2006 Press Releases
Consul General Welcomed Maestro Orbelian, the American Conductor of the Russian Orchestra
December 12, 2006
December 11 Consul General John Stepanchuk hosted a reception in honor of Maestro Constantine Orbelian, Chief Conductor and Music Director of the State Academic Chamber Orchestra of Russia (Moscow Chamber Orchestra). Maestro Orbelian and the Orchestra arrived in Yekaterinburg to perform a single concert at Yekaterinburg Theater of Musical Comedy in frames of their Jubilee Tour - in 2006 the Orchestra and Maestro celebrate their 50th anniversaries.
Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian emigré parents, Constantine Orbelian demonstrated rare musical gifts at an early age and made his debut as a pianist with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of eleven. In his early teens he went to the Soviet Union on a musical scholarship and studied in Moscow and Yerevan, Armenia, with Anaida Sumbadian, with whom Vladimir Ashkenazy had also studied. At age eighteen, after graduating from Juilliard, Orbelian embarked on a solo career that typically involved eighty-five to ninety concerts per year.
Orbelian’s piano recordings have won international acclaim, including Best Concerto of the Year award in the UK for his recording of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto with Neeme Järvi and the Scottish National Orchestra.
The brilliant pianist and conductor, Constantine Orbelian is the first American ever to become music director of an ensemble in Russia. His appointment in 1991 as Music Director of the celebrated Moscow Chamber Orchestra was a breakthrough event, and сame in the midst of Orbelian's successful career as a concert pianist. In September, 2000, Orbelian was named Permanent Guest Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic, putting him in a unique leadership position with not only Moscow's outstanding chamber orchestra but also its most illustrious symphony orchestra. In May, 2001, he was 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. In January, 2004 President Putin awarded Orbelian the coveted title "Honored Artist of Russia," a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen.