Team
Since September 2021 Karen Durgaryan is acting as General Director of the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, with the task to reposition the historical institution as one of the most important cultural players at regional and international level. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Karen Durgaryan has been the Principal Conductor of the theatre for 15 years, between 2001 and 2015 He graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory in 1996 and has studied with Prof. Ilya Musin in St. Petersburg in 1997 In 1995 he was appointed an Associate Conductor of the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra and the following year has been the Music Director of "Britten and Armenia" International Music Festival in Yerevan.
Durgaryan’s international activity has a special focus in Italy where he has conducted most of the orchestra and opera houses: the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari – where he will conduct again in November 2022 – the Teatro Regio Torino, the Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova, the Teatro Verdi, Sassari in addition to concerts with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and with the “Luigi Cherubini” Orchestra and the Toradze Piano Studio at the Ravenna Festival. He has appeared regularly with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo, with the Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali”, Milan and with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, where he will make his return in February 2023 Conducting an all-Prokofiev program Karen Durgaryan made a successful debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2016 and in January 2017 has conducted for the first time the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, where he returned in January 2019 for a program in the frame of the Klara Festival. In February 2018 Durgaryan made his first appearance with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra conducting two special ballet gala programs featuring the Armenian Ballet. In December 2018 he has made his debut at Teatro di San Carlo, Napoli with a production of Nutcracker, which he conducted again in December 2019
Karen Durgaryan has regularly conducted the best opera houses in Russia: from 2008, he is regularly a guest of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and on tour. Since 2015 he is a regular guest conductor at the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre both at home and on tour conducting opera and ballet productions. He has also appeared often at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, where he has conducted the new production of “Spartacus” Ballet. He was invited at the White Nights Festival 2013, celebrating the opening of the new Mariinsky 2 and the 60th birthday of Maestro Valery Gergiev. Internationally, Durgaryan has conducted ballet productions at the Leipzig Opera, at the Opéra National de Lyon and in December 2016 made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper conducting a new production of Spartak by Aram Khachaturian, which he also led with the Royal Ballet of Wallonia in January 2017
Since 2000 Karen Durgaryan has conducted major performances of Lebanese diva Fairuz, the greatest singer of Arabic world at numerous festivals and concert halls around the world. The CD “Fairuz Live at the Beiteddine 2000” produced by Ziad Rahbani with the EMI got the highest international acclaim.
Karen Durgaryan holds the title of Honored Artist of Republic of Armenia and in 2010 received the highest medal of Armenia in field of art and culture. His engagement for the musical development of his country continues as Music Director of the “Alexander Arutiunian International Wind Festival”, which takes place every year in June in Yerevan and provides a unique opportunity to local wind player to perform with the most renewed specialist worldwide.
Durgaryan’s international activity has a special focus in Italy where he has conducted most of the orchestra and opera houses: the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari – where he will conduct again in November 2022 – the Teatro Regio Torino, the Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova, the Teatro Verdi, Sassari in addition to concerts with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and with the “Luigi Cherubini” Orchestra and the Toradze Piano Studio at the Ravenna Festival. He has appeared regularly with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo, with the Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali”, Milan and with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, where he will make his return in February 2023 Conducting an all-Prokofiev program Karen Durgaryan made a successful debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2016 and in January 2017 has conducted for the first time the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, where he returned in January 2019 for a program in the frame of the Klara Festival. In February 2018 Durgaryan made his first appearance with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra conducting two special ballet gala programs featuring the Armenian Ballet. In December 2018 he has made his debut at Teatro di San Carlo, Napoli with a production of Nutcracker, which he conducted again in December 2019
Karen Durgaryan has regularly conducted the best opera houses in Russia: from 2008, he is regularly a guest of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and on tour. Since 2015 he is a regular guest conductor at the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre both at home and on tour conducting opera and ballet productions. He has also appeared often at the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, where he has conducted the new production of “Spartacus” Ballet. He was invited at the White Nights Festival 2013, celebrating the opening of the new Mariinsky 2 and the 60th birthday of Maestro Valery Gergiev. Internationally, Durgaryan has conducted ballet productions at the Leipzig Opera, at the Opéra National de Lyon and in December 2016 made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper conducting a new production of Spartak by Aram Khachaturian, which he also led with the Royal Ballet of Wallonia in January 2017
Since 2000 Karen Durgaryan has conducted major performances of Lebanese diva Fairuz, the greatest singer of Arabic world at numerous festivals and concert halls around the world. The CD “Fairuz Live at the Beiteddine 2000” produced by Ziad Rahbani with the EMI got the highest international acclaim.
