Choirs, Ensembles and Orchestras

Arman Grigoryan graduated from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in the class of Professor Eduard Tadevosyan. He is a laureate of several national competitions and was a member of the New Names Foundation.

As a member of the Van String Quartet, he took part in international competitions and festivals in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Russia, including the Shostakovich String Quartet Competition in Moscow.

As a guest musician, he performed with the Caucasian Chamber Orchestra under conductor Uwe Berkemer. Until 2023, he was one of the first violinists of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has been engaged in teaching since 2013. At various music schools, he has founded student orchestras and ensembles and has authored a number of arrangements. His students are laureates of the Renaissance, Art Music, and AGBU Discovers Talents competitions.

He refined his conducting skills under Ruben Asatryan, Honored Art Worker of the Republic of Armenia.

At the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, he conducts the chamber orchestra, helping students develop ensemble performance skills and experience in collaborative music-making.

Knarik Babajanyan received her professional education in the Musicology, Choral Conducting, and Wind Instruments departments of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, studying under Doctor and Professor Svetlana Sargsyan, Professor Tigran Hekekyan, and Professor Alexander Manukyan.

She is a laureate of international competitions. For her professional activities, she has received a Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.

Narine Zakaryan graduated with honors from the Kanun Departments of the A. Babajanyan Music and Pedagogical College in Yerevan and the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. She is a laureate of national and international competitions.

She has performed in Armenia, Artsakh, and abroad. From 2005 to 2025, she worked with the State Orchestra of Armenian National Instruments as a soloist, concertmaster, and conductor. She has received certificates of honor from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.

Since 1989, she has worked at the Byureghavan Music School, and in 2014 she was appointed Director of the Charles Aznavour School of Arts in Byureghavan.

Since 2007, she has also taught at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, where she conducts the National Instruments Orchestra. From 2008 to 2021, she also served as Head of the National Instruments Department. In 2010, she was named Teacher of the Year by Yerevan Municipality.

Over approximately 37 years of teaching, many of her students have become laureates of national and international competitions. The orchestras she founded have received numerous awards and have performed in Armenia and abroad.

Karmen Harutyunyan received her music education at the Anushavan Ter-Ghevondyan Music School in Yerevan in the class of V. Seyranyan and later continued her studies at the Arno Babajanyan Music College. She received her higher professional education at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in the classes of A. Bogdanyan and Suren Hakhnazaryan.

She worked in the orchestra of the Opera Studio affiliated with the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and at the Zareh Sahakyants Music School in Abovyan, the Gevorg Budaghyan Music School in Yerevan, and the Barsegh Kanachyan Music School.

Since 2018, she has worked at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School as a violin teacher.

Her students are laureates of numerous national and international competitions and participants in the New Names, Music for the Future, and Start programs.

Albert Safaryan studied at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory from 1971 to 1976 in the class of Professor Mikayel Khachatryan, receiving qualifications as a soloist and teacher.

In 1977, he began working at the Sayat-Nova Music College in Stepanakert as a trumpet teacher. From 1986 to 1988, he served as Director of the Stepanakert School of Arts.

Since 1993, he has been a member of the Union of Artists of Artsakh, serving as its president from 2001 to 2003.

He received the annual Yeghishe Prize of the Government of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. In 2014, he was awarded the honorary title of Honored Artist of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the NKR Medal of Gratitude.

From 2011 to 2023, he directed and conducted the Wind Orchestra of the Stepanakert Municipality.

Throughout his teaching career, his students have won prizes and laureate titles at national, Transcaucasian, and international competitions.

He teaches trumpet at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School.

Sona Ruben Harutyunyan received her professional education at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and later continued her postgraduate studies in the class of Professor Yevgeny Noninyan.

At the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, she teaches flute and heads the Wind and Percussion Department.

Armine Harutyunyan was born in Yerevan on March 29, 1982. She attended Yerevan Secondary School No. 170.

From 1992 to 1997, she studied kanun at the G. Budaghyan Music School in Yerevan. From 1997 to 2001, she studied at the Arno Babajanyan State Music Pedagogical College in Yerevan.

