Aria Cheregosha
Praised for her “remarkable musical aplomb”, violist Aria Cheregosha has “successfully blazed her own path” (CVNC), garnering numerous musical accolades and captivating audiences around the world as a passionate and versatile chamber musician and collaborator. A North Carolina native, Aria began her musical journey at the age of 7, and performed in both Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center by the age of 13. Aria holds a bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied under world-renowned violist and pedagogue Kim Kashkashian, and a masters degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied under the mentorship of Roger Tapping.
Aria’s playing has been heavily influenced by her passion for collaboration and while at the New England Conservatory she studied chamber music under the guidance of Paul Katz and the Cleveland Quartet as a member of the former Ivani Quartet. The Ivani Quartet was awarded top prizes at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and was the fellowship quartet at Bowdoin Music Festival in 2017, In addition to Aria’s extensive work with members of the Cleveland Quartet, she has also studied chamber music under the Juilliard, Brentano, Ying, Shanghai, Borromeo, and Jupiter String Quartets. Professionally, Aria has performed and collaborated with various chamber ensembles and orchestras including A Far Cry, the Aizuri Quartet, the Ulysses Quartet, the Apollo Chamber Players, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Kinetic Ensemble, the North Carolina Symphony, and the Thalea String Quartet.
Aria is currently the Artist in Residence for 2023-2024 at the Harvard Research Institute, Dumbarton Oaks, with her fiery Persian and Cajun viola duo, Tallā Rouge (www.tallarouge.com), of which she is a member and co-founder. While passionate for transcribing traditional compositions and fostering the creation of contemporary works through commissioning, Aria, a second generation Persian-American, also aims to pay tribute to her heritage on stage through the performance of works that celebrate her cultural roots.
Passionate about giving back to her community, Aria works with Kim Kashkashian and her Boston team as a Co-Chapter head for ‘Music for Food’, an initiative battling food insecurity by creating meals from music.
When Aria isn’t playing the viola, you can find her cooking, learning new songs on the guitar, hanging with friends, drinking coffee, or exploring D.C.! Nothing makes Aria happier than playing with her cat, “Lady Shiva the Destroyer”, or dancing & singing to her favorite non-classical tunes (usually while she vacuums the house)! 🧹🕺
A Bit about my Persian Family!
My father Bahram Chehrehgosha left Iran in 1973 to attend college in America — later altering his last name to Cheregosha. Bahram went back to Iran twice to visit family before the 1978 revolution, but after the revolution, he never felt comfortable to return to his beloved home. Growing up in Iran, Bahram was steeped in Persian traditional music as his father, Ahmad Chehrehgosha, was a composer, tar player, and also led a traditional Persian chamber ensemble. Ahmand’s chamber ensemble recorded 35 records of his original compositions through a German Bedaphone record label.