Seattle Weekly described his interpretation of Beethoven's Symphony Nr. 1 as "confident, convincing, lyrically phrased, excellent tempo, well-rehearsed and an exciting debut. Arakelyan took all four movements at a good clip."
But many can’t imagine classical music in the Seattle area without Arakelyan.
... is known for finding unusual venues for all of his projects, from bars to cafes to homeless shelters. - Musical America Worldwide
"He has earned a high reputation in the music community as a talented musician and conductor, enriching the Washington music scene by boosting enrollment to new heights in both youth programs." - CitySoundbite
But many can’t imagine classical music in the Seattle area without Arakelyan.
... is known for finding unusual venues for all of his projects, from bars to cafes to homeless shelters. - Musical America Worldwide
"He has earned a high reputation in the music community as a talented musician and conductor, enriching the Washington music scene by boosting enrollment to new heights in both youth programs." - CitySoundbite
Armenian-American conductor Tigran Arakelyan was named by Musical America Worldwide as one of the Top 30 Professionals of the Year in 2023 and was included in the 40 under 40 honorees by Yamaha Music USA. Recognized as a "highly-esteemed conductor across the Pacific Northwest" (The Leader), Tigran is the Music Director of the Northwest Mahler Festival and the Port Townsend Symphony. Previously, he was the assistant conductor of the California Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. He played alongside Sir James Galway during Galway's induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Tigran conducted at prestigious venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles) and the Benaroya Hall (Seattle), but is equally passionate about taking classical music to unconventional venues. As noted by Musical America, he is "known for finding unusual venues for all of his projects, from bars to cafes to homeless shelters." Tigran received awards from The American Prize for orchestral programming, the Global Music Awards for podcasting and was honored in 425 Business Magazine's 40 under 40 list of regional leaders.
The Port Townsend Symphony saw unprecedented growth during his tenure. The orchestra grew the budget by six times with no reliance on grants, making it one of the few orchestras in the US to operate without any grant support. During his tenure as Music Director of the Federal Way Youth Symphony and Bainbridge Youth Orchestras, the organizations reached their highest enrollment, added multiple ensembles, premiered pieces, and collaborated with dance companies and choirs. Tigran led the Federal Way Youth Symphony on three tours to South Korea (2014, 2017, 2019), conducting in Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Daejeon, and Gwangju, among other cities. During the pandemic, Bainbridge Youth Orchestra was one of the few youth orchestras in the U.S. to continue in-person rehearsals (outdoor) and present virtual concerts.
He has initiated and is the founder of a few dozen musical projects, including an orchestral strings festival, a chamber orchestra, a young artist competition, BIPOC composer commission projects, free one-on-one private lessons initiative, composer competitions, a public school outreach program, chamber music series, free masterclass series, and numerous scholarship, grant, and funding initiatives for underserved youth. Tigran was the founder and Music Director of the Cadence Chamber Orchestra (WA), the Youth Orchestra at Lark Musical Society (CA), and the co-founder of Campus Philharmonia at the University of Washington. He has programmed diverse concerts with works by William Grant Still, Amy Beach, Alma Mahler, Mieczysław Karłowicz, Fanny Mendelssohn, Alan Hovhaness, Vasily Kalinnikov and conducted regional and world premieres by renowned composers Paul Hindemith, Keith Jarrett, Jovino Santos Neto, Maria Thompson Corley, Brenno Blauth, Adriana Figueroa Manas, Jeff Manookian, and James Cohn.
Tigran held conducting positions with the Tacoma Music Collaborative, Bellingham Symphony, Northridge Youth Philharmonic, Rainier Symphony, Whidbey Island Orchestra, and the Bremerton Youth Symphony. He has conducted the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Olympia Chamber Orchestra, numerous youth orchestras in South Korea, Armenian Pops Orchestra, Juneau Symphony, Ballard Civic Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony, Inverted Space Ensemble, Lark Orchestra (CA), Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and innovative collaborations with the Olympic Performance Group and Olympic Youth Choir.
