Friendship Song

Born in the city of Barnaul, Altai Krai. His father, Hovhannes Veranyan, a distinguished choral conductor and Honored Artist of Armenia, was his first teacher. In 1966-1970 Artur Veranyan studied in the violin class of the R. Melikyan Music College (teacher: Henri Smbatyan). In 1975 he graduated from the choral conducting department of the Yerevan Komitas Conservatory (class of Tatul Altunyan and Hovh. Chekijyan). A. Veranyan furthered his training and took master classes with Vl. Minin in Moscow (1981), Gustav Ernesaks (Tallinn, Estonia, 1988), Imants Kokars (Riga, Latvia, 1981), Vladimir Sokolov, Al. Chernushenko, Boris Tevlin and G. Rozhdestvensky. In 1986-1990 he studied in the department of opera and symphony orchestra conducting (class of Prof. Yuri Davtyan). He is a laureate of more than ten international competitions (Estonia, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, etc.). 1983-1991: professor at the Yerevan Komitas Conservatory. He has founded and led a number of choirs: conductor of the Choral Society of Armenia (1973-1978); the "Yerevan" women's chamber choir (1976-1991); conductor of the children's choir of the Sayat-Nova Music School in Yerevan (1973-1991); principal conductor of the Academic Choir of Armenia (1990-1991); the "Yerevan" women's choir (Los Angeles, California, 1992-1994); the Berklee College of Music choir (Boston, 1997-1998); founder and artistic director of the "Erebuni" choir (Boston, 1994 to the present); director of the choir of St. Paul Armenian Church (Watertown, Massachusetts, 1994 to the present); founder and director of the Ave Sol Art Centre (Watertown, Massachusetts, 2000-2005); music director of the Newton Montessori Centre (Newton, Massachusetts, 2006 to the present). The "Yerevan" women's chamber choir that he founded is the only one in the history of Armenian choral art to have brought Armenia more than ten prizes, including the Grand Prix and first prizes. A. Veranyan now lives and works in the city of Boston, USA.