The launch of the 2nd International Aram Khachaturian Youth Competition was announced in Beijing

26 January, 2026

On January 26 the press conference on the “2^nd Khachaturian International Youth Competition” was held at the China National Opera House, in Beijing, capital of the People’s Republic of China and was attended by Martin Tovmasyan, Chairman of the “Khachaturian Cultural Foundation”, Liu Yunzhi, President and Artistic Director of the China National Opera House, Misak Balayan, Second Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to China, and the Deputy Director of the “Jingshe International Cultural and Educational Group”.

During the Press conference, an official announcement was made regarding the launch of the “2^nd Khachaturian International Youth Competition”, scheduled to be held in Beijing in November of this year. The Competition is a member of the “World Federation of International Music Competitions”.

Since 2023 the “Khachaturian International Competition” taking place in China is organized by the “Khachaturian Cultural Foundation” in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, the “Jingshe International Cultural and Educational Group”, the China National Opera House and the Embassy of Armenia to PRC.

The 2026 Competition is unique as for the first time, its geographical scope will be expanded and the participation formats will be increased to include in-person preliminary rounds held in various regions of the world, as well as new public participation mechanisms, such as online voting and an audience award. Preliminary competitions in various regions will take place from July to September 2026, and the selected candidates will participate in the final round in Beijing in November. For the first time, in addition to professional evaluation by a prestigious jury of leading international musicians, the global audience will also have the opportunity to watch the “2^nd Khachaturian International Youth Competition” live and to vote online.

The Beijing National Opera House Orchestra and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra will participate in the competition rounds, under the direction of Sergey Smbatyan, artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestra. Young musicians under the age of 18 may participate to the Competition.

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