Constantine Orbelian

Principal conductor

World-Renowned Grammy nominated Maestro, Constantine Orbelian, hailed by Opera News as “the singer’s dream collaborator,” is currently the General and Artistic Director of the National Opera and Ballet Theater of Armenia, Music Director of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra of Lithuania, as well as founder and Music Director of the Palaces of St. Petersburg International Music Festival.

For the past 20 years, the brilliant American pianist and conductor has been a central figure in Russia’s musical life. Orbelian’s appointment in 1991 as Music Director of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra was a breakthrough event: he is the first American ever to become music director of an ensemble in Russia, while also music director of the Philharmonia of Russia, as well as a frequent guest conductor with other illustrious Russian orchestras, conducting hundreds of performances. Maestro Orbelian also has an immense discography with over 30 recordings on Delos, with some of today’s greatest operatic stars, Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sondra Radvanovsky, Lawrence Brownlee and many others, resulting in three seperate Grammy Award nominations. The maestro also has been the music director and conductor in major televised events including, ‘A Musical Odyssey from St. Petersburg’ with Renée Fleming and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, which was broadcast around the world and on the PBS Great Performances Series, as well as with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Anna Netrebko for historic live telecasts from Moscow’s Red Square.

Orbelian continues to use his artistic eminence in the cause of international goodwill and ambassadorship. He is a tireless champion of Russian-American cultural exchange and enrichment programs, from his performances at the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the United Nations in San Francisco, to his performance at the U.S. State Department commemorating 70 years of diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow. Orbelian also led the opening Ceremonial Concert for the Cultural Olympics in Sochi, Russia — the first event setting the stage for Russia’s hosting of the Olympic Games in 2014.

Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian emigré parents, Constantine Orbelian made his debut as a piano prodigy with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 11. After graduating from Juilliard in New York, he embarked on a career as a piano virtuoso that included appearances with major symphony orchestras throughout the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Russia and his recording of the Khachaturian piano concerto with conductor Neeme Järvi won “Best Concerto Recording of the Year” award in the United Kingdom. Orbelian has also been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award given to immigrants, or children of immigrants, who have made outstanding contributions to the United States, the Order of Friendship Award by the Republic of Armenia, and was awarded, by President Putin, the coveted, “Honored Artist of Russia,” a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen.