Musician Constantin Orbelyan would turn 86 on Jul 29

Today marks the birthday of Constantine Orbelyan, a renowned Russian-Armenian pianist and composer who had a considerable contribution to the development of the Soviet-Armenian variety art.

The great musician would turn 86 if alive.

Born in Armavir, Russia in 1928, Konstantin Orbelyan developed a special talent for music since his very childhood. From an early age, he studied at a special musical school for talented children under the Conservatory of Baku (Azerbaijan). But he was later expelled and moved to one of the villages of Nagrono-Karabakh after his parents became a victim of Stalin-era repressions.

In 1955, Orbelyan composed music for the film The Heart Sings. A year later, he became the conductor and art director of Armenia’s Variety Orchestra. In 1957, Orbelyan was elected to the USSR Composers’ Union. In 1962, he was declared a winner in a competition of young composers in Moscow. In 1969, Orbelyan wrote the ballet Immortality. His famous songs, performed by different singers, have been awarded different prizes.

Orbelyan settled in San Francisco, US, in 1992. In 2012, he was awarded the Republic of Armenia Honor Medal. In September 2013, Yerevan’s Aram Khachatryan Concert Hall (State Opera and Ballet Theatre) hosted a jubilee concert dedicated to the musician’s 85th birthday (the maestro honored the participants with his presence then).

Orbelyan died on April 24, 2014. He was buried in Yerevan’s Komitas Pantheon.