Tigran received the Ludovic Morlot Fellowship at the Pierre Monteux Festival, is a three-time awardee of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Performing Arts Fellowship, and is the first prize winner at the Armenian Allied Arts Competition. He participated in the Conductors Guild Workshop, Monteux School and Music Festival, Idyllwild Music Festival, and Dilijan Chamber Music Series, among others. Tigran conducted in masterclasses with notable conductors David Loebel, Frank Battisti, Donald Thulean, Michael Jinbo, and David Effron. He has worked with numerous composers and has premiered works by Iosif Andriasov, Eleanor Aversa, Michael Austin Miller, Yiğit Kolat, and many others.
Invited by Maestro Ludovic Morlot, Tigran earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Washington, where he was the first student in the inaugural class of David A. Rahbee and Morlot. His mentors are Victor Vener, John Barcellona, Paul Taub, and Laura Osborn. In his youth, he played in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra and attended the Lark Musical Society.
Administrative work | Podcast | Radio
Tigran is the Executive Director of Music Works Northwest in Bellevue. He was the host and producer of a radio show on KPTZ (91.9 FM) called Exploring Music (2020–2022). He shared an eclectic mix of music and interviews. An active podcaster since 2012, he most recently hosted and produced Let’s Talk Off The Podium (140+ episodes). Tigran interviewed winners of the Grammy Awards, Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellow, Rome Prize, and Polar Music Prize. Past guests include Evelyn Glennie, George Walker, Mark O'Connor, Christian McBride, David Harrington (Kronos Quartet), JoAnn Falletta, Richard Stoltzman, Sharon Isbin, Vijay Iyer, Christopher Theofanidis, Yolanda Kondonassis, Roger Bobo, Diane Schuur, Øystein Baadsvik, Robert Aldridge, and a long list of others.
The Port Townsend Symphony saw unprecedented growth during his tenure. The orchestra grew the budget by six times with no reliance on grants, making it one of the few orchestras in the US to operate without any grant support. During his tenure as Music Director of the Federal Way Youth Symphony and Bainbridge Youth Orchestras, the organizations reached their highest enrollment, added multiple ensembles, premiered pieces, and collaborated with dance companies and choirs. Tigran led the Federal Way Youth Symphony on three tours to South Korea (2014, 2017, 2019), conducting in Seoul, Busan, Jeju, Daejeon, and Gwangju, among other cities. During the pandemic, Bainbridge Youth Orchestra was one of the few youth orchestras in the U.S. to continue in-person rehearsals (outdoor) and present virtual concerts.
He has initiated and is the founder of a few dozen musical projects, including an orchestral strings festival, a chamber orchestra, a young artist competition, BIPOC composer commission projects, free one-on-one private lessons initiative, composer competitions, a public school outreach program, chamber music series, free masterclass series, and numerous scholarship, grant, and funding initiatives for underserved youth. Tigran was the founder and Music Director of the Cadence Chamber Orchestra (WA), the Youth Orchestra at Lark Musical Society (CA), and the co-founder of Campus Philharmonia at the University of Washington. He has programmed diverse concerts with works by William Grant Still, Amy Beach, Alma Mahler, Mieczysław Karłowicz, Fanny Mendelssohn, Alan Hovhaness, Vasily Kalinnikov and conducted regional and world premieres by renowned composers Paul Hindemith, Keith Jarrett, Jovino Santos Neto, Maria Thompson Corley, Brenno Blauth, Adriana Figueroa Manas, Jeff Manookian, and James Cohn.
Tigran held conducting positions with the Tacoma Music Collaborative, Bellingham Symphony, Northridge Youth Philharmonic, Rainier Symphony, Whidbey Island Orchestra, and the Bremerton Youth Symphony. He has conducted the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Olympia Chamber Orchestra, numerous youth orchestras in South Korea, Armenian Pops Orchestra, Juneau Symphony, Ballard Civic Orchestra, Bainbridge Symphony, Inverted Space Ensemble, Lark Orchestra (CA), Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra, and innovative collaborations with the Olympic Performance Group and Olympic Youth Choir.
