Current MMus student, Gohar Manvelyan (MMus'14, DMus'19) has filled her life with music from a young age. An accomplished solo pianist, she already holds a master's in piano performance and a doctorate in choral conducting from McGill. She now returns to the Schulich School of Music to complete a new set of challenges with an MMus in orchestral conducting. With dedication to her craft and a committed pursuit to learn, understand, and communicate, it came as no surprise that Gohar received the 2021 Hnatyshyn Foundation Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting.
As she prepares to lead the McGill Symphony Orchestra on December 3 and 4, we reached out via email to learn a little bit more about her, her studies, and what’s in store this weekend.
You received the 2021 Hnatyshyn Foundation Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting. What will this award enable you to do?
It is a great honour to receive the 2021 Hnatyshyn Foundation Christa and Franz-Paul Decker Fellowship in Conducting and I thank the Schulich School of Music for nominating me for this Fellowship. It will enable me to devote my time towards expanding my knowledge of the orchestral conducting repertoire thus leading me to explore new avenues in the orchestral conducting world both academically and professionally.
Is there a moment that brought you to this place in your music studies and career — one that changed your course or confirmed it?
I have had the pleasure of performing with an orchestra as a solo pianist. While playing, I felt so much energy coming from the orchestra musicians who were all working towards the same goal of making beautiful music together. At that moment, I realized that it would be so exciting to express myself through my gestures with the aid of a conducting baton. I decided that one day, I would ultimately pursue a career in orchestral conducting!
What do you see as the role and responsibility of a conductor?
Conductors are educators and motivators. Their main responsibility is to inspire the musicians they are working with to unleash the musicians' full potential.
How does orchestral conducting compare with choral conducting?
It is similar in terms of the conducting patterns, i.e., the 4/4 or the 6/8 patterns are conducted pretty much in the same way for both disciplines. However, it may differ in terms of the approach. Overall, orchestral conducting may require more precision and sharpness from the ictus, perhaps due to the nature of working with instruments, while choral conducting may require a little less sharpness of gestures (unless the composition really requires that) and more continuity and horizontality of gestures. Of course, this does not apply 100% of the time (indeed, very far from that!). Many orchestral lines require a good and expressive legato gesture from the conductors. So, if one had to distinguish one from the other, that's how I would characterize it.
What drew you back to Schulich to study orchestral conducting?
One should never stop learning. The moment one stops learning, her/ his career is over. By going back to McGill to do my third degree, I challenged myself to conquer new heights and to open new horizons. It is always challenging and never easy but thus far, I have been enjoying the process enormously.
Tell us a little about the upcoming piece you’re conducting with the McGill Symphony Orchestra.
The piece that I will conduct is a delightful Waltz by a 19th century American composer of a free-born Creole descent Edmond Dédé. The piece is called "Chicago, Grande Valse à l'Américaine." It is conceived and written in a very theatrical manner containing many contrasting sections, ranging from the highly dramatic to the lyrical and playful.
What should every student leave Schulich knowing?
McGill is an exceptional school for professional growth. The overall environment nurtures and stimulates the students' creativity and promotes professional excellence. Just know that by the end of your studies, you will be a better musician who will have an impact in the professional musical world.
Dream piece to conduct?
Oh, that's a tough one. There are so many pieces that I would like to conduct. But if I absolutely had to pick just one, that would be J.S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
Conductor(s) you admire?
Many of them, including Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Valery Gergiev, Simon Rattle and many others.
What would you like to see/hear more of in your field?
I would like to see more newly commissioned pieces for the orchestra as well as more diversity in the conductors' backgrounds.
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.
