VAHAGN PAPYAN (born in 1956)

Conductor/pianist
Worked with Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor in 1987-1989.

Vahagn Papyan was born in Yerevan. Studied piano at Yerevan and Moscow Conservatories (with Prof.V.Sargsyan and Prof. M.Voskresensky). In 1980 he received his PhD at Moscow Conservatory. Vahagn Papyan participated in the Vianna da Motta International Competition and received the Second Prize (Lisbon, Portugal, 1979). In 1980 Mr. Papyan returned to Armenia, to continue his professional activity as pianist and pedagogue at Yerevan Conservatory, assisting Prof. G. Saradjian. Since 1981 Mr. Papyan has toured extensively throughout the former Soviet Union countries and abroad.
From 1982-87 Vahagn Papyan studied at the Conducting Department of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory with famous Ilia Musin.
In 1984 he took over the function of Associate Conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, and later (1987-1989) its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
In 1990 Mr. Papyan moved to Israel. From 1990 he teaches at Tel-Aviv Conservatory and leads the chamber orchestras “Camerata” and “Sinfonietta”. Maestro Papyan has guest-conducted the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and many Jewish opera theatre performances. He has also appeared with various piano recitals and symphony orchestras.