Rita Movsessian
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Music
Press
So I've listend to four hourse of performance - then Rita Movsessian comes along and plays the Rachmaninov and makes me get goose bumpes, tingles, and tears in my eyes! She moved me!
Rita is incredible and captivating to watch as well as hear. She knows how to take control of the music and really convey the meaning and intent of the music.
Musically, fabulous.
Visually, I could feel her intent when she played. - MADD Fest Review Board
Rita Movsessian's performance of Malaguena by Lecuona had real flair, colour, and commitment. What wonderful playing!
The first movement of the Haydn sonata conveyed a plethora of different characterizations. It was full of whimsy, drama and interest - totally convincing unpredictability!
I enjoyed very much listening to your music making! - UBC Keyboard Review
Rita Movsessian began the Chopin Fantasie Impromptu confidently and with strong energy. Clearly, plenty of practice is evident.
A wonderful change of mood in the moderato cantabile was controlled with a nice light touch.
Excellent power, and wonderful contrast within sections, leading to a beautiful refrain in the "cantabile" melody. Clear and definite playing.
Rhytmically solid, and an immense pleasure to listen to! - MADD Fest Review Board
MM: Was piano always your passion?
RM: I am passionate about the arts in general. For as long as I can remember, I was always creating and expressing myself through music, art, dance and writing. My mother was an amazing opera singer, and encouraged me immensely. Eventually, I decided to take piano all the way, though I still consider myself well-rounded as an artist.
MM: What was the hardest musical aspect to develop?
RM: Figuring out how to turn my passion into a rewarding career. I am very lucky to be teaching for a great school, and I currently have many talented students I am very proud of.
MM: You have had a range of performance experiences. Most memorable:
RM: Playing on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean woozy on gravol. All I really remember was the swaying boat and making some wonderful European fans! My audition for the Glenn Gould School is a close second. That was probably the most natural, technical, and inspired playing of my life.
MM: If you could perform any concert, what would you choose?
RM: The Rachmaninov 2nd, hands down. When I was 15, I asked for a Rachmaninov CD for Christmas, and it was all I listened to for months straight. I just thought it was the neatest thing. The concerto is currently in progress.
MM: Who was your most inspiring teacher and why?
RM: Kenneth Broadway in Vancouver was a huge influence on my practicing and teaching style. He was very detail oriented, and I achieved some phenomenal results with him. He took my technical mastery to a whole other level. The view from his studio overlooking the Pacific Ocean was also pretty inspiring!
- Merriam Music
Discography
Dream states, my collection for solo piano, is currently streaming on CBC Radio 3, and LastFM.
An album is in the works!
Photos
Bio
Having been bit by the music bug at the age of four, Rita Movsessian's formative years included countless piano concerts and competitions in the Classical genre.
It was only in the privacy of her piano room where she explored composition and improvisation, and it wasn't until grad school, where she studied Classical piano performance, when Rita decided to go full force with her creative side.
As a performer, Rita has been described as intensely musical, with an uncanny ability to captivate an audience from the first note.
Highly in demand as a performer and pedagogue in both Vancouver and Toronto.
Her range of works as a composer include string quartet, small chamber works, big band arrangements, choral works, and a collection for solo piano.
Rita's string quartet, From the Shadows, was considered as a performance option for the Molinari and Penderecki quartets in 2003. In 2004, Dream States, for solo piano was performed for DCTV in BC. It is currently streaming at CBC Radio3 and LastFM. In 2009, Rita gained national exposure as a featured pedagogue, performer and composer on the W Network.
Dream States: Piscador was featured in Winnipeg's independant drug awareness film, Intervention, in 2008.
Time Series, Rita's 2nd collection for piano solo, written in 2010, is a reflection of her journey as a writer. Its essence covers the aspects of tension and release, which can be best achieved over Time. Time Series: G minor was used in the trailer for the 2010 Tibetan film, Unpredictable Life.
Composers who have influenced her style range from Clint Mansell, Philip Glass and Yann Tiersen, to Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Prokofieff.
Links