DISCOVERIES Series IV Showcases Future Stars Performing in Recital.
Lord Leighton welcomed leading musicians of the day to perform in his studio, and for musicians of the future who play in this beautiful venue, it is very special for them too.
The Leighton House DISCOVERIES Series continues with recitals which include four solo pianists, a classical guitarist, and superb chamber players.
There are seven recitals in total; three in autumn 2025, with a further four in spring/summer 2026. Each recital is of approximately one hour's duration without an interval, starting at 7.00pm. Seating is unallocated.
ARIE DAKESIAN, guitar
Arie Dakesian is a classical guitarist currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Performance at the Royal College of Music, under the tutelage of professors Gary Ryan and Christopher Stell. He’s a Houston Family Scholar and a recipient of the Julian Bream Trust, as well as several Armenian scholarship funds including the Ouzounian Trust and AGBU Scholarships. He was very recently selected for the highly prestigious Tillett Debut Scheme 2024, which allows a two-year collaboration and a wide range of performances; this made him the fifth guitarist to ever be awarded since the scheme emerged in 1995.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an Armenian family, Arie has since been exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age, which is woven into the very fabric of his music-making. Recent engagements feature performances in St James’s Piccadilly, Royal Albert Hall, and Wigmore Hall with a Kings Place debut on the 6th of November 2025.
Programme:
Regino Sainz de la Maza: Rondeña
Domenico Scarlatti: Two Sonatas in G, K162, K14
Francisco Tarrega: Variaciones sobre “El Carnaval de Venecia” de Paganini
Mario Gangi: Two Studies
Astor Piazzolla: Invieno Porteño
Khachatur Avetisyan: A Folk Prologue (arr. Arie Dakesian)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Capricho de Goya XVIII
Arie Dakesian: Meditation sur Khalil Badawi
Emilio Pujol: Guajira
Tickets: £30 (includes prosecco, soft drinks & crackers following the recital)
20 student tickets are available at £5. Please contact Lisa Peacock to reserve: lisa@lisapeacock.co.uk
To complete this wonderful new season of recitals by outstanding young musicians, we are offering a glass of Prosecco in the garden (weather permitting) following the recital.
Since its reopening in autumn 2022, visitors to Leighton House continue to be astonished at the ‘Hidden Gem’ close to Holland Park and the Design Museum. The home and studio of the Victorian artist, traveller and collector Frederic, Lord Leighton, who was himself a lover of music and welcomed leading musicians of the day to perform in his studio. It is wonderful that after the reopening of Leighton House following the major refurbishment, many more recitals are being held in this magnificent 100-seat studio.
