Eduard Topchjan

The prominent Armenian conductor Eduard Topchjan studied violin at the Yerevan Komitas Conservatory and went on to study conducting with a well-known Armenian conductor Ohan Durian followed by valuable consultations from Sir George Solti, Claudio Abbado and Nello Santi.

Topchjan started conducting in 1991 when with a group of his friends from the Yerevan Komitas Conservatory he created the Serenade Chamber Orchestra. The Serenade at once became the most promising orchestra of the younger generation in Armenia and shortly afterwards it made a fine reputation in Europe winning prizes at various international competitions and releasing highly reputed CDs at the Thorofon label.

Eduard Topchjan made his debut with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000, when an orchestra comprised of the Serenade Chamber Orchestra musicians and a group of leading APO musicians had a remarkably successful appearance at Bad Fussing Festival, Germany. The same year he is appointed the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the APO and starts successful appearances with the APO in Yerevan and abroad, earning much praise for his interpretations of the main symphonic repertoire as well as new compositions.

In 2001, he appeared with the [http://www.apo.am Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra] at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, and in 2003, at the “Bolshoi Theater”, receiving both times great acclaim from the audience and musical critics. In autumn 2006 the APO led by Eduard Topchjan participated in the 41st International Music Festival “Moravian Autumn” held in Brno, Czech Republic and continued the tour visiting also Prague, Bratislava and Nuremberg (Germany) and achieving highest critical acclaim there. In February 2007 the APO with Maestro Topchjan toured France and appeared in Nice, St. Etienne, Lyon, Valance, Marseille, Issy les Moulineaux, which was the culmination of the “Year of Armenia in France” due to the highest standard set by the orchestra and conductor.

Topchjan is especially known for introducing music both to orchestral and operatic repertoire. He has performed with this orchestra the operas “Aïda”, “The Barber of Seville”; “Il Tabarro”, “Madama Butterfly”, “Turandot”, “Simone Boccanegra”, “Rigoletto”, “I Pagliacci” and others. Eduard Topchjan appears with such celebrated artists as Steven Isserlis, David Geringas, Renato Bruson, Kim Kashkashian, Alexei Lubimov, Emmanuel Pahud, Bernd Glemser, Tibor Varga, François-Joël Thiollier, Bernard Ringeissen, Zoran Todorovich, Misha Maisky, Boris Berezovsky, Sergey Khachatryan, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Sergei Babayan, Sahan Arzruni, Julia Fischer, Wolfgang Meyer, Sergey Larin, Hasmik Papian, Vladimir Chernov, Sergei Nakariakov, Catherine Manoukianand many others.

As a guest conductor he appeared with many important orchestras in Europe, among them the Frankfurt Opera, the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater Schwerin, the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Romanian TV and Radio Orchestra, the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra and Kärntner Sinfonieorchester.

He was Artistic Director of several significant festivals. Since 2007 he is a dominant conductor at the Yerevan International Music Festival, which is an annual event and hosts numerous world-known musicians.

His large repertoire includes all epochs from baroque to contemporary music, symphonic works as well as the chamber orchestra repertoire and operas. Several pieces by composers from Armenia and abroad have been written for him and world premiered by him and his orchestras. His extraordinary talent and conducting style attracted attention of the public and gained him highest critical and public acclaim. In 2007 the Ministry of Culture of Armenia awarded him with Meritorious Worker of Art title.

---- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Armenian_orchestras Category:Armenian orchestras]