Missak Baghboudarian

Born in Damascus, Syria. He began studying music at the State Music School of Damascus, earning a diploma in piano in 1987. In 1990 he was admitted to the High Music Institute where he perfected the study of the piano, took part in several concerts and master-classes with several international teachers, such as F. Thinat (France) and S. Navasartian (Armenia-France).
In 1994 he began to study conducting with maestro Solhi Al Wadi, the Director of the High Institute and the principal Conductor of the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra.
Missak made his first debut in December of 1994 at the Auditorium of the Congresses of Damascus. On several occasions he has conducted the Damascus Chamber Orchestra and the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra.
He obtained the degree in piano and conducting in 1995. Afterwards, he worked for two years as the Chair of Orchestration at the High Music Institute of Damascus and was also the Assistant Conductor at the National Symphony Orchestra.
In the summer of 1995 he was the “Maestro Collaborator” and the assistant conductor in the first opera work produced in Syria, Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell, in collaboration with the British Council.
In 1997 he got a scholarship from the Syrian government in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The scholarship was for perfection courses in conducting in Italy. After four years of studies, in 2002, he was successfully awarded a Diploma in the International Conducting Courses, organized by the “Hans Swarowsky Association” of Milan, under the guidance of Maestro Julius Kalmar (professor at the academy of Hamburg and Vienna). He took part in some master-classes with H. Handt (Italy), D. Pascu (Romania), M. Beck (Germany), Carl St. Clair (ICWF 2005 Bulgaria), Jorma Panula (Amsterdam 2007) and Riccardo Muti (Malta 2007).
He also studied conducting with Maestro Pinzauti and experimental composition with Maestro Mauro Cardi at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence.
As the preparatory master of the Harmonia Cantata Chorus he has taken part in discography productions of compositions of rare executions, such as the Opera Gli Zingari by R. Leoncavallo (Festival Estate Regina, Montecatini Terme, Italy, Kicco Classic records 1999) and the Domenico Cimarosa’s Requiem (Florence, Italy, Kicco Classic 2000).
In February 2001 he was invited to conduct the Amadeus Orchestra of Florence, and became the resident Conductor until 2003. He has conducted several concerts in various Tuscany cities (Florence, Chianciano, Vicchio, Poggibonsi, etc.). He has also conducted the Bruno Maderna Symphony Orchestra of Forlì, the Hans Swarowsky Orchestra of Milan and the Orchestra of the National Academy of Bucharest.
Since 2003 he is the lead Conductor of the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra with whom he had conducted several concerts in Syria (Damascus, Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs) and abroad (Lebanon – Bahrain - Jordan - Oman - U. A. E. - Turkey and Italy).
He worked with international soloists like Armen Babakhanian, Galina Vartcheva, Ghazwan Zerkly, Kinan Azmeh, Raji Sarkis, Daniele Giorgi, Bassam Nashawati, Gloria Scalchi, Riccardo Savdiford.
On 2004 he had the honor to conduct the SNSO in the opening concert of the Damascus Opera House in the presence of H.E. the President of the Syrian Arab Republic.
In 2006 he participated with The Orchestra of the High Institute of Music in Young-Euro-Classic festival at the Konzerthous Berlin.
In 1998 founder member of the “Cantiere Musicale di Toscana” Association – Italy.
From 1998 – 2006 Coordinator of the “Estate Regina” festival – Montecatini Terme - Italy.