He was appointed in August 2023 as General and Music Director of the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, with the mission to reposition this historic institution as a leading cultural force both regionally and internationally. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, he served as Principal Conductor of the same theatre from 2001 to 2015. A graduate of the Yerevan State Conservatory (1996), he continued his studies with Prof. Ilya Musin in St. Petersburg. Early in his career, he was appointed Associate Conductor of the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra and later Music Director of the “Britten and Armenia” International Festival. Durgaryan’s international career is particularly linked to Italy, where he has conducted the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro Regio Torino, Teatro Carlo Felice Genova, Teatro Verdi Sassari, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the “Luigi Cherubini” Orchestra, and appeared at the Ravenna Festival. He collaborates regularly with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali”, and other leading ensembles. He has performed with the Israel Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic, and made his debut at Teatro di San Carlo, Naples, with The Nutcracker, which he conducted again the following year. The 2025/26 season marks his debut at the Opera di Roma. In Russia, Durgaryan is a frequent guest of the Mikhailovsky Theatre and the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre and has appeared at the Mariinsky Theatre conducting Spartacus. His European engagements include the Leipzig Opera, Opéra National de Lyon, and Bayerische Staatsoper, where he led Khachaturian’s Spartak until 2019/20, as well as the Royal Ballet of Wallonia. Beyond the classical stage, he has collaborated with Lebanese icon Fairuz, conducting her concerts worldwide. The live album Fairuz at Beiteddine 2000 (EMI, produced by Ziad Rahbani) received international acclaim. Honored with the title of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Karen Durgaryan received in 2010 the nation’s highest award for achievement in art and culture.