Tigran received the Ludovic Morlot Fellowship at the Pierre Monteux Festival, is a three-time awardee of the Armenian General Benevolent Union Performing Arts Fellowship, and is the first prize winner at the Armenian Allied Arts Competition. He participated in the Conductors Guild Workshop, Monteux School and Music Festival, Idyllwild Music Festival, and Dilijan Chamber Music Series, among others. Tigran conducted in masterclasses with notable conductors David Loebel, Frank Battisti, Donald Thulean, Michael Jinbo, and David Effron. He has worked with numerous composers and has premiered works by Iosif Andriasov, Eleanor Aversa, Michael Austin Miller, Yiğit Kolat, and many others.
Invited by Maestro Ludovic Morlot, Tigran earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Washington, where he was the first student in the inaugural class of David A. Rahbee and Morlot. His mentors are Victor Vener, John Barcellona, Paul Taub, and Laura Osborn. In his youth, he played in the Los Angeles Junior Philharmonic Orchestra and attended the Lark Musical Society.
Administrative work | Podcast | Radio
Tigran is the Executive Director of Music Works Northwest in Bellevue. He was the host and producer of a radio show on KPTZ (91.9 FM) called Exploring Music (2020–2022). He shared an eclectic mix of music and interviews. An active podcaster since 2012, he most recently hosted and produced Let’s Talk Off The Podium (140+ episodes). Tigran interviewed winners of the Grammy Awards, Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellow, Rome Prize, and Polar Music Prize. Past guests include Evelyn Glennie, George Walker, Mark O'Connor, Christian McBride, David Harrington (Kronos Quartet), JoAnn Falletta, Richard Stoltzman, Sharon Isbin, Vijay Iyer, Christopher Theofanidis, Yolanda Kondonassis, Roger Bobo, Diane Schuur, Øystein Baadsvik, Robert Aldridge, and a long list of others.
"Led by Arakelyan, a highly-esteemed conductor across the Pacific Northwest, the all-volunteer group will perform three classical pieces composed by Alan Hovhaness, Brenno Blauth, and Leoš Janácek. Arakelyan has brought a new level of competence to the nonprofit, bringing an annual chamber music program and a higher degree of passion and pride. Under the instruction of Arakelyan, the group’s sound and tone is anything but amateur..." - The Leader
"Maestro Arakelyan is following his rousing audition concert last April with a concert entitled A Night at the Ballet, Opera and Symphony."
- Port Ludlow Voice
"Rising Star" - The Armenian Mirror Spectator
"Arakelyan started conducting at the age of 22, and has worked with young musicians for his entire career. He has clearly found his calling."
- Bainbridge Magazine
"Maestro Arakelyan is following his rousing audition concert last April with a concert entitled A Night at the Ballet, Opera and Symphony."
- Port Ludlow Voice
"Rising Star" - The Armenian Mirror Spectator
"Arakelyan started conducting at the age of 22, and has worked with young musicians for his entire career. He has clearly found his calling."
- Bainbridge Magazine
recommendations/testimonials below
I have always found Tigran to be that rare individual, possessing both the passion and work ethic required to achieve goals that others might shy away from. What’s more, Tigran is a responsible and genial individual, a person who contributes openly, free of any agenda, in discussions with his colleagues. I am confident that his unmatched passion and enthusiasm will translate very successfully into any position that he feels qualified to pursue. In summary, I recommend Tigran without reservation.
- Kent Devereaux | President, Goucher College
Knowing Tigran from my work with him in the Rainier Symphony, I sought him out to lead the Mahler Festival. We needed a leader who could understand the long term and short term needs of the program we are building and could command the respect of the highly skilled musicians who play with us every year.
Tigran’s musicianship and ability to command the respect of the orchestra has been all I expected of him. He has an uncanny ability to see what is needed from those around him in a way that was lacking in many conductors we have had in the past. Last summer we performed Mahler’s demanding Symphony #5 with universally positive feedback from both the orchestra and the audience. His reputation in the Northwest has, in a very short time, put him at the helm of both adult and youth programs that have flourished under his leadership.
- Mark Lloyd | Board President, Northwest Mahler Festival
"I am very happy to see a serious, motivated, talented musician who has a goal and is pursuing it."
- Bern Herbolsheimer | composer
"I recently had the pleasure of performing with Tigran and the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra and was impressed by his ability to continually elicit the best from the symphony’s young musicians."
- Michael Nicolella | guitarist and composer
Walt Disney Concert Hall debut.
"His crisp and concise conducting style engaged the musicians, evoking all the colors and subtleties necessary for a proper Mozart interpretation."
- Christina Linhardt
Indeed, Tigran is an extraordinarily multi-talented young musician, fluent in and passionate about modern music and ensemble work. He is kind, courteous, and sensitive to the needs of his students and associates, with whom he seeks to share his technical and theoretical knowledge, expertise, and experience.
- Vatsche Barsoumian | Director, Lark Musical Society
Tigran worked with us for 3 summers, excelling at every component of the program. He has an uncanny ability to grasp complex ideas and develop creative solutions for difficult problems. He charts his own course in his endeavors, which allows him to not only prove his talent and ability, but to stand out from the crowd. As you are aware, in the competitive nature of the arts, this unique gift of his is something to be both treasured and nurtured. He was able to expertly prepare himself for the job, and was able to coach the orchestra like a
seasoned professional.
- Victor Vener | Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, California Philharmonic
He came to every rehearsal prepared, enthusiastic, and with a professional attitude. I found Tigran easy to work with and open to all my musical and technical suggestions.
- Russell Steinberg Ph.D | Artistic Director, Los Angeles Youth Orchestra
I have had the opportunity to see and hear Tigran's rehearsing and leading an orchestra in performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 1st Symphony, as well as in premiere of "Torch #1" by young contemporary composer Arshak Andriasov. In both works Mr. Arakelyan demonstrated confidence, ability to easily communicate with orchestra both verbally and with baton, and instrumental knowledge. It is also quite a joy to hear Tigran Arakelyan play flute - he is an accomplished and imaginative instrumentalist
- Victor Romasevich | 1st violinist, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
The artistic knowledge of the orchestra’s new director, Tigran Arakelyan, is taking the group to new levels. He's a real force of nature.
- Matthew Daline | Viola Professor and Coordinator of String Area at Bowling Green State University
Tigran’s knowledge of music and good technique were matched by his organizational skills, charismatic manner on the podium and clear passion for the music. His combination of talent, skills and interests has made him into a musician with curiosity, responsibility and a growing artistry.
- Paul Taub | Executive Director, Seattle Chamber Players & Professor of Music, Cornish College of the Arts
Mr. Arakelyan has upheld the promise he demonstrated during the audition. He is very efficient in use of the orchestra’s time. He has clear ideas of what he wants to accomplish musically, has advanced the level of musical interpretation by greater development of nuance in tempo and dynamic variation from those of previous conductors, and has demonstrated the ability to inventively work through musical difficulties. Musical ability is only one important factor in overall conductor abilities. Tigran has demonstrated a willingness and effort to participate in planning and social meetings, and has worked to gain an understanding of the orchestra as a group of people. He has also, very importantly, demonstrated an ability to deal with the sometimes delicate personal relationships that are critical to genial and productive group cooperation.
James Lux | Board President, Whidbey Island Orchestra
- Kent Devereaux | President, Goucher College
Knowing Tigran from my work with him in the Rainier Symphony, I sought him out to lead the Mahler Festival. We needed a leader who could understand the long term and short term needs of the program we are building and could command the respect of the highly skilled musicians who play with us every year.
