Constantine Garrievich Orbelian, Jr. (, , born

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, 27 August 1956) is an American conductor and pianist of

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 ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

descent. He is named after his paternal uncle

Konstantin Orbelyan Konstantin Aghaparonovich Orbelyan (; ; July 29, 1928 – April 24, 2014) was an Armenian pianist, composer, head of the State Estrada Orchestra of Armenia. He was awarded People's Artist of the USSR in 1979. Other positions held by him included ...

, a major Armenian composer. Constantine Orbelian is currently music director and Principal Conductor of the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

Biography

Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian émigré parents, Orbelian made his debut as a piano prodigy with the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

at the age of 11. After graduating from The

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

in New York, he embarked on a career as a concert pianist appearing with major symphony orchestras throughout the

U.S. 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 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. His recording of the Khachaturian piano concerto with conductor

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian Americans, Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevge ...

won "Best Concerto Recording of the Year" award in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was also a guest conductor for the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra. Orbelian's appointment in 1991 as music director of the

Moscow Chamber Orchestra The Moscow Chamber Orchestra (MCO) is a chamber orchestra run under the auspices of the Moscow Philharmonia, a state-run enterprise, formerly under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture (Soviet Union) and now, Ministry of Culture of Russian Fe ...

was a breakthrough event: he is the first American ever to become music director of an ensemble in Russia. He was later the music director of the Philharmonia of Russia and is the founder of the annual Palaces of St. Petersburg International Music Festival. Orbelian has been principal conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in Lithuania since 2014, and in 2016 he also became General and artistic director of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Yerevan, Armenia. His appointment in June 2021 to the leadership posts at New York City Opera is a landmark in efforts to revive the company's performance profile. A tireless champion of Russian-American cultural exchange and international ambassadorship through his worldwide tours, Orbelian was awarded the coveted title "Honored Artist of Russia" in 2004, a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen. In May 2010, Orbelian led the opening Ceremonial Concert for the Cultural Olympics in Sochi — the first event setting the stage for Russia's hosting of the Olympic Games in 2014. In 2012 the Consulate in San Francisco awarded him the Russian Order of Friendship Medal, whose illustrious ranks include pianist

Van Cliburn Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold ...

and conductor

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is current music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the ...

, and which singles out non-Russians whose work contributes to the betterment of international relations with the Russian Federation and its people. From his 1995 performance at the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the United Nations in San Francisco to his 2004 performance at the U.S. State Department commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow, and a repeat State Department appearance in 2007, all with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Orbelian continues to use his artistic eminence in the cause of international goodwill. He and his orchestras have also participated in cultural enrichment programs for young people in Russia and the U.S. In 2001 Orbelian was awarded the

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

, an award given to immigrants, or children of immigrants, who have made outstanding contributions to the United States. He was awarded the Order of Friendship of Armenia in 2015. In 2025 he was elected to be the new music director of the Israel Sinfonietta

Beer Sheva Beersheba ( / ; ), officially Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the centre of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in Israel, the eighth-most po ...

Discography

Orbelian has an extensive discography, including more than 60 releases for

Delos Productions Delos Productions is an American record label. Long in Los Angeles but now headquartered in Sonoma, California, it specializes in classical music. The Delos label was founded in 1973 by Amelia S. Haygood (1919–2007), whose stewardship of the com ...

. Orbelian's début recording was

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenians, Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Music of the Soviet Union#Classical music of the Soviet Union, Soviet composers. Khachaturian was born and rai ...

Khatchaturian's Piano Concerto, with the

Royal Scottish National Orchestra The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) () is a Scottish orchestra, based in Glasgow. It is one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Throughout its history, the Orchestra has played an important part in Scotland’s ...

Scottish National Orchestra under

(1987, Chandos CHAN 8542

A politically and artistically significant recording was '' Where Are You My Brothers?, Where Are You, My Brothers?'' — new arrangements of songs from the World War II-era performed by

Dmitry Hvorostovsky Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (, ; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic baritone. Early life and education Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia during a time when the city was mostly closed to foreigner ...

and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and presented in front of an audience of 6,000 at the

Kremlin Palace The Grand Kremlin Palace () is a building in the Moscow Kremlin. For much of the 19th century, it served as the official residence of the Russian emperor in Moscow, which was not then the capital of the Russian Empire. Designed by a team of arc ...

in Moscow in the spring of 2003. The telecast was seen on Russian Television by over 90 million viewers. The same program was performed with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra for survivors of the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

on January 16, 2004. Orbelian's collaborations with Hvorostovsky also included recordings of sentimental songs in ''Moscow Nights'' and ''Wait for Me'', and Verdi's ''Simon Boccanegra''. Orbelian's 2014 recording ''Virtuoso Rossini Arias'' with tenor

Lawrence Brownlee Lawrence Brownlee (born November 24, 1972) is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire. Describing his voice, Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, said: "There are other singers that sing ...

was nominated for a Classical Solo Vocal Album

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

and a 2015 Vocal Recital

International Classical Music Awards The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) are music awards first awarded 6 April 2011. ICMA replace the Cannes Classical Awards (later called MIDEM Classical Awards) formerly awarded at MIDEM. The jury consists of music critics of magazines ...

alongside his recording of ''Power Players'' with baritone

Ildar Abdrazakov Ildàr Amìrovich Abdrazàkov (; , ''Abdrazaqov İldar Ämir ulı''; born 26 September 1976) is a Russian bass opera singer. Honoured Artist of Russia (2021). Early life and career Abdrazakov was born in Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bas ...

. Orbelian has also received Grammy nominations for Hvorostovsky's recording of

Georgy Sviridov Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov (; 16 December 1915 – 6 January 1998) was a Soviet and Russian composer. He is most widely known for his choral music, strongly influenced by the traditional chant of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as his orch ...

’s vocal cycle ''Russia Cast Adrift'', Hvorostovsky’s ''Rigoletto'' and

Stephen Costello Stephen John Costello (born September 29, 1981 in Philadelphia) is an American operatic tenor and a recipient of the 2009 Richard Tucker Award.''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (April 17, 2009) Costello has performed in noted opera houses around the wor ...

’s album of bel canto arias, ''A te o Cara''.

Videography

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

and

Dmitri Hvorostovsky Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky (, ; 16 October 1962 – 22 November 2017) was a Russian operatic baritone. Early life and education Hvorostovsky was born in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia during a time when the city was mostly closed to foreigner ...

''A Musical Odyssey in St Petersburg'' / State Hermitage Orchestra, Constantine Orbelian /

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

Anna Netrebko Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (; born 18 September 1971) is a Russian and Austrian operatic soprano who has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera and La Scala. Netrebko is one of the few Russian p ...

and

''LIVE FROM RED SQUARE MOSCOW'' / State Academic Symphony Orchestra * "Evgeny Svetlanov", Conducted by Constantine Orbelian /

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

* ''Hvorostovsky in Moscow'' / Sondra Radvanovksy and

, Constantine Orbelian, Philharmonia of Russia /

* ''To Russia With Love''/

, Constantine Orbelian, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and Style of Five Folk Ensemble/

* ''Russian Songs from the War Years'' /

, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and Constantine Orbelian / Vai Music

References

External links

Constantine Orbelian Official websiteConstantine Orbelian - New York City Opera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orbelian, Constantine 1956 births Living people American people of Armenian descent American people of Russian descent American male conductors (music) American male classical pianists American male pianists Armenian conductors (music) Armenian classical pianists Armenian pianists 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American classical pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Juilliard School alumni