From 2001 to 2006, she studied kanun at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in the class of Anzhela Atabekyan. In 2008, she completed her postgraduate studies at the conservatory.

In 2004, she took part in the National Competition for Young Performing Musicians, receiving first prize and a monetary award.

From 2005 to 2009, she taught solfeggio and harmony at the Naghash Hovnatan Academic College of Arts in Yerevan. From 2005 to 2024, she worked as a kanun player with the State Orchestra of Armenian National Instruments.

From 2002 to 2012, she collaborated with well-known singers in various concerts and events. From 2011 to 2016, she was invited to participate in a dance show program as a kanun player.

Since 2015, she has taught at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, and since 2017 she has directed the school’s Kanun Ensemble.

In 2020, she was invited to the Arno Babajanyan State Music Pedagogical College in Yerevan as a kanun teacher. Since 2024, she has worked at the National Center of Folk Music and Dance as an administrator.

She has participated in a number of state events and has given solo concerts in various cities and regions of Armenia. She has recorded at Ardzagank, Vem, Karen Records, and other studios.

In 2025, she received certificates of honor from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the National Center of Folk Music and Dance.

Marine Avetisyan received her professional education at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in the class of Professor Marika Yedigaryan. She later continued her postgraduate studies in the class of Professor Tigran Hekekyan.

She is a laureate of national and international competitions.

For her professional activity, she has received letters of appreciation and certificates of honor from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Armenia, Yerevan Municipality, the Union of Composers of Armenia, and the Armenian Choral Conductors Association.

Marine Grigoryan conducts the «Hasker» Choir at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School.

Tamara Galstyan graduated from the Department of Music Education at the Faculty of Art Education of the Khachatur Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University, earning a master's degree.

She is a laureate of a national music competition.

She currently directs the Patilner Choir at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, fostering students' choral performance skills.

Nairi Grace Bardakchyan received her professional education in choral conducting at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, completing her bachelor’s and postgraduate studies in the class of Professor Tigran Hekekyan. She also studied symphonic conducting with Professor Aram Gharabekian and chamber vocal performance with Professor Larisa Mkrtchyan.

Since 2001, she has worked at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, teaching choral art and directing children’s choirs.

At the 2008 World Choir Games in Graz, Austria, the Avetis Choir under her artistic direction won three gold medals and the world championship title in the Contemporary Music category, performing works by contemporary Armenian composers.

With the choirs of the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School, she has participated in various competitions and received a number of awards, including first prizes.

In parallel with her music career, she teaches in the Department of Methodology of Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Khachatur Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University. She is a licensed court interpreter in the State of California, USA, and the founder and director of Graceful LLC.

Lunara Grigoryan (Hambardzumyan) was born in Stepanakert. She graduated from the Komitas Music School in Stepanakert and subsequently from the Choral Conducting Department of the Sayat-Nova Music College.

She received her higher professional education in Choral Conducting at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and continued her studies at the master's level under Professor Tigran Hekekyan.

During her professional career, she worked at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School and with the Little Singers of Armenia Choir, focusing on children's music education and the development of choral performance skills.

For many years, she served as a choir conductor at the Children's and Youth Creative Center in Stepanakert. She also founded a children's choir in the village of Vank, Artsakh. The choir participated in the community's cultural life and provided liturgical music during Divine Liturgies at Gandzasar Monastery.

In Artsakh, she initiated and organized a National Song and Dance Festival involving approximately 300 students. The festival aimed to preserve and promote Armenian traditional music, dance, and cultural heritage.

In recognition of her contribution to the preservation and development of national culture, she was awarded the Sayat-Nova Medal.

She has many years of experience teaching music and the subject of Armenian National Song and Dance, placing particular emphasis on passing Armenian musical heritage on to younger generations.

She currently serves as a choir conductor at the Yerevan Sayat-Nova Music School. She also teaches Music and Armenian National Song and Dance at Yerevan Basic School No. 173, named after Vahagn Vardevanyan, where she chairs the methodological association for Arts and Crafts.

Manuel Ohanian received his professional education at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in the class of Professor Tigran Hekekyan.

He is a laureate of national competitions.