Canadian-Armenian bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian begins the 2026-27 season with an appearance at Edmonton Opera as Basilio in The Barber of Seville. He returns to the Opéra national de Paris to perform Masetto, Don Giovanni (Opéra national de Paris); The Officer, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Opéra national de Paris), and Le Duc de Vérone, Roméo at Juliette (Opéra national de Paris).
Recent career highlights include Figaro, Le Nozze di Figaro (Opéra national de Paris), Sparafucile, Rigoletto (Opéra de Lausanne), Nick Shadow, The Rake’s Progress (Verbier Festival), Lo Zio Bonzo, Madama Butterfly (Opéra national de Paris), Lord Gualtiero Valton, I Puritani (Opéra national de Paris), Basilio, The Barber of Seville (Des Moines Metro Opera), and his Wagnerian role debut as Fasolt, Das Rheingold (Edmonton Opera). As a resident artist at Opera San José, he performed Basilio, The Barber of Seville, Frère Laurent, Romeo and Juliet, and Capitán, Florencia en el Amazonas.
As a recipient of numerous awards, Gabrielian was a finalist of the 2022 Belvedere Competition and a National Semi-Finalist of the 2023 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. He has been generously supported by the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Sylva Gelber Foundation, Career Bridges Schuyler Foundation, Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and the George London Foundation.
He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Curtis Institute of Music and is an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s ensemble and the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice program.
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Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro)
Opéra National de Paris, December 2025
"The star of the evening, Vartan Gabrielian gives a dazzling performance as Figaro. With his powerful, resonant voice, the Armenian baritone captivates the audience from his very first aria, ‘Non più andrai’, sung with joy and gentle mockery. Throughout the evening, his jovial and cunning Figaro held the audience's attention. The recitative in his fourth-act aria, ‘Aprite un po' quegl'occhi’, was theatrically inspired and impeccably performed."
Christian Peter, Forumopera.com
I Puritani (Lord Gualtiero Valton)
Opéra national de Paris, February 2025
"Vartan Gabrielian, as Lord Gualtiero Valton (Elvira’s father), delivered a well-supported bass-baritone with a beautiful legato, adding gravitas to the role."
Laura Servidei, OperaWire
"Valton (Vartan Gabrielian) demonstrates his impenetrable nature as governor."
Tancrède Lahary, ForumOpera.com
Madama Butterfly (Lo zio Bonzo)
Opéra national de Paris, September 2024
"Furthermore, I would like to mention Vartan Gabriellan who sang Lo zio Bonzo and really shouted 'Butterfly' so impressively that it made you cold. He is a very driven and sympathetic singer, who this year is part of the Troupe lyrique of the Paris Opera."
Monique Ten Boske, OperaMagazine.nl
"... Vartan Gabrielian delivers a compelling performance as the vengeful and indignant Bonze."
Par Philippe Scagni, Olyrix
Don Basilio, The Barber of Seville
Des Moines Metro Opera, June 2024
“[Gabrielian’s]…booming, malevolent delivery of La calunnia rocked the house.”
James Sohre, Opera Today
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