David Karapetyan (b. Glendale, CA, March 28, 1982) became obsessed suddenly with classical music at the age of 12, in particular the German classical tradition, teaching himself to play and compose on the piano shortly thereafter. He is to date largely self-taught as a composer and pianist, with no formal training. However, a great deal of credit and thanks must be given to Tim Ribchester https://timribchester.com, who has been invaluable from the psychological point of view so critical to composition, as a music teacher, mentor, and colleague.

In 2021 Karapetyan became fascinated anew by the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, particularly the recordings of the English Suites, Partitas, and single, double, and triple concertos by Murray Perahia, which is all he listened to for a period of about six months. However, once he hit upon the Well-Tempered Clavier recordings by András Schiff, this became an even larger obsession, and again all he could listen to for a period of a year. This deep study and immersion in these pieces, and the Clavier Übung in general, has resulted in a drastic change in style, and a number of compositions for piano, small chamber ensemble, and choir which combine a use of counterpoint, rhythmic dance sequences, and strident harmonies.

David Karapetyan was recently selected for the Universal Edition Composition Mentoring Program with composer David Moliner https://www.davidmoliner.com/about. During the program, Karapetyan will compose a new piece, which Mr. Moliner will premiere in Vienna at the Musikverein in early 2025.

Dr. Karapetyan received dual Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, which he attended on full scholarship (Regents’ Scholarship), and a Ph.D in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, which he attended on the Schmitt Fellowship. In his spare time, his hobbies include reading and performing standup comedy in Berlin.