Born in Yerevan in 1956. He was raised in an artistic family of the People’s Artist of RA, painter Anatoly Papian and the Honored Artist of RA, pianist Amalia Bayburtyan. As a pianist Papian has graduated from the Yerevan Tchaikovsky School of Music (class of Villy Sargsyan) and the Moscow Conservatory (class of Prof. Mikhail Voskresensky).
Vag Papian started his successful career as a pianist after winning the second prize at the 1979 Vianna da Motta International Music Competition in Lisbon. As a conductor, Papian has graduated from Saint Petersburg Conservatory (class of Prof. Ilya Musin). Following this period, Papian started his international career as a soloist, conductor, member of various ensembles, performing versatile programs at the important concert halls of the world. He has toured to more than 50 countries, among them the UK, USA, Russia, Slovakia, Japan, Korea, China, India and elsewhere.
Vag Papain has been the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra (1987-89), the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Kazakhstan (2008-2013) and the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra (from 2006 to present).
Vag Papian has collaborated with renowned conductors (Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Pletnev and others), singers (Dmitry Khovorostovsky, Sumi Jo), violinists (Guy Braunstein, Maxim Vengerov) and many outstanding musicians. In partnership with Maxim Vengerov, Papian has toured to Europe, the USA, and the Far East, and has made a recording for the EMI Classics label.
In 1990 Papian emigrated to Israel. Presently he is teaches piano and conducting at Tel Aviv’s Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and gives masterclasses in Italy, Spain and the US. At Tel Aviv’s Samuel Rubin Academy of Music Papian has realized productions of the operas “Don Giovanni”, “Carmen” and Nielsen’s “Saul and David”.
