Isabel Bayrakdarian (Armenian: Իզապէլ Պայրագտարեան; born February 1, 1974) is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States.[1]
Bayrakdarian is the subject of a film entitled A Long Journey Home[10] that documents her first trip to Armenia. A major North American tour by Bayrakdarian in October 2008 featured the music of Komitas Vardapet with concerts in Toronto,[11] San Francisco, Orange County, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston and New York's Carnegie Hall. She was accompanied by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anne Manson. This Remembrance Tour was dedicated to victims of all genocides and was sponsored by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (a division of Zoryan Institute).[12]
In addition to her first prize at the Operalia Competition and four consecutive Juno Awards, Bayrakdarian has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the 2005 Virginia Parker Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts,[13] the Leonie Rysanek Award from the George London Foundation, the Mesrob Mashdots Medal on behalf of the Holy See of Cilicia on August 15, 2004,[14] a Metropolitan Opera National Council Award in 1997, and Armenia's "Komitas Medal", bestowed upon by the Minister of Diaspora, Dr. Hranush Hakobian.[15] Most recently, she was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal—Armenia's highest cultural award—from the President of Armenia in celebration of Armenia's Independence, on September 21, 2017.[16]
Her first recording, titled Joyous Light was released in March 2002 and rose to No. 1 in the Canadian classical charts. Soon afterwards, her vocals were featured in Atom Egoyan's film Ararat, and in the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in the track "Evenstar".
Since then she has won four consecutive Juno Awards for "Classical Album of the Year – Vocal or Choral Performance" for the following recordings: Azulão (Bluebird), an album featuring Spanish and Latin American songs (2004);[17]Cleopatra, featuring arias sung by the character Cleopatra from operas by Handel, Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Adolph Hasse and Johann Mattheson (2004); Pauline Viardot: Lieder Chansons Canzoni Mazurkas, (2006); and Mozart: Arie e Duetti with fellow Canadians Russell Braun and Michael Schade (2007). In late 2007, Tango Notturno, a collection of tango songs, was released on CBC Records. Her album Isabel Bayrakdarian: Gomidas Songs, featuring songs by the 19th century Armenian composer Komitas Vardapet, was released on September 23, 2008, on the Nonesuch label and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Vocal Performance category.
Her dance music single "Angelicus" with the Vancouver electronica group Delerium made it to the top of Billboard Dance music charts in March 2007 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.[18]
Mozart: Arie e Duetti, with Russell Braun, Michael Schade and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, conducted by Richard Bradshaw (CBC Records, 2006)
Passing By – Songs by Jake Heggie, with Zheng Cao, Susan Graham, Paul Groves, Joyce DiDonato, Keith Phares, Frederica von Stade, Dawn Harms (violin), CarlaMaria Rodrigues (viola), Emil Miland (cello) and Jake Heggie (piano) (Avie, 2010)
Troubadour and the Nightingale, by Ravel, Sayat-Nova, Kradjian with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anne Manson (MCO Records, 2014)
Ottorino Respighi: Il Tramonto, with Orchestre symphonique de Laval conducted by Alain Trudel (Atma Classique, 2015)
The Other Cleopatra – Queen of Armenia, by Hasse, Vivaldi and Gluck with the Kaunas City Symphony conducted by Constantine Orbelian (Delos, 2020)
