN KSAJIKIAN

Associate Principal cello with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and veteran of more than 900 Hollywood film soundtrack sessions, began his professional career at age 12 with the Abkhazian State Philharmonic in his native (former) Soviet Union.  

Since his move to the United States in 1976, Ksajikian has performed as principal with the Opus Chamber Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Pasadena, Pacific, Long Beach, Glendale, New West and Santa Monica symphonies, as well as the Bolshoi, Kirov, Stuttgart, Joffrey, Royal and American Ballet Theatre orchestras.

He has also participated in many music festivals including the Cabrillo, Colorado, Banff, Sitka, Venice Film, Fairbanks Summer Arts, Oregon Bach and Juneau Jazz & Classics festivals.   

Ksajikian has toured with the Los Angeles Philharmonic to New York and throughout Europe, and with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to Japan and Brazil.  He’s been featured as a soloist with LACO, and occasionally plays Baroque cello with several early music ensembles in the Los Angeles area. 

As a member of the distinguished Armadillo String Quartet since 1982, Ksajikian has been involved in such daring events as a 34½-hour marathon performance of the complete quartets of Joseph Haydn. The ASQ has performed concerts from the top of the Mendenhall Glacier to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and from Hong Kong's City Hall to New York's Carnegie Hall, where the group gave the world premiere of the P.D.Q. Bach string quartet “The Moose.” 

In addition to many Peter Schickele compositions, Ksajikian has premiered works by John Cage, Miklos Rosza, John Williams, Mel Powell, Henry Mancini, Randy Newman, John Adams and Chick Corea. In 1985 Ksajikian was invited to perform with Jascha Heifetz in his master classes.   

Widely hailed as one of the greatest cellists in north-central Eagle Rock, California, Ksajikian is appreciated for his robust sense of humor as well as fine musicianship.