Yerevan Once Again Becomes a Global Stage for Classical Music

The 13th Aram Khachaturian International Festival is getting underway, once again positioning Yerevan as an important center of international musical life. The Festival has been held for more than a decade and is organized with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Aram Khachaturian Cultural Foundation.

The Festival’s opening concert will take place on December 9 at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall. The program will feature Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, performed by international competition laureate Hayk Kazazyan. The second half of the concert will feature Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, conducted by Gianluca Marcianò.

The Festival will bring internationally acclaimed musicians to Yerevan, including cellist Emmanuel Graf, pianists Denis Kozhukhin and Antonio Di Cristofano, and the Eduard Mirzoyan String Quartet. The concerts will be conducted by Sergey Smbatyan, Gianluca Marcianò, Vahagn Papyan, and Bojan Suđić.

A dedicated concert will also feature works by Arvo Pärt, marking the composer’s 90th anniversary.

The Yerevan Municipality is the Festival’s main partner, while Freedom Broker Armenia is its strategic sponsor. As part of this partnership, young Armenian opera singers will have the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with Gianluca Marcianò and perform in a joint concert with the maestro.

The Festival will conclude on December 19 at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex with the festive concert “Symphonic New Year: Khachaturian + Jazz.”

The Aram Khachaturian International Festival was founded in 2013 on the initiative of Sergey Smbatyan, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Since 2021, the Festival has been a member of the European Festivals Association, creating new opportunities to promote and expand the international reach of Khachaturian’s musical legacy.