Raffi Armenian, (born June 4, 1942) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher. He directed the
Kitchener–Waterloo Symphony orchestra for many years. Since 1999 he has been the director of Orchestral Studies at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institu ...
. From 2008 to 2013 he was the director of the
Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal.
Early life and education
Armenian was born in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...
and had his first music lessons there, moving in 1959 to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
to study piano with
Bruno Seidlhofer. After graduating, he put his musical studies aside and attended the
University of London from 1962 to 1965, where he majored in metallurgy. He returned to the Vienna Academy of Music and studied from 1965 to 1969. In 1968, Armenian was one of two finalists at the International Competition for Young Conductors in Besançon, France.
Career
Armenian emigrated to Canada in 1969 to become the assistant conductor of the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, located in
Halifax,
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native En ...
. From 1971 to 1993, he was the Artistic Director and conductor of the
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.
Under Armenian's guidance, the K-W Symphony developed from an amateur ensemble in the mid-1970s to a professional orchestra.
Armenian acted as the musical director of the
Stratford Festival from 1973 to 1976,
and founded the Stratford Festival Ensemble (later renamed the
Canadian Chamber Ensemble
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
) in 1974.
Armenian made guest-conducting appearances with the
Orchestre Symphonique de Québec in 1974, the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the
National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1975, and conducted ''
Wozzeck'' for the
Canadian Opera Company in 1977.
In 1986, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the c ...
. In 1999 he became the director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Toronto.
Armenian taught conducting at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, where he directed its symphony orchestra for 30 years. He was the Conservatoire's director from 2008 until 2013.
Selected recordings
*''Joyous light'' - Armenian sacred songs with
Isabel Bayrakdarian, CBC.
* ''Memories of Poland'', 1995 with Janina Fialkowska and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
* ''Mahler Lieder'', CBC Records. Singers Andreas Schmidt and Catherine Robbin, K-W Symphony.
"Mahler Lieder"
''Gramophone'', reviewed May 1992
References
External links
Biography at the Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenian, Raffi
1942 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian conductors (music)
21st-century Canadian male musicians
Canadian conductors (music)
Canadian people of Armenian descent
Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal faculty
Egyptian emigrants to Canada
Egyptian expatriates in Austria
Egyptian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Egyptian people of Armenian descent
Male conductors (music)
Members of the Order of Canada
Musicians from Cairo
Musicians from Kitchener, Ontario
University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna alumni