Kapan International Music Festival to Take Place Third Time, Welcomes World-Class Artists and Debuts in Armenia
Society
The Kapan International Music Festival (Kapan Fest) proudly announces its third annual edition, taking place from July 4 to 15, 2025 in the city of Kapan, located in Armenia’s Syunik region. The festival continues cultural revival by bringing together internationally acclaimed musicians and introducing diverse musical genres to Armenian audiences.
A major highlight of this year’s Festival is the Armenian debut of legendary pianist Martha Argerich, a 2016 Kennedy Center Honoree. She will be joined by an exceptional roster of global talent, including Marian Petrescu, Arturo Solar, Theodosia Ntokou, Francesco Vila, Dong-Hyek Lim, Lida Chen Argerich, Damien Darioli, Iddo Bar-Shai, Jean-Marie Paraire and more.
In the Kapan Fest first, Electronica music will be introduced through a performance by renowned multi-instrumentalist Philipp Johann Thimm. Another exclusive feature is a rare exhibition of the 18th-century string instruments, including Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù violins, curated by renowned violin maker Florian Leonhard, for the second year.
Held at the Kapan Organ Hall, the Fest comprises daily concerts and master classes with more than 50 young musicians from across Armenia, Denmark, Slovakia, Portugal, and local music students from Kapan.
The festival also continues its close collaboration with leading Armenian and international artists who have supported the initiative since its inception, including Hayk Kazazyan, Marianna Shirinyan, Julien Libeer, Andrey Gridchuk, Anna Sarkisova, Christian Erbslöh Papazian, Ursula von Lerber-Erbslöh, Elly Suh, Hrachya Avanesyan, Armen Nazaryan, Armen Karamyan, Norayr Kartashyan, Tigran Suchyan, Narek Avagyan and others.
This year, Kapan Fest will again host the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Sergey Smbatyan, and welcome renowned Armenian artists Astrig Siranossian, Ruzan Mantashyan, and Miqayel Voskanyan to its artistic family.
Founder of the Kapan Fest and renowned cellist Sevak Avanesyan shares:
“What began as a crazy dream and a vision to bring musical revival to Armenia, the Kapan Fest has now become one of the celebrated and leading music festivals in the world, in just three years. It is more than a concert series—it’s a celebration of cultural resilience, artistic excellence, and community spirit.”
The Kapan Fest 2025 is supported by the Kapan Municipality, Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, AGBU France, The European Union Delegation in Armenia, embassies of the Kingdom of Belgium, Switzerland and Argentina in Armenia, Pirastro, Amaras Art Alliance, Hamazkayin Eastern Region, Arslanian Foundation, Goethe-Institut, MG Concerts, Karas Wines, Gurkha Cigar, GG and Enterprise companies, benefactors Thomas Wang and Regina Sir, and many other friends of the Festival.
