Armenian American pianist Sergei Babayan tours “Songs” recital program on both sides of Atlantic, makes debuts with Atlanta Symphony & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, & more in 2025–26
(October 2025) — Known for his “consummate technique and insight” (The New York Times), Sergei Babayan is “one of the greatest pianists of our time” (Bachtrack). This season, the Armenian American pianist tours his acclaimed solo program, “Songs,” on both sides of the Atlantic, with North American recitals in Cincinnati, Fresno, Flagstaff, and at Montreal’s International Bach Festival, in addition to European ones in France, Switzerland, and Germany. He performs Rachmaninoff concertos in debuts with both the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and reunites with Martha Argerich for a duo recital presented by Germany’s Mannheim Philharmonic. As The Times of London put it, he is a “pianist’s pianist” whose interpretations combine “quiet beauty and emotional fire.”
“Songs” solo recitals in North America & Europe
Combining solo works with piano transcriptions by composers from Schubert, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff to Harold Arlen, Charles Trenet, and Armenian folk hero Komitas, Babayan’s thoughtfully curated “Songs” program explores the evolution of lieder, folksong, and the elusive art of melody. At recent European renditions, the program has already drawn raves. “Babayan proved to be an exceptional storyteller and communicator of dramas of sound,” observed Germany’s Mannheimer Morgen, calling his performance “virtuoso playing of the highest level.” “Playing all pieces as one big suite, the artist had one work modulate into the next, without ever dropping the tension of the musical story and atmosphere – a meditation of the highest pianistic echelon,” agreed Germany’s Die Rheinpfalz. France’s La Nouvelle République marveled:
“Breathtaking pianissimos. Fortissimos to make the hair stand on end. An incredible sound, which shakes us to the core and delivers to us on a platter the flesh and soul of the selected pieces. … Babayan seems at ease in every single register, in tune with each era. … An unforgettable concert.”
“Songs” figures prominently in the pianist’s 2025–26 lineup, with North American recitals at Montreal’s International Bach Festival (Dec 4), Cincinnati’s Xavier University (Jan 15), Fresno’s Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts (April 26), and Flagstaff’s Northern Arizona University School of Music (June 21). He also tours it to Greifensee, Switzerland (Oct 26) and Kempen, Germany (Oct 30 & Nov 2), having kicked off the season with a “Songs” recital at the Grand Théâtre in Tours, France.
Debuts with Atlanta Symphony & Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Babayan is a recognized master of the Russian concerto repertoire. Recorded with Daniil Trifonov, Rachmaninoff for Two, his most recent Deutsche Grammophon release, was not only chosen among Gramophone’s “Best Classical Music Albums of 2024,” but recognized with the prestigious 2024 Diapason d’Or by France’s Diapason magazine, which cited the recording’s “colossal energy, profusion of colors, delicate murmurs and extraordinary vitality.”
Over the coming season, Babayan performs Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto in concerts that mark his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra debut (Feb 19 & 21), before reprising the same composer’s Second Piano Concerto for his first performance with Sweden’s Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Austrian conductor Emmanuel Tjeknavorian (April 15).
Duo recital with Martha Argerich
Next March, Babayan reunites with piano legend Martha Argerich for a duo recital of Mozart, Debussy, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff in Mannheim, Germany (March 28). Thanks to a close association that dates back more than three decades, their collaborations at the keyboard make for “miracles of musical togetherness and virtuoso synchronicity” (Stuttgarter Zeitung, Germany). Three years ago, when they performed together at London’s Wigmore Hall, The Guardian responded:
“They entranced with the sheer power and dazzling command of their playing. … Close your eyes and it was impossible to tell who was playing what line, so seamless was their joyful passing of the baton. Sheer delight.”
About Sergei Babayan
Now an American citizen who lives in New York City, Sergei Babayan was born in Armenia during the Soviet occupation. After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory, he made his breakthrough in the West with first-prize wins at the Cleveland, Hamamatsu, and Scottish International Piano Competitions. Since then, he has appeared with some of the foremost orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France. He also performs at major festivals, including Salzburg and Verbier, and at prestigious venues, from New York’s Carnegie Hall to London’s Wigmore Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Vienna Konzerthaus, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Zurich Tonhalle, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. His chamber music partners include Janine Jansen, Ivry Gitlis, Mischa Maisky, Matthias Goerne, and the Borodin Quartet, as well as Argerich and Trifonov.
As an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2018, Babayan has made three recordings for the label. His groundbreaking solo collection, Rachmaninoff, was chosen as BBC Music’s “Recording of the Month,” welcomed as “61 minutes of piano heaven” (Classics Today), and heralded as “a masterclass in how to put the music first” (Ludwig-Van). Recorded with Argerich, Prokofiev for Two captures Babayan’s own two-piano transcriptions, prompting MusicWeb International to marvel: “World-class playing by both performers and the Babayan transcriptions are destined to be taken up by other pianists and incorporated into the mainstream repertoire. Outstanding.” Most recently, Rachmaninoff for Two – recorded with Trifonov to mark the composer’s 150th anniversary – was recognized with France’s prestigious 2024 Diapason d’Or. As The New York Times has said of Babayan’s Trifonov partnership, “The firepower they achieved together is rare among piano duos.”
Sergei Babayan: selected 2025–26 engagements
Oct 26–Nov 2: European solo recital tour
Oct 26: Greifensee, Switzerland (Landenberghaus)
Oct 30: Kempen, Germany (Paterskirche)
Nov 2: Kempen, Germany (Beethoven-Haus)
“Songs” program
Dec 4: Montreal, QC
Festival International Bach Montréal
Solo recital
“Songs” program
Jan 15
Cincinnati, OH
Xavier University
Solo recital
“Songs” program
Feb 19 & 21
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 4
March 28
Mannheim, Germany
Presented by Mannheim Philharmonic
Duo recital with Martha Argerich, piano
Program to include works by MOZART, DEBUSSY, PROKOFIEV, & RACHMANINOFF
April 15
Stockholm, Sweden
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra / Emmanuel Tjeknavorian
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2
April 26
Fresno, CA
Philip Lorenz International Keyboard Concerts
Solo recital
“Songs” program
June 21
Flagstaff, AZ
Northern Arizona University School of Music
Solo recital
“Songs” program