When Haig Hovsepian was four years old, he visited the house of his mother’s friend. She had a small violin that fit perfectly on his shoulder.
He played a few notes and never stopped.
Hovsepian described his musical start as a “total accident” because his pianist mother had sworn that she would steer her future child away from a career in music.
“She was like, one day when I have a child, there’s no way they’re going into music. We already have a ton of musicians in our family, and it’s not all the glamor that it seems to be on the surface,” Hovsepian said. “It’s a tiring lifestyle. There’s a lot of traveling, concerts and constant pressure.”
Despite his mother’s plans for him to avoid the life of a musician, Hovsepian’s talent and fascination with the violin were apparent from the start. What began as a series of lessons quickly evolved into a passion for classical music. Besides playing violin, he can also play clarinet and saxophone.
Hovsepian wants to highlight his Armenian heritage through his music, given its significant role in shaping his career.
“Every concert I play, I try to include at least one Armenian piece,” Hovsepian said. “It’s an honor for me to share a piece of my culture and history with others and continue my grandmother’s legacy.”
His grandmother Anahit Tsitsikian was a very prominent violinist in Armenia whose mission was “to bring the music of the world to Armenia and the music of Armenia to the world,”
A significant part of Hovsepian’s own mission lies within his nonprofit concert series, which he hopes to launch later this year. The series is primarily based in Boston, but Hovsepian envisions it extending across the U.S. and even internationally, bringing Armenian music and other underrepresented pieces to diverse audiences.
The concert series is designed to be more than just a musical showcase; Hovsepian plans to incorporate fundraisers, master classes, and events with prominent musicians to create a platform for cultural exchange and humanitarian support.
“For example, some fundraiser could raise money to go to Armenia for war relief or things like that,” Hovsepian said. “There’s a music school in the name of my grandmother, and I’d love to. . .host a benefit concert to help raise money and send [it] to that school for renovations, for improvement, for just helping the school a little bit.”
He said he hopes to get his application for nonprofit status approved by the end of this year.
Despite his accolades, Hovsepian considers connecting with people the most rewarding aspect of his career. When he visits countries where he doesn’t speak the language, he tries to communicate with people through his music.
“If you open a book, a lot of people can just read the words off of a page and not really have it mean too much, but only a few people can open that book and tell a story,” Hovsepian said. “I always . . .strive to do that with my music, not just play the notes on the page, but tell a story through those notes.”
