Konstantin Orbelyan
Konstantin Orbelyan was a Soviet and Armenian pianist, conductor, composer, and film composer. He was born in 1928 in Armavir. As a child, he attended a school for gifted students at the Baku Conservatory and later earned a living as a pianist. In 1942, he joined the orchestra of the Eighth Fighter Aviation Air Defense Corps as a pianist and accordionist.
In 1943, bandleader Artemy Ayvazyan invited him to join the Armenian Variety Orchestra. Orbelyan worked there as a pianist and then as a conductor until 1952. He began composing in 1945, arranging folk songs for the orchestra and writing original pieces, including his first composition, “Lullaby.” He studied at the Romanos Melikian Music School, graduating with distinction in 1954, and then entered the Yerevan Conservatory. He completed his composition studies there in 1961 with Edvard Mirzoyan. Alongside his studies, he worked as an accompanist at the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre, and in 1954 he formed an instrumental quintet for radio.
In 1956, Orbelyan became conductor and artistic director of the Armenian State Variety Orchestra, a post he held for 36 years. Under his leadership, it became one of the leading jazz ensembles in the Soviet Union and toured more than 40 countries. He also served on the juries of international jazz competitions. His compositions ranged from symphonic and chamber music to theatre and film scores, songs, and jazz. His works included the Symphony (1961), the ballet Immortality (1969), the symphonic poem Zangezur (1973), and the songs “My Yerevan” and “Yerevan Melody.” His film scores included Heart Sings (1956), Leap Across the Abyss (1959), and Road to the Arena (1963).
Orbelyan was named People's Artist of the Armenian SSR in 1974 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1979. His honors also included a gold medal at the 1957 World Festival of Youth and Students and an award at the 1962 All-Union Competition for Young Composers. In 1992, he moved to the United States and lived and worked in Los Angeles. He died there in 2014 and was buried in the Komitas Pantheon in Yerevan.
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