JURY

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ARMEN BABAKHANIAN, Piano

“Mr. Babakhanian’s great strength is the phenomenally rich and substantial sound he draws from the piano.”

— The New Yorker

“Armen Babakhanian was pure and simple, the overwhelming talent… Every time he played, he demonstrated that he had something important to say and the technique with which to say it. His performances had a way of sweeping previous interpretations out of one’s mind…”

— James Keller, Piano & Keyboard Magazine

“Imagination and phenomenal pianistic know-how… He played Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition so colorfully and subtly nuanced that one would think Ravel need not have orchestrated this composition…”

— Süddeutsche Zeitung

“…His energy is vibrant, his tone color individual, and he has a fondness for decisively delivered personal interpretative gestures… There’s an undeniable over-the-top quality in the playing of Armen Babakhanian, a very resourceful, big-toned, assertive player…”

— The Irish Times

A prize-winner at several of the world’s most prestigious international piano competitions—including the Leeds, Van Cliburn, Guardian Dublin, William Kapell, Gina Bachauer, and World Piano Competition—Armen Babakhanian has captivated audiences and critics alike with the intensity and honesty of his performances.

Mr. Babakhanian has given recitals across the USA, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and Spain. He has appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Irish National Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra (USA), Dallas Symphony, Utah Symphony, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic under Yuri Temirkanov, Moscow Philharmonic under Valery Gergiev, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra under Yurovsky, Slovenian Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic, among others.

His festival appearances include the Aspen, Interlochen, Santander, and Baalbeck Music festivals, as well as PianoTexas. Notably, Babakhanian’s performance of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet with the Takács Quartet during the Santander Festival in Spain was named the best chamber music performance of the festival. Mr. Babakhanian has recorded for ASV, Real Sound, and Sigmund Classics labels, with broadcasts of his performances on BBC, PBS (USA), ORF (Austria), and RAI (Italy). His recording of the Tchaikovsky piano sonatas earned high praise in the European press, and his recording of Complete Piano Works by Aram Khachaturian was awarded “Best Classical Album of the Year” at the Armenian Award in 2007.

Beyond his performing career, Mr. Babakhanian has served on the jury for numerous international piano competitions, including the Gina Bachauer, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Khachaturian, Maria Callas, “Armenia,” Putra Brescia, and Vietnam International Piano competitions. He has also led master classes in Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Iceland, Canada, and the United States. Mr. Babakhanian is currently a Professor at the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan, where he studied under Professor Anahit Bogdanyan. His students have gone on to win prizes at international piano competitions such as Gina Bachauer, Orléans, Lyon, Brescia, Aarhus, Vigo, Mozart Zhu Hai, Chicago, and Khachaturian, among others.

From 2012 to 2018, Armen Babakhanian served as Dean of the Piano Department at the Yerevan State Conservatory.

In 2013, Mr. Babakhanian became the Founder and Artistic Director of the Meknark State Target Program for Talent Development, supporting extraordinary young Armenian musicians. He has recently launched the historic recording project Anthology of Armenian Piano Music, a monumental collection of over 60 CDs that spans nearly two centuries of Armenian piano heritage.

During recent concert seasons, Mr. Babakhanian has performed recitals, concerto appearances, and master classes in Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, France, Finland, Lithuania, Mexico, Guatemala, Ukraine, Russia, USA, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. His latest project includes a recording of the complete Piano Sonatas by Sergey Prokofiev.

In 2021, Mr. Babakhanian was invited to Malaysia as the Artistic Director of Ammonite Music School, followed by an invitation to become the Artistic Director of Ikita Malaysia. He currently resides and works in Malaysia.

In 2008, Armen Babakhanian was awarded the Gold Medal by the Ministry of Culture for his significant contributions to Spyurk-Armenia relations. In 2009, he was honored with the title of Artist Emeritus by the President of the Republic of Armenia.