PORT TOWNSEND — Tigran Arakelyan, the music director of Northwest Mahler Festival and Port Townsend Symphony, has been named one of the Top 30 Professionals of the Year by Musical America Worldwide.
Musical America Worldwide is the oldest classical music magazine in America.
Thirty thousand industry professionals were asked to nominate people “who persistently and relentlessly strive to keep the performing arts vital. They are thoughtful, creative, and often innovative; they are the hard workers.”
Arakelyan is an Armenian American executive director, conductor, podcaster and radio host.
He has held conducting positions with the California Philharmonic, Los Angeles Youth Orchestra and made his Walt Disney Concert Hall conducting debut in 2019.
He played alongside Sir James Galway during Galway’s induction into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
He also has conducted regional premieres by renowned composers Paul Hindemith, Keith Jarrett, Brenno Blauth and James Cohn.
Arakelyan has received awards from The American Prize and the Global Music Awards.
Since 2009, he has founded three orchestras, music festivals, competitions and numerous scholarship/grant and funding initiatives.