Born to a family of musicians, Sergey’s journey in the world of classical music started with violin studies first with his grandmother Tatiana Hayrapetyan, followed by the classes with violinists Bagrat Vardanyan, Zakhar Bron and Yuri Davtyan. A graduate of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Smbatyan also graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2012. He also holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from the Institute of Arts, a division of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. 

The conservatory undergraduate Sergey Smbatyan lay the foundation of the future Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in 2005, assembling like-minded young fellows into a youth orchestra that would champion classical music in Armenia and promote Armenian musical heritage worldwide. The future achievements awaiting the orchestra along its journey proved the visceral faith of its founder to be an infallible foresight. Throughout the 2020 concert tour with the renowned violin virtuoso and the orchestra’s artist-in-residence Maxim Vengerov brilliant performances were hosted on reputable stages around Europe - Berliner Philharmonie, Vienna's Musikverein, London's Barbican Center,  Prague's Dvorak Hall, Salzburg's Grosses Festspielhaus, Moscow's Zaryadye Concert Hall and elsewhere.

Sergey Smbatyan also holds a rich record of conducting experience with foreign orchestras, including, among many others, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

Among Sergey Smbatyan’s most cherished and sustainable legacies of are his self-founded 4 music festivals (Armenian Composing Art Festival, Khachaturian International Festival, “Armenia” International Music Festival and “Contemporary Classics” Composers’ Festival), as well as the introduction of “Conducting” category in the annual Khachaturian International Competition,  which is a member of the prestigious World Federation of International Musical Competitions (WFIMC). Other valuable enterprises include 5 exclusive orchestras formed in the framework of significant events, 7 special musical projects and concert series and 7 educational projects, the most massive and impactful of the letter being “DasA” (literally- “ClassA), launched in 2018. Targeting high school students in Armenia, this project’s mission focuses on the popularization of classical music and positive transformation in the young generation’s attitude towards classical music.

By virtue of his relentless and creative outlooks, Smbatyan always pursues new dimensions for innovative artistry and embarks on novel initiatives in the Armenian cultural context.

In 2015, Sergey Smbatyan received the title of Chevalier of the “Order of Arts and Letters”, awarded by the Minister of Culture and Communication of France. In 2017, the honorary title of “Worker in Arts of Armenia” was conferred on him for the great merit in rearing of creative generation.

 “The conductor led the orchestra with an uncommon attention to detail, skillfully guiding the musicians through the whole performance. His hands were clear and precise; this was a performance of great dignity and nobility.
A highly successful and passionate performance!”.

Hessisch Niedersächsische Allgemeine

She also participates in the creation of new works, collaborating with such composers as Daniel Schnyder, Marc-André Dalbavie, Michael Rosin, Bechara El-Khoury, Eric Tanguy, Benjamin Attahir and Thomas Demenga.

Chouchane Siranossian performs as a soloist on both modern and Baroque violin, with partners including Kristian Bezuidenhout, Bertrand Chamayou, Andrea Marcon, Leonardo García Alarcón, Daniel Ottensamer, Thomas Demenga, Jos van Immerseel, Christophe Coin, Václav Luks, Andreas Spering, Rudolf Lutz, Alexis Kossenko, Thomas Hengelbrock and François-Xavier Roth.

She is leader of the Esperanza ensemble, founded in Liechtenstein in 2015, which was awarded an Opus Classic award in 2018 and with which she regularly tours.

Her first solo album, Time Reflexion, was awarded a ‘Diapason Découverte’ in 2015. Her recording of the Mendelssohn Concerto with Anima Eterna Brugge (In Time) and the CD L’Ange et le Diable in duo with Jos van Immerseel both received numerous prizes, including two ICMA (International Classical Music Awards, in 2017 and 2019). Her latest solo recording was released in March 2020: Tartini’s concertos with Venice Baroque Orchestra and Andrea Marcon. For this album she received the ‘Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik’ in March 2020.

Her upcoming CD projects include the violin concertos by Andreas Romberg, recorded with the Capriccio Baroque Orchestra, and “L’Art du violon selon Johann Sebastian Bach” with Leonardo García Alarcón.

Chouchane Siranossian is an exclusive artist of Alpha Classics.

In Season 2020/21, Siranossian will play concerts with Venice Baroque Orchestra and Cappella Mediterranea as well as with Dresden Festival Orchestra at Kulturpalast Dresden. She will be a guest in Versailles with the ensemble Le Concert Spirituel. She also tours with Andrea Marcon and Leonardo García Alarcón and makes her debut with Bamberger Symphoniker. In the 21/22 season she is on tour as soloist with Les Siècles.

