The Aram Khachaturian International Competition (AKHIC), held in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, celebrates the legacy of the country’s greatest composer. Launched in 2003 – the centenary of Khachaturian’s birth – the event was established by Armenia’s Ministry of Culture, the Aram Khachaturian-Competition Cultural Foundation and Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. Rita Sargsyan, wife of Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, is honorary president of the competition’s board of trustees. In 2013, the AKHIC was accepted into the World Federation of International Music Competitions.
Until now, the competition has focused on three instruments: piano, violin and cello. The 2016 competition was the first to include a conducting prize, while this year’s event, taking place from 6 to 14 June 2017, will spotlight the voice for the first time.
The 2017 AKHIC jury is chaired by the American-Armenian conductor and pianist Constantine Orbelian and includes the renowned Armenian-Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and the Armenian bass Barseg Tumanyan. The other jury members are the vocal coach and opera administrator John Fisher; Jorge Parodi, director of the Manhattan School of Music’s senior opera theatre; and Richard Rodzinski, former director of the Tchaikovsky and Cliburn competitions, as well as San Francisco Opera.