American-Armenian conductor Aram Gharabekian passed away yesterday, January 10, at the age of 58. Born in the US in 1955, he graduated from the New England Conservatory with a Master’s degree in Composition, and continued his postgraduate studies in Musical Phenomenology at Mainz University in Germany. He studied conducting with Franco Ferrara in Italy, and was one of a few pupils of the legendary conductor Sergiu Celibidache. He was also granted a fellowship to study composition and conducting under Jacob Druckman and Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood Music Center.
From 1997 until 2010 Mr. Gharabekian served as Music Director of the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia. He was also the Principal Guest Conductor of the Ukrainian Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra in Kiev. Following a critically acclaimed guest appearance with the Ukrainian National Symphony Orchestra in 1991, Mr. Gharabekian was invited by the Ukrainian Minister of Culture to assume the position of Artistic Advisor and Conductor.