Chouchane plays on two violins: A Baroque violin by Giuseppe and Antonio Gagliano, and a violin by Domenico Montagnana made available courtesy of Fabrice Girardin, luthier at La Chaux-de-Fonds.

“It is the privilege of exceptional artists to attract the limelight. The violinist Chouchane Siranossian belongs to that category.“
Diapason

In December 2018 Mario Brunello started a new collaboration with the Philharmonie Zuidnederland in Eindhoven where he has been appointed Guest Conductor for the next three seasons. Brunello’s 2018–19 season includes many prestigious engagements, such as performances in Tokyo with NHK Symphony Orchestra and Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra, this last in the double role of soloist and conductor. He will perform with RAI Orchestra Turin and will continue his collaboration with Kremerata Baltica as soloist and conductor through different projects over the following seasons.

In this concert season, Brunello is playing the complete 12 solo works by J.S. Bach. The complete cycle will be performed in four concerts in many cities and will be recorded for a later CD release.

Brunello has forged fruitful chamber music partnerships with Gidon Kremer, Yury Bashmet, Martha Argerich, Andrea Lucchesini, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Isabelle Faust, Maurizio Pollini and the Hugo Wolf Quartet.

His all-encompassing artistic passions have generated special projects that cross genres, including collaborations with singer-songwriters Vinicio Capossela, actor Marco Paolini, musicians like Uri Caine and Paolo Fresu.

Brunello’s substantial discography includs works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Vivaldi, Haydn, Chopin, Janaček and Sollima. The Brunello Series 5 CDs, on EGEA label, includes Tavener’s The Protecting Veil with the Kremerata Baltica and Bach’s Cello Suites (which received the prestigious Italian Critics’ Award). His many other outstanding albums include recordings of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Claudio Abbado for Deutsche Grammophon, Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with Antonio Pappano and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (Warner) and a live video recording from the Salle Pleyel in Paris of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with Valery Gergiev.

Mario Brunello is an Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’s Academician and plays a precious Giovanni Paolo Maggini cello crafted in the early 1600s.

The ASSO has worked with Valery Gergiev, Krzysztof Penderecki, Vladimir Spivakov, Maxim Vengerov, Denis Matsuev, Vadim Repin, Vag Papyan, Boris Berezovsky and many others.

The ASSO has performed in numerous venues both in Armenia and elsewhere. World-famous concert halls have hosted the ASSO including but not limited to concert halls in Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, China, The Netherlands, Italy, Lebanon, etc. The musicians have performed in Opera Garnier (Paris), Konzerthaus (Berlin), The Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), Musikverein (Vienna), Dubai Opera House, Teatro Real (Madrid), Dr. Anton Philipszaal (Hague), Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels), P. Tchaikovsky Philharmonic Concert Hall and Conservatory Great Concert Hall (Moscow), etc. ASSO's concerts have been broadcasted by Medici.tv, Euronews, and Classic fm.

The Orchestra has taken part in numerous international festivals, to name a few, “Moscow Easter Festival” (Moscow, Russia), “YOUNG EURO CLASSIC'' (Berlin, Germany), "Kultursommer Nordhessen" (Kassel, Germany), "Young Classic Wratislavia" (Wroclaw, Poland), Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, and many others. In addition, the ASSO has been the resident orchestra at the Aram Khachaturian International Competition (since 2007) and performed as a resident orchestra at the Musica Riva International Festival (2013, Riva del Garda, Italy), the 9th Frederic Chopin International Competition for Young Pianists (2014, Foshan, China), the Al Bustan International Festival (2014-2016, Beirut, Lebanon), Malta International Music Festival (2018), etc. In 2019, the Orchestra performed Nino Rota's original score from “The Godfather” and John Williams' music from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” under the baton of American composer/conductor Justin Freer in Dubai Opera House.

The orchestra has got a rich portfolio of interesting musical projects and charitable events both in Armenia and overseas. Since 2010, the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra with the support of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport has been holding the annual Armenian Composers' Art Festival and since 2013, the yearly Khachaturian International Festival. The ASSO continually presents new exciting projects, such as concert series entitled “Hollywood Non-Stop,” “Cartoon Non-Stop,” “Tours to...”, “ASSO Meets” and others. Another fantastic project is the regular series “Master Creates Masters.” Within this project, the younger musicians get the chance to take master classes from world-famous masters such as Valery Gergiev, Zakhar Bron, and others. Since 2018 the Orchestra has been implementing the valuable educational-cultural project DasA with the support of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport. 

The extensive repertoire of the Orchestra ranges from classical to contemporary music. In 2011 the Orchestra, headed by the artistic director and principal conductor Sergey Smbatyan, released its first CD entitled Music is the Answer. Recorded at Sony recording studio, the CD includes works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Eduard Hayrapetyan.