Mikhail Arsenevich Tavrizian

Born May 14 (27), 1907, in Baku; died Oct. 17, 1957, in Yerevan. Soviet conductor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1956).

Tavrizian graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory as a violinist in 1932 and as a conductor in 1934; he studied conducting under A. V. Gauk. He became conductor of the Armenian Theater of Opera and Ballet in 1935 and principal conductor in 1938. In 1948 he appeared at the Bol’shoi Theater of the USSR, where he conducted Verdi’s Rigoletto and Tchaikovsky’s lolanta. He also conducted symphonic works.

Tavrizian’s activities played an important role in the development of Soviet Armenian operatic art. Tavrizian was a deputy to the fourth convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1946 and 1951 for his work on the productions of Chukhadzhian’s Arshak II and Stepa-nian’s The Heroine. He was also awarded the Orderof Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.