Ay Vard

Born in Yerevan. Grigoryan graduated from the A. Babajanian Music College and the A. Spendiaryan Music School in Yerevan, and in 1977 from the vocal department of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, in the class of Sergey Danielyan. In 1978-79 he trained at La Scala in Milan. In 1972 he went to West Berlin with solo concerts. From 1981 he worked as a soloist at the Vilnius Opera Theatre, while remaining an artist of the Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre. From 1989 he performed at the Mariinsky Theatre as a leading soloist, as well as in all the major opera houses and concert halls of the world. From the 1990s he was regularly invited to take part in various prestigious international festivals. He appeared in film-operas. He sang all the difficult roles written for tenor. In 1980-86 he taught at the Lithuanian State Conservatory and at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (professor). In 2000-07 and from 2015 he was artistic director of the A. Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan. He was a laureate of a number of competitions. In 1982 he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Lithuania, in 1985 that of People's Artist of Armenia, in 2001 the Movses Khorenatsi Order of the RA, and in 2011 the Medal “For Services to the Motherland”, 1st class, of the RA. He died in Yerevan.