Since winning First Prize and Gold Medal at the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition at just 22, cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan has established himself as one of the world’s most captivating and sought-after musicians. Described as “dazzlingly brilliant” (The Strad) and “nothing short of magnificent” (San Francisco Chronicle), his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic led the LA Times to declare, “His command of the instrument is extraordinary.”
Hakhnazaryan is an Honored Artist of Armenia and a recipient of the Movses Khorenatsi medal for “outstanding achievements in the field of culture”.
He has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, Helsinki Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, and NHK Symphony, among many others.
He has collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Gergiev, Jurowski, Koopman, Alsop, Lintu, Petrenko, Sokhiev, Robertson, Honeck, Noseda, Pletnev, Fischer, Netopil, Spivakov, and Guerrero. Hakhnazaryan has toured Spain with the WDR Symphony Orchestra/Saraste, the United States with the Estonian National Symphony/Järvi, and Japan with the Czech Philharmonic/Bělohlávek.
A former BBC New Generation Artist, Hakhnazaryan has performed with all the BBC orchestras and made a sensational debut at the BBC Proms. In 2017, the Wiener Konzerthaus named him a “Great Talent”, presenting him in recital, chamber music, and orchestral performances, including appearances with the Wiener Symphoniker and Hrůša.
A versatile artist, Hakhnazaryan recently made his conducting debut at Hamburg’s Laeiszhalle with the Neue Philharmonie Hamburg Orchestra and led a critically acclaimed production of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice in Armenia.
In 2024, he founded the “Artsakh” Orchestra and now serves as its Artistic Director and Chief Conductor. Under his leadership, the orchestra performs in Armenia and internationally, sharing Armenian and global music and culture with audiences around the world.
As a passionate chamber musician, he has performed at leading festivals such as Verbier, Marlboro, Ravinia, and Aspen, and collaborated with artists including Trifonov, Maisky, Kozhukhin, Pressler, Levit, Repin, Matsuev, and others. He is a founding member of the Z.E.N. Trio with violinist Yoo and pianist Zuo, touring across North America, Europe, China, and Australia. The trio has released two acclaimed albums on Deutsche Grammophon.
His recent recital tour of Southeast Asia featured the complete Bach Cello Suites in Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, and Kyoto. In North America, he performs regularly in recital and with orchestras, with recent appearances in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto, and past performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Jordan Hall.
In addition to his concert career, Hakhnazaryan has contributed to film, recording soundtracks and appearing in award-winning productions, including Kusturica’s On the Milky Road, Yasha and Brezhnev, and the animated documentary Aurora’s Sunrise.
Highlights of the 2024/25 season include his conducting debut in Vienna with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, where he will appear as both conductor and soloist, along with recitals in Hong Kong, London, Vienna, Copenhagen, Cambridge, Belfast, and Yerevan. He will also appear as soloist with the Athens State Symphony Orchestra, the Arts Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, and the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra, alongside multiple recital and orchestra tours in major cities across China.
Mentored from the age of 14 by the legendary Rostropovich, Hakhnazaryan studied at the Moscow State Conservatory with Seleznyov and earned his Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory under Lesser. He began cello studies at age six at the Sayat-Nova School of Music in Yerevan with Sarkisyan.
His early achievements include First Prize at the 2006 Aram Khachaturian International Competition in Armenia, First Prize at the 2006 Johansen International Competition for Young String Players, and First Prize at the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, which led to his debut at both the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall at the age of 19.
Narek Hakhnazaryan plays exclusively on “Larsen Strings”.
