Kapan Music Festival kicks off, with Martha Argerich as special guest

By Lia Avagyan

World-renowned pianist Martha Argerich is set to perform in Armenia’s southern city of Kapan on July 12, headlining the third edition of the Kapan International Music Festival, which opened on July 4. Argerich will appear under the banner “Martha Argerich and Friends,” joined by a roster of acclaimed artists including Marian Petrescu, Arturo Soler, Francesco Villa, Dong-Hyek Lim, and Lida Chen Argerich.

Held in Armenia’s Syunik region, the festival will continue through July 15, closing with a “Symphonies and Concertos” program featuring Argerich and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sergey Smbatyan.

The 12-day festival includes over 30 internationally recognized performers and is described by organizers as an “unprecedented cultural celebration” aimed at decentralizing cultural access in Armenia.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Daniel Danielyan, speaking at the opening concert titled Prelude, called the event “mature” and “firmly rooted in Armenia’s cultural calendar.” He emphasized the government’s commitment to cultural decentralization.

Among the festival’s goals are increasing accessibility, fostering inclusivity, advancing music education, promoting Armenian culture abroad, and preserving intangible cultural heritage.

One of this year’s highlights is a series of daily concerts and masterclasses at the Kapan State College of the Arts, involving more than 50 young musicians from across Armenia and from countries including Denmark, Slovakia, and Portugal. Local students from Kapan are also taking part.

Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan welcomed the festival’s return, saying it has become “a major musical celebration” and “a unique educational opportunity” for young musicians from the region.

New features this year include a rare exhibition of 18th-century string instruments, such as violins by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, presented by London-based violin maker Florian Leonhard.

For the first time, the festival will include electronic music. On July 10, multi-instrumentalist Philipp Johann Thimm will perform a genre-blending concert. Two major jazz concerts are also planned: “Furious Jazz” on July 8, with Marian Petrescu, Harut Harutyunyan, and Nikoghayos Vardanyan, and “All That Jazz” on July 13 at the Kapan Cultural Center.

The festival continues long-standing collaborations with Armenian and international artists such as Hayk Kazazyan, Marianna Shirinyan, Julien Libeer, Andrei Gridchuk, Anna Sarkisova, Christian Erbsloh Papazian, Ursula von Lerber-Erbsloh, Elly Suh, Hrachya Avanesyan, Armen Nazaryan, Armen Karamyan, Norayr Kartashyan, Tigran Suchyan, and Narek Avagyan.

The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra will also feature Astghik Siranossian, Ruzan Mantashyan, and Mikayel Voskanyan in its performances on the final two days.

All concerts begin at 8:00 PM in the Organ Hall of the Kapan State College of the Arts, and admission is free.

The festival is organized in partnership with the Kapan Municipality and supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, AGBU France, the EU Delegation to Armenia, embassies of Belgium, Switzerland, and Argentina, as well as Pirastro, Amaras Art Alliance, Hamazkayin Eastern Region, Arslanian Foundation, the Goethe-Institut, Ameriabank, and corporate sponsors including MG Concerts, Karas Wines, Gurkha Cigar, GG, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Individual supporters include Thomas Wang, Regina Sırı, and many other festival friends.