Sendi Vartanovi is a Georgian-born concert violinist, educator and artistic director based in the Philadelphia area. She founded Light & Bloom, a concert platform that treats a classical program as one complete experience instead of a string of separate pieces. Her next project is TIME, an evening of live music, photography, film and audience-made art. It runs Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City, and it includes the premiere of a new solo violin work by composer Ajibola Rivers, written for her.
Explore her recordings, concerts and teaching at sendivartanovi.com, see upcoming programs at lightandbloomconcerts.com, and follow her on Instagram at @sendivartanovi.
At a glance
- Artist: Sendi Vartanovi, violinist, artistic director and educator
- From: Georgia; now based in the Philadelphia area
- Founded: Light & Bloom, a concert platform in New York and Philadelphia
- Next concert: TIME, Saturday, October 17, 2026, 7 p.m., Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A W. 13th St., New York
- Premiere: a new solo violin work by Ajibola Rivers
- Recent writing: an opinion piece in The Strad (September 2026)
- Website: sendivartanovi.com
Who is Sendi Vartanovi?
Vartanovi was born in Georgia, has Armenian roots, and started her training there. Her biography says that training continued at conservatories across Europe before she moved to the United States to study with violinist and conductor Eduard Schmieder at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. Her biography also lists performances at Carnegie Hall, OPERA America and the Kimmel Center. It says she serves as associate concertmaster of the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and teaches violin, viola and chamber music at the Nelly Berman School of Music and The Philadelphia School.
She also writes about her craft. In September 2026, The Strad published her opinion piece “Playing with accompanists early on,” drawing on her years as a performer and teacher. Her guiding phrase, printed on her site, is “Sona, vita,” or “Let life resound.”
What is Light & Bloom?
Light & Bloom is the concert platform Vartanovi created and directs. Her site says she developed it with Georgian pianist Ani Gigauri. It presents programs in three formats: chamber concerts, interdisciplinary projects and cinematic programs built around film music. The idea behind all three is simple. Every choice, from the repertoire and the running order to the room and the lighting, should serve the music and help the audience listen with full attention.
“Each concert is conceived and carefully curated as a complete artwork,” Vartanovi says. Its classical and interdisciplinary programs make room for contemporary composers, lesser-known works and young performers. The cinematic side celebrates film composers and much-loved movie music.
What happens at TIME on October 17?
TIME is built in three parts, each tied to a different way of holding on to time. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a photography exhibition by Eliso Babuadze, a musician and photographer based in Finland, shown in New York for the first time, along with a short film about her work. Around 7:40 p.m. comes the musical centerpiece, a continuous chamber program for violin, cello and piano. Alongside the Ajibola Rivers premiere, the program draws on Debussy, Piazzolla, Gershwin, Dvořák, Kreisler and Saint-Saëns, plus the Georgian composers Azarashvili and Tsintsadze.
Near the end, anyone who wants to can paint a small canvas in response to what they heard. No art experience is needed, and materials are provided. The canvases are then joined into one piece, which the organizers call the Canvas of Sound. A reception with the artists follows. Event details and seating are on the Light & Bloom TIME page.
Where can you hear Sendi Vartanovi play?
Her website hosts live recordings, and her YouTube channel includes a Light & Bloom film music set and chamber performances. Here she plays Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 in the Heifetz arrangement, live:
What’s next for Sendi Vartanovi?
After TIME, her calendar lists a Featured Artist Recital at The College of New Jersey on Tuesday, November 10, with pianist Astrik Sakanyan, in a program of Georgian, Armenian and American music. Concert dates for her and for Light & Bloom are posted on her websites first:
- Artist website: sendivartanovi.com
- Light & Bloom: lightandbloomconcerts.com
- Instagram: @sendivartanovi and @light_and_bloom_concerts
FAQ
Who is Sendi Vartanovi?
Sendi Vartanovi is a Georgian-born concert violinist, educator and artistic director based in the Philadelphia area, and the founder of the Light & Bloom concert platform.
When and where is Light & Bloom’s TIME concert?
TIME takes place Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A W. 13th St., New York City. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
What new music premieres at TIME?
Sendi Vartanovi gives the premiere of a new solo violin work by composer Ajibola Rivers, written for her.
What has Sendi Vartanovi written for The Strad?
The Strad published her opinion piece “Playing with accompanists early on” in September 2026.
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