The newly-formed Pan-Armenian Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2017, widely regarded as the Oscars of the classical music world. Performing under their conductor Sergey Smbatyan, the Orchestra will join some of the biggest names in classical music as Gramophone Award winners past and present take to the stage to celebrate the 40th anniversary of these prestigious awards, which celebrate the very best of the last year of classical music.
Several high profile guests from Armenia are also expected to join the celebrations.
For the second year running, the ceremony will be live-streamed on medici.tv, so classical music lovers from all around the globe will have the opportunity to watch all of the performances, acceptance speeches, and glamour of the night unfold. Many tens of thousands of people are expected to watch.
The Pan-Armenian Symphony Orchestra is comprised of Armenian musicians from all around the world, and players are drawn from other high-profile orchestras such as the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, and the National Orchestra of France. Their conductor for the Gramophone Awards performance, Sergey Smbatyan, is not only the Founder, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, but is also an ‘Honoured Artist of the Republic of Armenia’.
The glittering event on September 13, which for the first time takes place in the stunning venue of 8 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2, honours the most outstanding recordings of the previous year in 12 categories, with one of these named as Recording of the Year on the night. Other awards announced at the event include an Artist of the Year (voted for by Gramophone’s readers), a Young Artist of the Year, a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Label of the Year.
The shortlist of nominated recordings can be found here, and the winners of each category will be announced on September 1.
James Jolly, Gramophone’s Editor-in-Chief, says: “We’re delighted to be joined once again by an orchestra for the Awards. Drawing on some of the finest Armenian orchestral musicians from ensembles all around the world, the Pan-Armenian SO will add a truly international dimension to the event. And we also look forward to some Armenian orchestral music during the course of the evening played by people who clearly respond to its magic.”