Biography

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Canadian-Armenian bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s ensemble and the Santa Fe Apprentice program. While still a student, he made his professional debut with the Opéra de Montréal performing the role of Sparafucile (Rigoletto).

The 2023/24 season marks numerous exciting roles and house debuts for Gabrielian. This includes a festival debut as Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress) at the Verbier Festival, house debut as Dottore Grenvil (La Traviata) at the Paris Opera, role and house debut at Opera San Jose performing Basilio (The Barber of Seville), Friar Laurent (Romeo and Juliet), and Capitán (Florencia en el Amazonas), and lastly Fasolt (Das Rheingold) with the Edmonton Opera. A sought-after concert performer, Gabrielian will also be performing Handel’s Messiah with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Highlights from this year’s season include Masetto and Commendatore (Don Giovanni) at the National Arts Centre, Nourabad (Les pêcheurs de perles) at the Vancouver Opera, and a return to the Canadian Opera Company to perform Dottore (Macbeth) and cover Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Banquo (Macbeth), and Angelotti (Tosca).

Gabrielian is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, having earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree of Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Marlena Malas and Armen Boyajian.