Fire, Song & Rhapsody

Saturday | March 21 2026 | 4:00 pm

Pegasus: The Orchestra returns to the TheraYouth Foundation for a third consecutive year, led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Karén Hakobyan. Every work on the program is heard in a new version crafted by Hakobyan for Pegasus’s eighteen-member ensemble, curated specifically for this concert. The journey moves from the sparkle of Haydn and the lyricism of Saint-Saëns to the soulful elegance of Rachmaninoff and the exuberance of Gershwin.

The evening opens with Haydn’s Symphony No. 59 “Fire”, spotlighting Pegasus’s clarity, precision, and expressive range. 2017 International Tchaikovsky Competition Gold Medalist and GRAMMY-nominated cellist Sergey Antonov then takes center stage in Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No. 1, performed in an intimate, chamber-scale setting.

After intermission, Komitas’s Three Armenian Miniatures offer a graceful bridge to Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, featuring Antonov and the ensemble. The concert culminates with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, with Hakobyan at the piano in a vibrant finale that captures the spirit of American classical jazz.

Location: Dorothy Young Center for the Arts at the Drew University

36 Madison Avenue Madison, New Jersey

Tickets: $40-$65