Kevork Mardirossian
Violin
Kevork Mardirossian (Alumni Professor San Diego II of Violin and Coordinator of Strings). Mardirossian studied at the Bulgarian National Conservatory in Sofia where he graduated as master of music in 1980. He was a student of Anton Hadjiatanasov and Vladimir Avramov, and during that time won the highest national awards offered in Bulgaria: 1st prize in the National Instrumental Competition, 1st prize in the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition, and a Gold Medal in the Katia Popova International Music Festival. As a concert artist of the Bulgarian State Agency, he has performed regularly throughout Bulgaria, former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe (over 250 performances between 1980-1985), as concerto soloist and as recitalist, establishing himself as one of Bulgaria’s leading and best-loved artists.
Mardirossian continued his studies with Arthur Grumiaux in Brussels in 1982 and as a British Council Scholar from 1983-86 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, in the class of Yfrah Neaman. He was awarded the Concert Artist Diploma (1st prize) in 1984.
Mardirossian was appointed concertmaster of the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra (1980-87) and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra (1988-90), where he led these groups to great success on tours in Europe and the U.S., in music capitals such as Paris, Rome, Sofia, Barcelona, Berlin, and New York. During this period, he maintained a high-solo level career on tours of England, Wales, Italy, and the U.S., including debuts in London and New York's Carnegie Recital Hall in 1992. He has appeared as guest artist at International music festivals in Cheltenham, England, the European Cultural Months, the International Chamber Music Festival in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the Czech Festival in Trento, Italy, and the Sofia Musical Weeks.
He also has recorded and broadcast for Gega New Recordings, Bulgarian National Radio and Television, Radio Italia, NHK in Japan, Shanghai Radio and Television, and the U.S. National Public Radio. Professor Mardirossian was appointed Artist-in-Residence in Violin at the University of Central Arkansas in 1990, where he taught violin, viola, and chamber music, till 1995. He has established himself as a very fine violin pedagogue with a class of outstanding students that have been accepted and have won prizes and diplomas in many international competitions in the US and Europe, such as the Lipizer Violin Competition in Italy, three MTNA national winners in violin and chamber music, as well as three first runner- ups, the Beethoven Club Competition in Memphis, the International Khachaturian String Competition in New York, the Leopold Shopmaker Mid- America Violin Competition in Kansas City, the Obretenov , the P. Vladigerov International Competitions in Bulgaria, the Kotzian Violin Competition in Czechoslovakia, the Indianapolis Competition, the Wieniawski Competition, Washington DC International Competition, Michael Hill International Competition, Sarasate Competition in Spain, and the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels. Several of his students have also received scholarships from British Council to study in London, have published solo CD recordings in the Us, Holland and Bulgaria, and have received positions with London Symphony, LA Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Saint Gallen and Zurich Opera Houses in Switzerland, concertmasters of the Baton Rouge Symphony, faculty positions in different music schools in the US and abroad.
Mardirossian is a member of the Mardirossian/Phillips Violin/Piano duo with which he has won prizes in International Chamber Music competitions in Florence and Sicily. They have toured the U.S., England, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Spain, Japan and China.
Professor Mardirossian is a member of the Kapelle Piano Trio with which in 1999 he has founded the Strings and Piano Chamber Music Festival in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Since 1995, he was appointed as violin professor at the College of Music and Drama at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge where presently he is the Stings coordinator, and since 2001 he is on the faculty of the International institute at Round Top, Texas. He also conducts Violin Master Classes for Advanced Violinists in Bulgaria held yearly in D. Petkov Conservatory, and has presented regular Master Classes at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Boston University, Longy College, Oberlin Conservatory, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Seville, Granada, and Cadiz Conservatories in Spain, Shanghai Conservatory, Sofia Musical Weeks Festival Academy, and many other music schools.
For his achievements he has been awarded the Galante Professorship in 2006-2007, LSU Distinguished Professorship in 2004, and the San Diego II Alumni Professorship in 2007.
Kevork Mardirossian, Alumni Professor
School of Music
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2504
Voice: 225/578-2591
Fax: 225/578-2562
E-mail: kmardiro@lsu.edu
