Constantine Orbelian, piano

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 came 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 January, 2004 President Putin awarded Orbelian the coveted title "Honored Artist of Russia," a title never before bestowed on a non-Russian citizen.

Maestro Orbelian's ambitious new series of recordings on Delos is indicative of the scope of his current musical activities and includes, as of this writing, 18 recordings with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and nine with the Philharmonia. Among Maestro Orbelian's recent concert appearances are collaborations with Ewa Podles, Roberto Alagna, Galina Gorchakova and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Born in San Francisco to Russian and Armenian emigre parents, Constantine Orbelian made his debut as a pianist with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 11, and in his early teens he went to the Soviet Union on a music scholarship. After graduating from Juilliard in New York, Orbelian embarked on a career as a piano virtuoso that included appearances with the Symphony Orchestras of Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, and St. Petersburg, the Moscow Philharmonic, Scottish National and Russian State Symphony Orchestras, the Moscow Virtuosi, the Budapest Chamber Orchestra among many others. His recording of the Khachaturian piano concerto won "Best Concerto Recording of the Year" award in the United Kingdom.

Since the blossoming of his conducting career, Constantine Orbelian has conducted in the most prestigious concert halls of Europe and America, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Frankfurter "Alte Oper," the Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Salle Pleyel and Theatre Champs Elysees in Paris, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Maestro Orbelian's extensive international tours as conductor include concerts in France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Korea, Japan, South Africa, South America, Canada and the United States. He conducts 40 concerts each season in Russia, including a 10-concert sold-out subscription series with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in the Great Hall of Moscow's renowned Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

Constantine Orbelian is Founder and Music Director of the annual Palaces of St. Petersburg International Music Festival, a three-week event featuring concerts in many of St. Petersburg's magnificent, lavishly restored palaces. He also founded Moscow's unique concert series, "Musical Treasures at the Museums of the Kremlin." He is in charge of the Music Program for the Stanford University Overseas Campus in Moscow.

In December, 2000, Maestro Orbelian was inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences of St. Petersburg, an honor he shares with only one other conductor -- Valery Gergiev. 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.