Tigran’s musicianship and ability to command the respect of the orchestra has been all I expected of him. He has an uncanny ability to see what is needed from those around him in a way that was lacking in many conductors we have had in the past. Last summer we performed Mahler’s demanding Symphony #5 with universally positive feedback from both the orchestra and the audience. His reputation in the Northwest has, in a very short time, put him at the helm of both adult and youth programs that have flourished under his leadership.
- Mark Lloyd | Board President, Northwest Mahler Festival
"I am very happy to see a serious, motivated, talented musician who has a goal and is pursuing it."
- Bern Herbolsheimer | composer
"I recently had the pleasure of performing with Tigran and the Bainbridge Island Youth Orchestra and was impressed by his ability to continually elicit the best from the symphony’s young musicians."
- Michael Nicolella | guitarist and composer
Walt Disney Concert Hall debut.
"His crisp and concise conducting style engaged the musicians, evoking all the colors and subtleties necessary for a proper Mozart interpretation."
- Christina Linhardt
Indeed, Tigran is an extraordinarily multi-talented young musician, fluent in and passionate about modern music and ensemble work. He is kind, courteous, and sensitive to the needs of his students and associates, with whom he seeks to share his technical and theoretical knowledge, expertise, and experience.
- Vatsche Barsoumian | Director, Lark Musical Society
Tigran worked with us for 3 summers, excelling at every component of the program. He has an uncanny ability to grasp complex ideas and develop creative solutions for difficult problems. He charts his own course in his endeavors, which allows him to not only prove his talent and ability, but to stand out from the crowd. As you are aware, in the competitive nature of the arts, this unique gift of his is something to be both treasured and nurtured. He was able to expertly prepare himself for the job, and was able to coach the orchestra like a
seasoned professional.
- Victor Vener | Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, California Philharmonic
He came to every rehearsal prepared, enthusiastic, and with a professional attitude. I found Tigran easy to work with and open to all my musical and technical suggestions.
- Russell Steinberg Ph.D | Artistic Director, Los Angeles Youth Orchestra
I have had the opportunity to see and hear Tigran's rehearsing and leading an orchestra in performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 1st Symphony, as well as in premiere of "Torch #1" by young contemporary composer Arshak Andriasov. In both works Mr. Arakelyan demonstrated confidence, ability to easily communicate with orchestra both verbally and with baton, and instrumental knowledge. It is also quite a joy to hear Tigran Arakelyan play flute - he is an accomplished and imaginative instrumentalist
- Victor Romasevich | 1st violinist, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
The artistic knowledge of the orchestra’s new director, Tigran Arakelyan, is taking the group to new levels. He's a real force of nature.
- Matthew Daline | Viola Professor and Coordinator of String Area at Bowling Green State University
Tigran’s knowledge of music and good technique were matched by his organizational skills, charismatic manner on the podium and clear passion for the music. His combination of talent, skills and interests has made him into a musician with curiosity, responsibility and a growing artistry.
- Paul Taub | Executive Director, Seattle Chamber Players & Professor of Music, Cornish College of the Arts
Mr. Arakelyan has upheld the promise he demonstrated during the audition. He is very efficient in use of the orchestra’s time. He has clear ideas of what he wants to accomplish musically, has advanced the level of musical interpretation by greater development of nuance in tempo and dynamic variation from those of previous conductors, and has demonstrated the ability to inventively work through musical difficulties. Musical ability is only one important factor in overall conductor abilities. Tigran has demonstrated a willingness and effort to participate in planning and social meetings, and has worked to gain an understanding of the orchestra as a group of people. He has also, very importantly, demonstrated an ability to deal with the sometimes delicate personal relationships that are critical to genial and productive group cooperation.
James Lux | Board President, Whidbey Island Orchestra