Gyumri is known informally as the cultural capital of Armenia and for good reason. In addition to its traditional excellence in the visual arts, it hosts several outstanding music schools as well as a Conservatory, the Gyumri branch of the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan. Their symphony orchestra has reached a new level of excellence thanks to the efforts of musician and director Prof. Aram Badalian, who teaches at the Detmold College of Music in Germany. A violinist who has performed in various symphonic orchestras in Germany, Badalian has been travelling to Armenia at least 3-4 times a year to work with the Gyumri orchestra, with remarkable results.
This year the orchestra was invited to Germany and Austria for a concert tour, under Badalian’s artistic direction. In the view of Alexan Ter-Minasyan, Honorary Consul General of Germany in Gyumri, this “is a significant step toward decentralizing cultural life in Armenia, as most cultural events typically take place in Yerevan; and, it could serve as a valuable example and be extended to other areas of culture.”
The tour opened in Vienna on April 24, under project leader and moderator Gayane Mirzoyan, and artistic director Badalian, and featured soloists Arevik Ivanyan (violine), Meruzhan Gevorgyan (Violine), Gayane Mirzoyan (Viola), and Karine Mikayelyan (Soprano). In addition to the Gyumri Conservatory, support for the concert came from the Armenian Apostolic Church community in Austria, the Armenian Embassy in Austria, and Armas Shirt.
Badalian had his first violin lesson at age 7 and went on to study at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory for talented youth in Yerevan. Following graduation, he continued study at the Koninklijk Muziekconservatorium in Brussels with Valery and Igor Oistrakh. In 2004, he was the Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music chapel, where he studied with Augustin Dumay and Tatiana Samouil. He concluded his violin education at the State College for Music in Karlsruhe, under Prof. J. Rissin. He graduated with honors in soloist studies in 2018, went on to win several prizes, and played as a soloist with various orchestras. Performing with various ensembles, he has made guest appearances in renowned festivals around the world.
