Two Voices, One Conversation: Bruch’s Double Concerto

Powerful Musical Conversation

The LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Richard Prior, will launch its new season with an evening that truly embodies the theme of Powerful Partnerships. On September 23, (7:30 PM in Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange, GA) the orchestra will welcome two extraordinary guest artists to the Callaway Auditorium stage for a performance of Max Bruch’s Double Concerto for Violin and Viola.

About the Double Concerto

Max Bruch was a German composer who lived from 1838 – 1920 and penned over 200 works during his 82 years. While he is best known for his beloved Violin Concerto No. 1, Bruch composed the great Double Concerto later in his career. This masterful work is a rare gem in the concerto repertoire. It brims with expressive lyricism, sweeping melodies, and a remarkable dialogue between soloists. Instead of showcasing one instrument alone, the piece is built upon interplay and conversation—violin and viola weaving together in turns of passion, tenderness, and virtuosity. It is music that requires trust, collaboration, and above all, partnership.

Internationally Acclaimed Soloists

Stepping into this musical dialogue are two artists who know partnership well.  Levon Ambartsumian, internationally renowned violinist and Regents’ and Franklin Professor of Violin at the University of Georgia joins his wife Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, Senior Academic Professional, violin University of Georgia and an equally celebrated violinist and violist. Together, they have performed across the globe, founded and nurtured ensembles, and inspired generations of musicians. On this evening, their shared artistry will converge in Bruch’s Double Concerto—two voices, one conversation. The depth of their marriage adds familiarity and nuance, promising a performance that will exceed expectations. Their instruments speak with uncommon unity and expression, brought to life by the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra.

Levon Ambartsumian’s Musical Career

Levon Ambartsumian is Regent’s and Franklin Professor of Violin at the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. Prior to coming to UGA in 1995, he was a Visiting Professor at Indiana University School of Music, replacing legendary American Violin Teacher Joseph Gingold. He also taught at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1978 for 15 years.

Ambartsumian is an alumnus of the Moscow Central Music School and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where his teachers were Felix Andrievski, Yury Yankelevitch, Leonid Kogan and Igor Bezrodny. In 1977 he became the First Prize winner of Zagreb International Violin Competition headed by Henryk Szeryng. Two years later he was a prize-winner of the Montreal International Competition, and in 1981 he won the All-Union Violin Competition in Riga, Latvia

In 1988 Amartsumian was distinguished as “Honored Artist of Armenia,” and was named “Honored Artist of Russia” in 1997. He has performed in major cities of the United States of America, Russia, Eastern Europe, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, China, Japan, and South Korea, having collaborated as a soloist with conductors and composers such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Fedoseev, Maxim Shostakovich, Aram Khachaturian, Alfred Schnittke, Karen Khachaturian, and many others.

In 1990 Ambartsumian founded the Moscow Chamber Orchestra (ARCO) which regularly performed in Russia and abroad and now resides in Athens, Georgia. Since its creation, Ambartsumian has led UGA’s ARCO Chamber Orchestra—commercially releasing 15 CDs and performing four times in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. In 2011, ARCO was invited to perform at La Fenice, the world-famous Opera House in Venice, Italy.

As a recording artist, Ambartsumian has 50 commercially released and internationally distributed CD’s. These recordings include music by Wieniawski, Sarasate, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Vivaldi, Stravinsky, Bartok, Shostakovich, Strauss, Schnittke, Vasks, Bronner, Arutiunian and other contemporary composers. As a teacher, Ambartsumian has given master classes in Russia, Armenia, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, Portugal and France. His former students hold principal positions in major European orchestras in Germany, France, Portugal, Denmark, and the United States, as well as full time college teaching positions.

Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva’s Musical Career

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva began violin studies at the Tashkent State Conservatory’s Special Music School. At age eleven she made her debut with the Uzbekistan Symphony Orchestra and won the Uzbekistan National Violin Competition.

Azimkhodjaeva graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where she studied with Professor Irina Medvedeva. While attending school. She performed with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Symphony Orchestra under the direction of such conductors as Zubin Metha, Pierre Boulez, Dmitry Kitaenko, Valery Gergiev, and many others.

As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed in all the major cities of the former Soviet Union in the most prestigious halls, including Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Concert Halls.

Azimkhodjaeva was one of the founders of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra (ARCO). Since then, she has been concertmaster, soloist, and assistant conductor of the orchestra. She has performed extensively both as a soloist and concertmaster in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Romania, Latvia, Russia, South Korea, USA, Canada, Brazil and Kenya. She has recorded numerous CDs of music by Vivaldi, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Ysaye, Rosza, Piazzolla and Shostakovich and other contemporary composers. Recent performances include seven appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Azimkhodjaeva joined the violin faculty of the University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music in 1995.

An Opportunity to Appreciate the Nuanced Blend

Hearing Bruch’s Double Concerto live is an experience unlike any other. The work thrives on the immediacy of musical dialogue—the way the violin and viola answer, echo, and intertwine with one another. On September 23, 2025 at the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra concert, “Powerful Partnerships”, the audience can feel the tension and release of this exchange, watching the soloists lean into the conversation with the orchestra responding in real time. The rich sonorities of the viola and the brilliance of the violin are best appreciated in the concert hall, where every nuance, blend, and contrast resonates in the air. It’s a piece that doesn’t just speak to the ears—it envelops you in the moment.

Emotional Centerpiece

The performance promises to be an emotional centerpiece of the concert: dramatic, lyrical, and rich with the spirit of collaboration. It’s a powerful reminder of what music can do—bridge differences, unite voices, and create something greater than the sum of its parts.