Hripsime Aghakaryan
Pianist
Biography
Gegham Grigorian was born in Yerevan and graduated from Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, the class of People's Artist of Armenia professor Sergei Danielyan. Grigorian made his first appearance on the big stage in 1971 at age 20, in 1972 he went to West Berlin to appear in solo concerts.
In 1975 he made his debut at the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia in the role of Edgardo (opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti). This is followed by Saro (opera "Anush" by Tigranian), Tirith ("Arshak II" by Chukhajyan), Sayat Nova ("Sayat-Nova" by Arutiunian), Count Almaviva ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini), and Faust ("Faust" by Gounod). Grigoryan sang at all famous and big Opera Houses and concert halls. Royal Opera House ("Mazepa", "Eugene Onegin"), Metropolitan Opera ("The Queen of Spades", "Aida", "War and Peace", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "Prince Igor", "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Tosca" ), La Scala ("Madama Butterfly", "La Forza del Destino", "Boris Godunov", "Khovanshchina," "Queen of Spades", "War and Peace"), Teatro Colón Buenos Aires ("Fedora", "Pagliacci", "Il tabarro", "Norma"), Teatro dell'Opera di Roma ("Norma", "Aida", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "La Boheme", etc.), Berlin Staatsoper ("Prince Igor", "Aida", "Il Trovatore", "Queen of Spades").
Grigoryan sang in New York, Washington, Tokyo, Paris, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Geneva, Florence, Japan, etc.
Since 1990, Grigorian had been a regular guest at various festivals: Chorégies d'Orange (Orange, France), at the Summer Opera Season in the Baths of Caracalla (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Rome, Italy), Ravenna Festival (Ravenna, Italy), Savonlinna Opera Festival (Savonlinna, Finlyadniya), Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence, Italy), Festival Puccini (Torre del Lago, Italy), Salzburg Festival (Austria), and many others. From 1989-96 he was a member of the Committee of the artistic leadership at the Semaines Musicales de Tours Festival (France). He fulfilled all of the most challenging parts for tenors ("Rigoletto" 208 performances, "Aida" 70 productions). He has worked with all the great singers of the classic genre, who created the history of classical performance in the 20th and 21st centuries: Nicolai Ghiaurov, Mirella Freni, Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Gena Dimitrova, Maria Dragoni Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Leo Nucci and Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Bruno Bartoletti, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Richter. Opera directors: Graham Vick, Konchalovsky, Zeffirelli, Del Monaco, etc.
After ten years of abroad career, Gegham Grigorian has been called one of the best tenors of the 20th century, the list of which is headed by the legendary Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, and Franco Corelli. In 2000 the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan invited him to be the artistic director of the Yerevan Opera Theater. He directed the theater in that position until 2007. In those years, the Theater staged the following operas directed by Grigorian: Verdi "La Traviata", Tigranyan "Anush", "David Beck" Chukhajyan "Arshak II". During the years of leadership of Grigorian, the Theater staged such operas by directors invited by Grigorian as "Carmen", "Norma", "Aleko", "Don Juan" The concert version included the following operas: Tchaikovsky "Iolanta", Mozart "The Magic Flute", Vivaldi "Tigran the Great". The following ballets were performed: Aram Khachaturyan "Gayane" M.Mavisakalyan - L. Tchgnavoryan "Saint Hripsime and Trdat," Shchedrin "Carmen - Suite".
Bellini's "Norma" was filmed in the pagan temple of Garni with the artistic staff of theater, (Director: Boris Hayrapetyan (Russia), production of Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theater and Union of Cinematographers of Russia). In 2015 at the request of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the troupe of the Opera House, Gegham Grigorian returned to the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet as artistic director.
Grigoryan gave master classes to many students from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, USA, Canada, Syria, and other countries. He died in Yerevan, aged 65.
In 1975 he made his debut at the National Theater of Opera and Ballet of Armenia in the role of Edgardo (opera "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti). This is followed by Saro (opera "Anush" by Tigranian), Tirith ("Arshak II" by Chukhajyan), Sayat Nova ("Sayat-Nova" by Arutiunian), Count Almaviva ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini), and Faust ("Faust" by Gounod). Grigoryan sang at all famous and big Opera Houses and concert halls. Royal Opera House ("Mazepa", "Eugene Onegin"), Metropolitan Opera ("The Queen of Spades", "Aida", "War and Peace", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "Prince Igor", "Cavalleria Rusticana", "Tosca" ), La Scala ("Madama Butterfly", "La Forza del Destino", "Boris Godunov", "Khovanshchina," "Queen of Spades", "War and Peace"), Teatro Colón Buenos Aires ("Fedora", "Pagliacci", "Il tabarro", "Norma"), Teatro dell'Opera di Roma ("Norma", "Aida", "Un Ballo in Maschera", "La Boheme", etc.), Berlin Staatsoper ("Prince Igor", "Aida", "Il Trovatore", "Queen of Spades").
Grigoryan sang in New York, Washington, Tokyo, Paris, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Geneva, Florence, Japan, etc.
Since 1990, Grigorian had been a regular guest at various festivals: Chorégies d'Orange (Orange, France), at the Summer Opera Season in the Baths of Caracalla (Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Rome, Italy), Ravenna Festival (Ravenna, Italy), Savonlinna Opera Festival (Savonlinna, Finlyadniya), Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Florence, Italy), Festival Puccini (Torre del Lago, Italy), Salzburg Festival (Austria), and many others. From 1989-96 he was a member of the Committee of the artistic leadership at the Semaines Musicales de Tours Festival (France). He fulfilled all of the most challenging parts for tenors ("Rigoletto" 208 performances, "Aida" 70 productions). He has worked with all the great singers of the classic genre, who created the history of classical performance in the 20th and 21st centuries: Nicolai Ghiaurov, Mirella Freni, Leontyne Price, Grace Bumbry, Gena Dimitrova, Maria Dragoni Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Leo Nucci and Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Bruno Bartoletti, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Richter. Opera directors: Graham Vick, Konchalovsky, Zeffirelli, Del Monaco, etc.
After ten years of abroad career, Gegham Grigorian has been called one of the best tenors of the 20th century, the list of which is headed by the legendary Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli, and Franco Corelli. In 2000 the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan invited him to be the artistic director of the Yerevan Opera Theater. He directed the theater in that position until 2007. In those years, the Theater staged the following operas directed by Grigorian: Verdi "La Traviata", Tigranyan "Anush", "David Beck" Chukhajyan "Arshak II". During the years of leadership of Grigorian, the Theater staged such operas by directors invited by Grigorian as "Carmen", "Norma", "Aleko", "Don Juan" The concert version included the following operas: Tchaikovsky "Iolanta", Mozart "The Magic Flute", Vivaldi "Tigran the Great". The following ballets were performed: Aram Khachaturyan "Gayane" M.Mavisakalyan - L. Tchgnavoryan "Saint Hripsime and Trdat," Shchedrin "Carmen - Suite".
Bellini's "Norma" was filmed in the pagan temple of Garni with the artistic staff of theater, (Director: Boris Hayrapetyan (Russia), production of Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theater and Union of Cinematographers of Russia). In 2015 at the request of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the troupe of the Opera House, Gegham Grigorian returned to the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet as artistic director.
Grigoryan gave master classes to many students from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia, USA, Canada, Syria, and other countries. He died in Yerevan, aged 65.
