Yerevan International Flute Festival brings world-renowned musicians to Armenia for third edition

The third Yerevan International Flute Festival is bringing together renowned flutists, musicologists and students from 16 cities across Europe and Asia, further strengthening its place in Armenia’s cultural scene.

Organized through cooperation between The State Philharmonia of Armenia and the Flute Bridges international project, the festival is running from November 1 to 7 and features three concerts, more than 100 masterclasses, lectures and creative meetings.

Speaking at a press conference on November 2, Armen Manassian, General Producer of The State Philharmonia of Armenia, said it was an honor for the institution to host the festival.

“It is gradually developing and expanding. This year, too, we have a constellation of flutists from some of the world's most prestigious concert halls. Our special guest is world-renowned cellist and now also conductor Narek Hakhnazaryan, who will conduct the KV Art Orchestra at the festival's opening concert. I hope that this year, too, our country will experience a true celebration of the flute,” he said.

Manassian noted that jazz music would be featured at the festival for the first time, while electronic music would also be performed following one of the concerts.

Festival founder and artistic director Vardan Virabyan also emphasized the high caliber of the participating musicians.

“We have soloists from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Hungary, France, Kazakhstan, Russia and Armenia. One of the highly anticipated soloists is renowned flutist Vincent Lucas. He is a professor at the Paris Conservatoire and principal flutist of the Orchestre de Paris. The fact that the number of festival participants has increased shows that our festival is well known in Europe and Russia. Many musicians express a strong desire to take part in it every year,” Virabyan said.

He added that even flute festivals with decades of history do not often have the opportunity to organize concerts featuring an orchestra.

According to Virabyan, the festival's most significant achievement is that leading international musicians are eager to come to Armenia. Some musicians are participating for the third time, while the growing number of participants is another indicator of the festival's success.

Virabyan said that many people were still unfamiliar with the flute as an instrument, but the organizers were making persistent efforts to promote it. Various flute concerts are organized in Armenia, while an international summer flute school operates in Gyumri, among other initiatives.

Narek Avagyan, a flutist and co-organizer of the festival who also leads the KV Art Orchestra, said rehearsals had already begun and that the organizers were doing their utmost to ensure high-quality concerts.

“As a musician living and teaching in Armenia, I would like to say that the festival is helping increase interest in the flute. Young people are becoming interested in the instrument. The concerts held during previous editions were very important for both established and aspiring flutists. For them, the festival was the first and only opportunity to hear world-class flutists perform live and see what is happening in the international music scene. Interacting with foreign musicians during masterclasses has also helped young people see and understand just how many talented flutists there are. Armenia has become a fairly significant player in the world of flute music. Our festival is being talked about, both openly and behind the scenes,” Avagyan emphasized.

Among this year's festival participants is flutist Elen Virabyan, who won third prize representing Armenia at the 2026 Eurovision Young Musicians international competition.

She said the festival was very important for Armenia and for musicians who have the opportunity to attend numerous masterclasses and perform alongside renowned artists.

“An event like this does not happen every day. Participants from different countries are very happy to interact with other musicians, exchange experiences and develop their musical skills,” Elen said.

The festival concerts will take place at the Arno Babajanyan Concert Hall of The State Philharmonia of Armenia, while other events will be held at the Philharmonia's other venues.

The participants include internationally acclaimed flutists Vincent Lucas (France), Silvia Careddu (Italy), Riccardo Cellacchi (Italy), Felix Renggli (Switzerland), Evgeniya Spalinger (Switzerland), Maria Fedotova (Russia), Vasilisa Melnikova (Russia), Zsófia Lázár (Hungary), Benedek Csalog (Hungary), Yerzhan Kushanov (Kazakhstan), Zara Parvanyan (Armenia/Russia), Elen Virabyan (Armenia/Russia), Narek Avagyan (Armenia) and Arman Abrahamyan (Armenia).

One of the festival's distinctive features is the presentation of less commonly encountered types of flutes. For the first time in Armenia, the bass flute and the Baroque-era flute known as the traverso will be performed. The concert programs will also feature the alto flute and piccolo. Several works will receive their Armenian premieres.

The festival brings together different cultures, performance traditions and generations from East and West. One international publication described it as “a bridge of flutes between Asia and Europe, the West and the East.”