Gohar Manvelyan receives the Hnatyshyn Foundation – Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting
Gohar Manvelyan (MMus'14, DMus'19, current MMus in conducting) has been awarded the fourth annual Hnatyshyn Foundation – Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting! Launched in 2017 in honour of the late conductor Franz-Paul Decker and his wife, Christa, this $15,000 fellowship is the result of a collaboration between the Schulich School of Music, the Decker family, and the Hnatyshyn Foundation, a charity founded by Canada’s twenty-fourth Governor General to support the development of young artists. All incoming Canadian students to the Schulich conducting program are considered for the Fellowship, which can be used to support tuition, expenses, and independent projects.
“Gohar Manvelyan is a uniquely well-rounded musician, holding graduate degrees in both piano performance and choral conducting. Further studies in Orchestral Conducting will now contribute to round off an already highly accomplished set of skills and prepare her for a successful future on the musical stage. Again, we thank the Hnatyshyn Foundation for its generous support which helps us further the development of young Canadian conductors.” Stéphane Lemelin, Department Chair, Performance Area
Armenian-born choral conductor and pianist Gohar Manvelyan has worked with the late Christopher Jackson and the Concordia University Chamber Choir as assistant conductor for several years. Since obtaining her Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Sherbrooke, she has held several positions as a conductor. She was the music director of the Montreal West-End Operatic Society during the production of The Gondoliers by Gilbert and Sullivan. She also worked as a teaching assistant for the McGill University Chorus, as well as directing the Schulich Singers of McGill University and the Armenian community choir Mashtots on many occasions. Obtaining her Doctorate from the Schulich School of Music in Choral Conducting with her thesis on Makar Yekmalyan’s Divine Liturgy: The Introduction of Polyphony in Armenian Sacred Music in 2019, she has returned to pursue studies in orchestral conducting. Dr. Manvelyan is the Artistic Director and Conductor of Les Muses Chorale (a female choral ensemble affiliated with McGill University) and the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Carousellers Community Choir in the South shore.
You can learn more about Schulich’s conducting programs here. Gohar will be sharing the podium with Maestro Alexis Hauser the McGill Symphony Orchestra on December 3 and 4 We can't wait to see what else her career has in store.