Karen Durgaryan holds the title of Honored Artist of Republic of Armenia and in 2010 received the highest medal of Armenia in field of art and culture. His engagement for the musical development of his country continues as Music Director of the “Alexander Arutiunian International Wind Festival”, which takes place every year in June in Yerevan and provides a unique opportunity to local wind player to perform with the most renewed specialist worldwide.
Migran Agadzhanyan, born in Rostov-on-Don, is a multifaceted musician. He graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov St Petersburg State Conservatory in 2016, specializing in piano under Vladimir Mischouk, and opera and symphony conducting under Vladimir Altschuler.
Beginning his musical journey at a young age, Migran studied singing with Vladimir Eknadiosov and performed in the children’s chorus of the Rostov State Musical Theatre.
In 2010, he achieved the Grand Prix at The Trembling Sounds of the Romance competition in St Petersburg and became a finalist at the International Competition for Young Opera Singers Flaviano Labò in Piacenza, Italy. He honed his skills further at masterclasses at the Opera Studio of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, studying with renowned artists Renata Scotto and Giuseppe Sabbatini. Subsequently, he became a member of prestigious opera programs such as the Los Angeles Opera’s Young Artist Program, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Opera.
Migran made his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2012 as Moralès in Carmen and has been a regular presence on the St Petersburg stage since 2017 He founded the Youth Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg in 2012, where he currently serves as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
In 2016–17, Migran Agadzhanyan served as a soloist with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, further enriching his experience and artistry on the operatic stage.
In 2021, Migran expanded his career into conducting, debuting at the Mariinsky Theatre with Carmen and conducting other notable operas such as Rigoletto, Pagliacci, La bohème, and Madama Butterfly. He further showcased his conducting talents at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he served as Principal Conductor from February 2022 to June 2023 Migran Agadzhanyan has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including first prize at the 8th Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Young Opera Singers (2011, St Petersburg), second prize at the 3rd Ilya Musin All-Russian Young Symphony Orchestra Conductors’ Open Competition (2013, Kostroma), and second prize at the 26th World Opera Competition Operalia (2018, Lisbon). Additionally, he earned third prize at the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition (2019, Moscow – St Petersburg).
He has also participated in prestigious festivals such as those in Verbier, Switzerland, and Baden- Baden, Germany, alongside the Mariinsky Company.
Beginning his musical journey at a young age, Migran studied singing with Vladimir Eknadiosov and performed in the children’s chorus of the Rostov State Musical Theatre.
In 2010, he achieved the Grand Prix at The Trembling Sounds of the Romance competition in St Petersburg and became a finalist at the International Competition for Young Opera Singers Flaviano Labò in Piacenza, Italy. He honed his skills further at masterclasses at the Opera Studio of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, studying with renowned artists Renata Scotto and Giuseppe Sabbatini. Subsequently, he became a member of prestigious opera programs such as the Los Angeles Opera’s Young Artist Program, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Opera.
Migran made his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre in 2012 as Moralès in Carmen and has been a regular presence on the St Petersburg stage since 2017 He founded the Youth Symphony Orchestra of St Petersburg in 2012, where he currently serves as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
In 2016–17, Migran Agadzhanyan served as a soloist with the Grand Théâtre de Genève, further enriching his experience and artistry on the operatic stage.
In 2021, Migran expanded his career into conducting, debuting at the Mariinsky Theatre with Carmen and conducting other notable operas such as Rigoletto, Pagliacci, La bohème, and Madama Butterfly. He further showcased his conducting talents at the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, where he served as Principal Conductor from February 2022 to June 2023 Migran Agadzhanyan has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including first prize at the 8th Elena Obraztsova International Competition of Young Opera Singers (2011, St Petersburg), second prize at the 3rd Ilya Musin All-Russian Young Symphony Orchestra Conductors’ Open Competition (2013, Kostroma), and second prize at the 26th World Opera Competition Operalia (2018, Lisbon). Additionally, he earned third prize at the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition (2019, Moscow – St Petersburg).
He has also participated in prestigious festivals such as those in Verbier, Switzerland, and Baden- Baden, Germany, alongside the Mariinsky Company.
The founding director of Meta Music Academy, Natalja Slobodyreva has worked in a management capacity with the world’s most prominent orchestras, conductors, and soloists, both in the Touring and Artists Management departments.
