The Orchestra’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, American-Armenian conductor Aram Gharabekian, has brought the NCOA into a new era of artistic triumphs and international acclaim since his appointment in 1997. For their outstanding achievements in Armenia and in other parts of the world, Maestro Gharabekian and NCOA have been duly recognized in a proclamation by the United States Congress and televised features on CNN Special and Russian Kultura TV Channel.
Under Gharabekian’s dymanic leadership, the NCOA has performed with remarkable acclaim to capacity audiences in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Greece, Russia, Georgia, Cyprus, Lebanon, and United Arab Emirates, Gharabekian also has led the NCOA to notable performances in the Canterbury festival in England, the Halle festival in Germany, and the Dimitria Festival in Greece, Aside from a rich record of international performances and concerting at home, the NCOA is the only performing ensemble in Armenia that is committed to a significant outreach program, Taking Music to the People, which offers free- of charge performances to the regions of Armenia and Karabakh, every season. Unequivocally committed to promoting the music of our time, Gharabekian and the NCOA have commissioned and premiered over 40 new compositions and recorded three CDs of works by contemporary Armenian composers.