Konstantin Orbelyan
Armenian pianist, improviser, composer, conductor and head of the State Estrada Orchestra, Konstantin Orbelyan, was born on 29 July 1928. He studied composition and piano with Edward Mirzoyan at Yerevan Komitas Conservatory, and was recognised early in his career for his string quartet.
He conducted the Armenian State Pops Orchestra for thirty-six years.
Winning various awards in the former Soviet Union, he was secretary of the Armenian Composer's Union from 1983 until his death on 24 April 2014, aged eighty-five.