Artashes Kartalyan, born 1961, Yerevan, is the composer of many symphonic and chamber works. His compositions abound in melodic and rhythmic elements having their sources in Armenian folk music. Kartalyan is also a jazz musician with an academic background, continually experimenting on Armenian themes in his creations. He inclines toward a subtle and delicate style of expression peculiar to Euro pean classical chamber music. He is the leader and director of the first ever jazz quartet in Armenia, known as the “Kartalyan Jazz Quartet,” and has appeared in well-known jazz festivals in the USSR and abroad. A prolific arranger, master orchestrator and brilliant keyboardist, Kartalyan is Music Director for various bands and orchestras based in California, and has a busy schedule traveling with his group around the world.

After settling In the United States with his family, Mr. Kartalyan has been actively involved with the Lark Conservatory, where he chairs the composition department and teaches counterpoint, orchestration, form and analysis, and advanced harmony.