GRAND PIANIST 

Concert pianist Marta Aznavoorian—a Barrington High School graduate— works the pedals hard and showcases her kinetic mettle in every performance.

Marta Aznavoorian was introduced to music at a young age, and decades later, her dream career as an international concert and recording pianist shows no signs of rallentando (“gradually slowing down” in piano-speak).

Aznavoorian made her professional debut at 13 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the late Sir Georg Solti. As a founding member and pianist with Lincoln Trio, the mother of three earned a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in 2017 for the group’s album Trios from Our Homeland. This past October Aznavoorian—a piano faculty member at DePaul University and an artist in residence at the Music Institute of Chicago—teamed up with Evanston-based composer Stacy Garrop to perform the critically acclaimed Invictus, a piano concerto with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra at Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park.

“I feel so fortunate to be part of the music world and deeply grateful for the opportunity to perform wonderful music alongside exceptional musicians. I consider it a gift.”

Audience members at last fall’s world premiere of Invictus were treated to quite a performance. Aznavoorian and Garrop have been friends for years. Garrop’s first piano concerto was commissioned by and written for Aznavoorian—in the wake of a profoundly difficult period in the pianist’s life—and served as part of the Ear Taxi Festival 2025, a landmark event showcasing contemporary concert music.

“I wanted to commission a work that would inspire others to persevere and overcome daunting challenges,” Aznavoorian says. “In this concerto, the piano soloist becomes the protagonist who ultimately triumphs over adversity. Through close collaboration, Stacy and I arrived at something deeply meaningful and special.”

Aznavoorian didn’t simply tickle the ivories throughout Invictus, which is Latin for “unconquerable” or “undefeated.” She attacked the keys with aplomb, often moving vigorously in her seat to fully capture her interpretation of the work based on the late 19th-century poem by William Ernest Henley.

Henley lost a leg to bone disease, underwent further surgeries to save the other, and wrote Invictus as a declaration of strength and perseverance.

“I wanted it to be physical and full of energy, so that it would represent defeating hardships,” Aznavoorian says of the look of her presentation at Harris Theater. “I’ve been told that I play the piano as if I’m dancing.”

Aznavoorian grew up in a strict Armenian household while attending Barrington High School. The eldest of Peter and Christine’s three musically gifted children (middle child Marty was a violinist but pursued a career as a physician), Marta “loved Barrington, and loved Barrington High School.” “I had so many wonderful teachers,” she shares, “across a number of departments—who fully supported my commitment to music and were always interested in it.”

Aznavoorian established the nonprofit foundation Keynote Productions in 2022. Dedicated to fostering educational opportunity through music, it provides scholarship support to talented students from underserved communities, helping them pursue advanced studies in the music arts.

“I love bringing music to life and creating moments that audiences can feel and remember.”

Marta and her younger sister, cellist Ani, are set to stage the “Beethoven, Brahms, and Barrington with the Aznavoorian Sisters” event at Barrington’s White House on March 1, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Visit martaaznavoorian.com for more information.