World’s Top Young Conductors Perform in Yerevan as Armenia Names 2025 Khachaturian Competition Winners

The 21st Khachaturian International Conducting Competition took place in Yerevan from June 6 to 12, bringing together talented conductors from around the world to honor the legacy of Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. The competition has been held annually since 2003 and rotates between the categories of cello, piano, violin, and conducting.

This year’s edition focused on conducting and welcomed participants of any nationality between the ages of 18 and 35. From a total of 18 candidates, six finalists were selected to perform with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra is led by Sergey Smbatyan, who serves as both the artistic director of the competition and its principal conductor.

The finalists were Fernando Gaggini (Argentina/Italy), Leonard Weiss (Australia), Shun Oi (Japan), Keuntae Park and Jaehyuck Choi (South Korea), and Otis Kinta Enokido-Lineham (United Kingdom).

The jury included respected musicians George Pehlivanian, Vahagn Papian, Darrell Ang, Ni Fan, Ruben Jais, and Piotr Sułkowski.

The joint first prize was awarded to Fernando Gaggini and Leonard Weiss. Gaggini also received the Audience Award, while Weiss was honored with a Special Prize for the best interpretation of Khachaturian’s Symphony No. 2.

Leonard Weiss expressed his gratitude on Facebook, saying, “I was honoured to receive First Prize. Special thank you to everyone at the Competition for making me feel so welcome, and for this amazing and life-changing week in Yerevan! I look forward to returning very soon and can’t wait for our next performances together.”

Fernando Gaggini shared his feelings on social media as well, writing, “I’m beyond honored to share that I’ve won First Prize and the Audience Award at the 21st Khachaturian International Conducting Competition in Yerevan, Armenia!”

The Khachaturian International Competition remains a prestigious event that supports young musicians worldwide while celebrating the enduring impact of Aram Khachaturian’s music and Armenian culture. 

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