Arpine Pehlivanian
{{short description|Lebanese Armenian classical coloratura soprano singer}}
Arpine Pehlivanian (Armenian: Արփինե Փեհլիվանյան, {{langx|ar|أربين بيليفانيان}}; 24 April 1934 – 16 March 2004){{cite web |url=http://asbarez.com/49640/soprano-arpine-pehlivanian-passes-away/ |title=Soprano Arpine Pehlivanian Passes Away |website=Asbarez |date=17 March 2004}} was a Lebanese Armenian classical coloratura soprano singer who fled Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War and resettled in the United States, where she lived in Long Beach.{{Cite book| publisher = Berghahn Books| isbn = 978-1-84545-352-7| last = Migliorino| first = Nicola| title = (Re)constructing Armenia in Lebanon and Syria: Ethno-cultural Diversity and the State in the Aftermath of a Refugee Crisis| date = 2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rP4kg8cew2QC&pg=PA167}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25598266/the_los_angeles_times/ |title=Sunday Music |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |date=12 February 1998 |page=329 |via=Newspapers.com }}
Early life and education
Pehlivanian graduated summa cum laude from the Lebanese National Conservatory of Piano and studied voice at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, where she earned Diplomas di Merito in Opera Interpretation, Vocal Chamber Music, and Opera Direction. She studied voice with Alvarez Boulos and Antonia Perazzi, among others.
Career
She was an official soloist with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra for 18 years and was also Professor of Voice and Piano and Director of Opera Interpretation Studies at the Lebanese National Conservatory of Music.
After leaving Lebanon for the United States during the Lebanese Civil War, she performed for the first time in Carnegie Hall in 1974. She was the first singer from the Armenian diaspora to perform at the Yerevan Opera Theatre. In addition to operatic performances, she gave more than 800 recitals worldwide, performing works by Vivaldi, Haydn, Tigranian, Rachmaninov, Scarlatti, Mozart and others.The Los Angeles Times. 14 October 1984. Page 365. She premiered works by many Armenian and Middle Eastern composers, including Khachaturian's Agh Tamar, which she premiered in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East.
Pehlivanian was a member of the faculty at California State University in Long Beach.The Los Angeles Times. 20 November 1986, Page 330
Honors
Personal life
She was the mother of conductor George Pehlivanian.{{Cite news| issn = 0458-3035| last = Pasles| first = Chris| title = Married to His Work| work = Los Angeles Times| access-date = 2018-11-21| date = 1997-03-26| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-26-ca-42376-story.html}} Her daughter, Elizabeth Pehlivanian, is a mezzo-soprano. The three have appeared in performances together with the USC Symphony and the Pacific Symphony.The Los Angeles Times. 9 November 1986, page 329.
Selected discography
References
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Category:Armenian operatic sopranos
Category:Lebanese people of Armenian descent
Category:20th-century Armenian women opera singers
Category:People of the Lebanese Civil War
Category:Lebanese emigrants to the United States
Category:Conservatoire Libanais alumni
Category:Academic staff of Conservatoire Libanais