Arpine Pehlivanian (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

: Արփինե Փեհլիվանյան, ; 24 April 1934 – 16 March 2004) was a

Lebanese Armenian Armenians have lived in Lebanon for centuries. According to Minority Rights Group International, there are 156,000 Armenians in Lebanon, around 4% of the population. Prior to the Lebanese Civil War, the number was higher, but the community lost a ...

classical

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano () is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile run (music), runs, leaps and Trill (music), trills. The term ''coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, whi ...

singer who fled

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

and resettled in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where she lived in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

Early life and education

Pehlivanian graduated ''summa cum laude'' from the Lebanese National Conservatory of Piano and studied voice at the Chigiana Academy in

Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...

, where she earned ''Diplomas di Merito'' in Opera Interpretation, Vocal Chamber Music, and Opera Direction. She studied voice with Alvarez Boulos and Antonia Perazzi, among others.

Career

She was an official soloist with the

Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra L’Orchestre Symphonique National du Liban (The Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra) was founded in late 1999 in Beirut under the guidance of Dr. Walid Gholmieh and the management of the Conservatoire Libanais (Lebanese National Higher Conservato ...

for 18 years and was also Professor of Voice and Piano and Director of Opera Interpretation Studies at the

Lebanese National Conservatory of Music Le Conservatoire libanais national supérieur de musique or The Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music was founded in the 1930s by Wadia Sabra, composer of the national anthem of Lebanon. Sabra's goal was to establish an institute of high ...

. After leaving Lebanon for the United States during the Lebanese Civil War, she performed for the first time in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in 1974. She was the first singer from the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

to perform at the

Yerevan Opera Theatre The Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (), simply known by locals as , is an opera theatre in Yerevan. It officially opened on 20 January 1933, with a performance of Alexander Spendiaryan's opera '' Almast'' as its ...

. In addition to operatic performances, she gave more than 800 recitals worldwide, performing works by

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, Tigranian,

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

, Scarlatti,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and others. She premiered works by many Armenian and Middle Eastern composers, including Khachaturian's ''Agh Tamar'', which she premiered in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Pehlivanian was a member of the faculty at

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

in Long Beach.

Honors

*Cilician Great Cross with the rank of Knight *Lebanese National Said-Akl Cultural Award *Gold Medal of the Syrian Educational Ministry *Bronze Halo Award of the Southern California Motion Picture Council (1983) *Music Teacher's Association of California Service Award (1987)

Personal life

She was the mother of conductor

George Pehlivanian George Pehlivanian (born 20 April 1964) is a French-American conductor. Biography George Pehlivanian ia a French-American conductor, born in Beirut, Lebanon, into a musical family of Armenian origin. His mother, Arpine Pehlivanian, is a Leban ...

. Her daughter, Elizabeth Pehlivanian, is a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

. The three have appeared in performances together with the USC Symphony and the

Pacific Symphony The Pacific Symphony is a symphony orchestra based in Orange County, California. The orchestra performs at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as a part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. From 1987 to 2016 ...

.''The Los Angeles Times''. 9 November 1986, page 329.

Selected discography

*''The Artistry of Arpine Pehlivanian'' (1982) *''Armenian Sacred Music'' (1986) *''Armenian Romance Songs'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pehlivanian, Arpine Armenian operatic sopranos Lebanese people of Armenian descent 20th-century Armenian women opera singers People of the Lebanese Civil War Lebanese emigrants to the United States 2004 deaths 1934 births Conservatoire Libanais alumni Academic staff of Conservatoire Libanais Accademia Musicale Chigiana alumni Women in the Lebanese Civil War