Vache Sharafyan - Career

Career

In 1992-96 as a Professor of music theory and sacred music Sharafyan worked in Jerusalem Theological Armenian Seminary (Israel). Authored a Book of Chants for Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerusalem.

As an official composer for the Silk Road Project since 2001, Vache Sharafyan's compositions “The Morning Scent of the Acacia’s Song” for duduk and string quartet (as well as version for duduk, soprano and string orchestra) and ”The Sun, the Wine and the Wind of Time” for duduk, violin, cello and piano were performed by cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble in Cologne Philharmonic hall, Brussels Philharmonic hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, in USA: Carnegie (Stern) Hall, Carnegie (Zankel) Hall, Berkeley, Stanford Universities, Seattle Benaroya Hall, Washington National Mall, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall, in Rome, Florence- Theatre Pergola, Milan- Giuseppe Verdi hall.

Sharafyan is author of a number of chambers, symphonic, choral, vocal compositions. His 2007 world premiers included Viola concerto ”Surgite Gloriae” with duduk, descant, baritone and orchestra performed by Yuri Bashmet and “Moscow Soloists” at Elba Isola Festival and Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall philharmonics season opening, “My Lofty Moon” for 5 eastern and 8 western instruments with Atlas Ensemble (cond. Ed Spanjaard) at Amsterdam Muziekgebouw, “11 arrangements & transcriptions by Komitas” with G. Dabaghyan and NCOA at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, “Quintetto quasi Concerto per pianoforte e archi” with violinist Movses Pogossian and LA Symphony principals at Zipper hall in Los Angeles, “On wings of hymnal” no 3, 4 for two cellos (with singing parts) with Suren Bagratuni and Ling-Yi Ou Yang in Taipei. Sharafyans’ 2008 premiers include “Sinfonia 2 un poco Concertante” commissioned by Boston Modern Orchestra Project, cond. Gil Rose (May 23, 2008, Jordan Hall, Boston), as well as premiere of the Concerto for Cello and Strings with Suren Bagratuni and NCOA.

Among Sharafyan’s participated festivals in 2005-2011 are: in January 2005 Budapest Mini Festival; in March 2005 in Transcaucacian Festival of Modern Music in Georgia; Mansfield Symphony concert at Renaissance Theatre with premiering of Tenor Saxophone Concerto played by maestro James Houlik and cond. Robert Franz, in July 2005 in Baroque festival in Yerevan; in September–October 2005 in MATA Festival in New York; In October 2005 in Festival “Perspectives XXI” in Armenia; in November 2005 in Festival Culturescapes in Switzerland; in February 2006 Icebreaker three: the Caucasus festival in Seattle (US); in March, 2006 in Contempo Music Series in Chicago; in March 2006 “Dilijan Chamber Music Concert Series” in Zipper Hall in Los Angeles; in May, 2006 in “Hommage a Bartok” concert series dedicated to Bartok’s 125th anniversary in Budapest; in June 2006 in Caucasian Chamber Orchestra festival in Tbilisi, Georgia; June 2006 in Maverick Hall chamber music series in Woodstock, USA; in December 2006 in Estovest festival in Turin, Italy, in January 2007 in Atlas ensemble festival in Amsterdam Muziekgebouw ("world premiere of "My Lofty Moon" for 5 eastern and 8 western instruments with Atlas Ensemble, cond. Ed Spanjaard), in 2008 at Dilijan music series in Los Angeles, Boston Modern Orchestra Project with the Would premiere of Sinfonia 2 un poco Concertante conducted by Gil Rose, at Return festival in Yerevan, in 2009 at Homecoming festival in Moscow, PHAROS festival in Cyprus, National Gallery festival in Yerevan, Perspectives XXI festival, in 2010 Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana concerts in Palermo, 2011 - Jacaranda Music on the Edge festival in Santa Monica (USA), 4020 festival in Austria, Podium festival in Eslingen, Germany, Dilijan Chamber Music Series in Los Angeles with the World premiere of "Have Mercy on me, O God" for tenor and string quartet commissioned by Soli Deo Gloria...

Sharafyan’s compositions were performed in Armenia, Israel, France, USA, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Lebanon, Thailand, Hungary, Austria, Taiwan, Mexico, Switzerland, Greece, Sweden, Japan and Iceland.

Sharafyan has been a prize winner in the 1986 All-Union Composers' Competition in Moscow.

Sharafyan has been a BMI Composer since 2002. Publishers: G.Schirmer, Editions BIM CDs on Albany records (New York)- Trio 2 "dream of dreams", "blooming sounds", Traditional crossroads (New York "sun, wine wind of time", Two Devotions, Arrangements and transcriptions", BIS records(Sweden) - Suite for cello and orchestra, Crane for cello, duduk, piano, LouthCMS (Ireland) 2 hymns sang by HILLIARD Ensemble. Nominated to "Civitella Ranieri Fellowship" in 2006, Italy. Guest professor at UCLA in 2011.