Smbatyan Sergey

Sergey Smbatyan is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. An avid popularizer of classical music, the conductor has an extensive international engagement, and is committed to rejuvenating the classical music audiences and the promotion of contemporary classical music globally.

Born into a family of musicians, Sergey Smbatyan took his first steps in the world of classical music under the guidance of her grandmother Tatyana Hayrapetyan, a distinguished violin teacher, followed by his education at Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan and Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

After graduating from the conservatory, Sergey pursued further studies in conducting under Yuri Davtyan. Not long after, he founded the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18, which he continues to lead as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor to this day. In 2009, he earned his PhD in Fine Arts from the Institute of Arts of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Subsequently, in 2012, he furthered his academic journey at the Royal Academy of Music, studying under Sir Colin Davis. His studies under the guidance of Riccardo Muti and Valery Gergiev significantly influenced and enhanced his proficiency in conducting.

Sergey Smbatyan's conducting career was highlighted by his debut performance with the London Symphony Orchestra at Windsor Castle, in the framework of an event held under the auspices of Prince Charles. The impressive success of this concert led to a subsequent invitation, where he conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra at Buckingham Palace.

Under the leadership of Sergey Smbatyan, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has had the honor of performing at prestigious concert halls worldwide, including the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Barbican Centre in London, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Philharmonie Gasteig in Munich, and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, while the performances at Musikverein (Vienna) and Berliner Philharmonie marked a breakthrough in gaining wider recognition for the orchestra. As the conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergey Smbatyan embarked on numerous concert tours and performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Gasteig in Munich, Vienna’s Musikverein, the Berliner Philharmonie, and other renowned concert halls.

Sergey Smbatyan's extensive international involvement as a conductor and his distinctive appreciation for contemporary classical music has led to a wide array of collaborations with globally acclaimed composers, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Tigran Mansuryan, Arvo Pärt, Gia Kancheli, and many others. Among such notable endeavors were the large-scale projects conducted with John Malkovich in several countries of Latin America and Asia. Led by Sergey Smbatyan and accompanied by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, the iconic Hollywood artist delivered a unique musical performance in Yerevan, presenting a reading of excerpts from “The Book of Lamentations” by the medieval Armenian poet Grigor Narekatsi.

The conductor serves as the artistic director of a number of annual music festivals, as well as the Khachaturian International Competition, to which the category of conducting was introduced through Sergey Smbatyan's initiative. Among the festivals founded by Sergey Smbatyan are the Khachaturian International Festival, which aims to uphold the legacy of Aram Khachaturian and other famous Armenian composers, the "Armenia" International Music Festival, which hosts world-renowned virtuoso musicians to perform in Armenia, the Penderecki Contemporary Music Festival, which showcases the works of contemporary legendary composers, and others.

Other significant initiatives by Segey Smbatyan include assembly of various other orchestras formed with various underlying concepts։ the “24/04” World Orchestra; the “Generation of Independence” All-Armenian Choir and Orchestra for the celebratory events of 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence; UNICEF Children’s Chamber Orchestra, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of a Child and Pan-Armenian Symphony Orchestra, under the concept of uniting Armenians around the world.

Along with concert activities, the conductor also attaches great importance to the orchestra’s and his own social responsibility and commitment to the cultural development of the young generation. Under his leadership, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra has been implementing educational and cultural programs with the goal of nurturing curiosity for classical music and engaging students from schools and universities in Armenia as enthusiastic audiences for classical music concerts. Sergey Smbatyan is the founder of the "Music for Future Foundation (M4FF), which is committed to discovering young talented musicians and fostering their career advancement.

Sergey Smbatyan strives to champion innovative approaches in the classical music industry, consistently seeking creative ideas and solutions in implementing various projects. During the opening ceremony of "WCIT 2019," the largest IT Congress for innovators and entrepreneurs, hosted in Armenia, an international orchestra performed an AI real-time-composed musical piece under the direction of Sergey Smbatyan. This unprecedented project symbolized the potential for the dialogue between traditional classical music delivery and the modern digital technologies, a belief deeply held by the conductor.

Sergey Smbatyan releases recordings with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra on their own "ArmSymphony Records" label and is actively involved in recording contemporary classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras. His recent engagements include the album of spiritual music "Ave Maria" recorded with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the world-renowned tenor Joseph Calleja, released under the "DECCA Records" label.

In recent concert seasons, Sergey Smbatyan has served as a guest conductor with leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. In the 2022-2023 concert season, Sergey Smbatyan embarked on a concert tour in the United Kingdom with the Romanian National Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023, he also led the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra on a grand UK tour, dedicated to Aram Khachaturian’s 120th anniversary.

Sergey Smbatyan holds the title of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia and the title of Chevalier of the “Order of Arts and Letters” of France.

Sergey Smbatyan was appointed as a UNICEF National Ambassador in 2023.