This year's guest artist is Raffi Besalyan.  As a winner of the Artists International Competition, Armenian-born pianist Raffi Besalyan was presented in his New York debut in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 2003 receiving highest acclaim from the audience and the press. New York Concert Review described his performance as "Technically brilliant… Besalyan played with a great deal of temperament, speed and power… audacious spirit and poetic substance, deeply felt tenderness…"

The flourishing career of Mr. Besalyan takes him to many important music venues worldwide. His performances as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with orchestra have been heard throughout North and South America, Europe, Russia and Asia. He made solo appearances with the Osaka Symphony Orchestra (Japan), Orchestra Sinfonica Del Festival Di Chioggia in Venice (Italy), Yerevan Symphony Orchestra (Armenia), Belgorod, Symphony (Russia), Kharkov Symphony (Ukraine), New Jersey Festival Orchestra, S. Orange Symphony and Moscow Chamber Orchestra. Critics have praised Mr. Besalyan's performances for its virility, passion and extraordinary technical command, especially in the Romantic and 20th century repertoire. The Armenian reporter Int'l – New York stated that "Standing ovation and cries of "Bravo" and "Encore" went to pianist Raffi Besalyan…mesmerized the audience with his gracious, delicate yet powerful presentation of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No.3."

Among some of the recent highlights of Mr. Besalyan's performances are solo/duo recitals with distinguished pianist Sara Davis Buechner for "Keyboard Karma" series in Vancouver, Canada, "Yamaha Pianos" presented by Yamaha Corporation of America in New York City, also, a concert tour and master classes in Japan, including a performance of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto withOsaka Symphony and a solo recital in Izumi Hall for "Vivace" concert series in Osaka; appearances with the Jasper Quartet forBFCM in New York and, with Metropolitan Opera tenor Jon Garrison for NATS.

Mr. Besalyan received his Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Yerevan (Armenia) Komitas Conservatory, where he studied with Sergey Barseghyan. He also received a Master of Music degree from Rowan University as a student of Veda Zuponcic, and studied at the Manhattan School with legendary American pianist Byron Janis and Sara Davis Buechner. His studies at the Moscow State Conservatory included classes with Alexei Nasedkin, Victor Merzhanov and Naum Shtarkman.