The AR-RA Piano Duo - A Latvian and Armenian piano duo formed in 2011 with performances in Latvia, Russia, and Armenia. The 2014 Salkind Festival will be the AR-RA duo’s first appearance in America.

 A renowned pianist, from Riga, Latvia, Raffi Kharajanyan performed with Nora Novik as The Riga Piano Duo, which achieved legendary fame over their 40 year artistic career. The duo toured extensively in Europe, Russia, Israel, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Baltic States and performed in the U.S. at the 2007 and 2008 Salkind Piano Duo Festivals. In 2009, Nora Novik died suddenly; she lives on in the recordings of The Riga Duo, and in the inspiration of her many students and colleagues. A graduate of the Tchaikovsky School of Music Yerevan State Conservatory, Armenian pianist Armine Grigoryan has toured Russia, Italy, UAE, Germany, the Baltic States, Lebanon, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Austria, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic. Since 2004, Armine is a Professor of the Yerevan State Conservatory and she has been the pianist of the Khachaturian Trio since 2005. She is also the director of the Aram Khachaturian Museum in Yerevan, Armenia.