Orchestra and conductor

Orchestra and conductor

SAMIT Event Group is proud to announce that the “Classic Piano” International Piano Competition will feature the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra (ASSO) under the baton of Sergey Smbatyan.

 Orchestra and conductor

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra

Now a celebrated symphony orchestra at home and overseas, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra emerged from a group of devout enthusiasts of classical music with the shared vision of championing spiritual excellence through music and upholding the musical traditions of their native Armenia. Reputed to have finely distinct quality of sound and emotionally charged performance style, the orchestra has long become an awaited guest in leading concert halls around the world.

The orchestra performs over 50 concerts in Armenia and across the world annually. The rich and diverse repertoire of the orchestra covers multiple genres and performance formats, ranging from symphonies to ballet and opera music to symphonic arrangements of popular and cinematic music or jazz interpretations of classical music. Along with recurrent debut performances of great masterpieces from the world heritage of classical music, the orchestra places a considerable importance in exposing contemporary and young composers as well, featuring new works in its mainstream programming throughout concert seasons.

Together with its Founding Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Sergey Smbatyan, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has established four annual classical music festivals, hosting in Armenia a multitude of internationally renowned virtuoso performers and conductors over years, including artists such as
Gil Shaham, Mischa Maisky, Steven Isserlis, Maxim Vengerov, Mikhail Pletnev, Gautier Capuçon, Sergey Khachatryan, Andreas Ottensamer, Ning Feng, Jօseph Calleja, Thomas Hampson, Dmitry Yablonsky, Hannu Lintu, John Malkovich
and many others. The orchestra treasures years of friendship and cooperation with remarkable contemporary composers such as Arvo Pärt, Tigran Mansuryan, Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli, Sir Karl Jenkins and Qigang Chen.

By virtue of its belief in the meaningful dialogue between classical music and modern technologies,
the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra is profiled as a highly tech-driven and innovative orchestra, with a perpetual pursuit of experimental diversity by leveraging AI and other high-tech solutions in its artistic endeavors.

The orchestra has a growing input in the education of young people in Armenia. Launched in 2018, the DasA program strives to incite curiosity, understanding and liking for classical music among high school students. The program is designed to bring the youth and high quality musical art closer together and share entertaining knowledge about classical music. The orchestra also targets university students in the framework of the “My Symphonic” project, conducting focus group discussions, meeting sessions and providing invitations to concerts, adopting them to meet to the needs of the new generation. Aside from educational programs, master classes with prominent artists are held frequently for young musicians.

With a committed awareness of its social responsibility, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra ensures the cultural engagement of vulnerable social groups by regularly issuing invitations and making available complimentary attendances to the orchestra’s performances, along with involving in charity concerts and events for fundraising purposes.


 Orchestra and conductor

Sergey Smbatyan

Acclaimed as a cultural leader in his native Armenia and increasingly in demand on the international stage, Sergey Smbatyan is founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra.

In September 2019 he became Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra following highly successful tours of Germany, Austria and the United States, including performances at the Berlin Philharmonie, Vienna's Musikverein and Carnegie Hall.
Music's power to unite, heal and inspire has driven and sustained Smbatyan since childhood.

His mature artistic vision combines lessons learned from the best traditions of Russian music-making and a profound personal commitment to transforming lives through the shared experience of performing and listening. The charismatic conductor's reputation with fellow musicians and critics alike flows from his technical command, the intensity with which he shapes and communicates musical ideas, the intelligence of his programming, and the spiritual richness and depth of his interpretations.

Sergey Smbatyan's guest conducting career has flourished in recent seasons, leading to concerts with Sinfonia Varsovia, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and, among others, the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin. He returns to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2020-21 season for a European tour featuring concerts at Wiesbaden's Kurhaus and the Vienna Musikverein and is set to direct the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra's first UK tour in September 2021.

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