After joining IMG Artists in Hannover, Germany in 2010, Natalja worked with Harold Clarkson, managing director and global director of touring, on a series of important projects with orchestras and artists such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit and Vadim Repin; the Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi and Khatia Buniatishvili; the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Dennis Russell Davies and Yuri Bashmet; the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski and Julia Fischer; the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi and Nicola Benedetti; the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Kristjan Järvi and Alexander Toradze; the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater and Mischa Maisky; Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Jakub Hruša, Louis Langrée, Mikhail Pletnev, Ye-Eun Choi, Hilary Hahn, Daniel Lozakovich, Sandrine Piau and Nikolai Lugansky.
Other highlights of Natalja's years at IMG included the Moscow appearance of Claudio Abbado with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Maria João Pires; the first European tour of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, with concerts at the Musikverein Wien and the Brucknerhaus in Linz conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky and featuring Denis Matsuev; and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic's debut in Moscow, conducted by Kristjan Järvi.
Drawing on her background as an experienced manager, Natalja has lectured at Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul on the importance of self-management skills, artist's agencies, organizational structure, creativity and new concert formats, public relations and marketing. She has also served on the jury of competitions.
Natalja grew up in a family of musicians amidst the natural beauty and rich musical traditions of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the daughter of a violin teacher and a violin maker. She was eleven when her family emigrated to Germany and had already received an intensive music education from the Uspensky Music School for Gifted Children in Tashkent. She subsequently studied violin with Alexander Kramarov, and Josef Rissin, and took master classes with Roman Nodel, Zakhar Bron, and Ivry Gitlis.
After joining IMG Artists in Hannover, Germany in 2010, Natalja worked with Harold Clarkson, managing director and global director of touring, on a series of important projects with orchestras and artists such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Charles Dutoit and Vadim Repin; the Orchestre de Paris, Paavo Järvi and Khatia Buniatishvili; the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Dennis Russell Davies and Yuri Bashmet; the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski and Julia Fischer; the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Neeme Järvi and Nicola Benedetti; the Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Kristjan Järvi and Alexander Toradze; the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater and Mischa Maisky; Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Jakub Hruša, Louis Langrée, Mikhail Pletnev, Ye-Eun Choi, Hilary Hahn, Daniel Lozakovich, Sandrine Piau and Nikolai Lugansky.
Other highlights of Natalja's years at IMG included the Moscow appearance of Claudio Abbado with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Maria João Pires; the first European tour of the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, with concerts at the Musikverein Wien and the Brucknerhaus in Linz conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky and featuring Denis Matsuev; and the Baltic Sea Philharmonic's debut in Moscow, conducted by Kristjan Järvi.
Drawing on her background as an experienced manager, Natalja has lectured at Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul on the importance of self-management skills, artist's agencies, organizational structure, creativity and new concert formats, public relations and marketing. She has also served on the jury of competitions.
Natalja grew up in a family of musicians amidst the natural beauty and rich musical traditions of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the daughter of a violin teacher and a violin maker. She was eleven when her family emigrated to Germany and had already received an intensive music education from the Uspensky Music School for Gifted Children in Tashkent. She subsequently studied violin with Alexander Kramarov, and Josef Rissin, and took master classes with Roman Nodel, Zakhar Bron, and Ivry Gitlis.
Tenor Roman Khnkoyan was born in Sochi. He completed his studies at the V.S. Popov Academy of Choral Arts in 2019 and furthered his training at the Galina Vishnevskaya Center for Opera Singing under Makvala Kasrashvili from 2018 to 2020 Continuing his musical education, Roman joined the Academy as an assistant in 2021
An active member of the International Edvard Grieg Society, Roman has showcased his talents internationally with concert tours in Norway. Additionally, he gained valuable experience through an apprenticeship with the Bolshoi Opera Company from 2022 to 2023
In 2022, Roman received recognition for his exceptional performance, earning a Diploma and special prize for the best rendition of a romance by a Russian composer at the 10th All-Russian Nadezhda Obukhova Vocalist Competition in Lipetsk.
An active member of the International Edvard Grieg Society, Roman has showcased his talents internationally with concert tours in Norway. Additionally, he gained valuable experience through an apprenticeship with the Bolshoi Opera Company from 2022 to 2023
In 2022, Roman received recognition for his exceptional performance, earning a Diploma and special prize for the best rendition of a romance by a Russian composer at the 10th All-Russian Nadezhda Obukhova Vocalist Competition in Lipetsk.
