Loris Tjeknavarian (born October 13, 1937, Broojerd), composer, Iranian Armenian orchestra conductor. He is one of the celebrated cultural characters of Iran and Armenia. As an orchestra conductor, he has conducted many orchestras with his own expenses in various parts of the world such as Austria, Britain, the USA, Canada, Finland, Armenia, Thailand. As a composer, he has performed six operas, symphonies and has produced some works in the field of the chorus, chamber orchestra and ballet music, piano, and singing and he also has produced some concertos for piano, violin, guitar, solo, and pipa besides many melodies for films. He has published more than 100 works with various labels like RCE, Philips, EMI, and ESV. His works have been performed by various orchestras such as the London Symphonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hall Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Symphonic Orchestra, Tehran Symphonic Orchestra, and New York Symphonic Orchestra. Life Youngness: 1942-1969 Loris Tjeknavarian was born in an Armenian family in Broojerd, the center of the Lorestan province. His father was from the east of Armenia and her mother was from the east of that country who has run away from the genocide of the year 1915. He reared up under the influence of three cultures: Iranian, Armenian, and Western Cultures. Education He has graduated from the Vienna Music Academy and orchestra conductorship of Michigan University. At first, he entered the high school of Firooz Bahram and then in 1953 started his music education in the music higher conservatory after a while he departed for Vienna and up to 1961, he studied in its conservatory in the field of music composing and orchestra conducting. By coming back to Iran along with teaching in the music conservatory and holding an exhibition of national musical instruments in the Tehran Goethe Institute, undertook the managing of the National House of Voice (Sedakhaneh) of Iran Fine Arts. Tjeknavarian left Iran for Austria in late 1963 and followed the process of music composing in Salzburg. After two years he went to the USA and for many years he studied in the field of music composition in Michigan. In 1970 he came back to Iran and as a guest conductor produced many musical works with the Tehran symphonic orchestra, chamber orchestra of Iran National Radio and Television which most of which were performed in Roodaki Talar. In 1972 Tjeknavarian was assigned as the conductor of the Tehran Opera Orchestra. By the victory of the revolution, he left Iran for Armenia and resided there, and followed his artistic works in Yerevan. At the present time, he is the conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Roodaki Hall. He has produced more than 75 works including symphony, opera, violin cell, pipa, ballet music, and some works for the chorus group, as well as a requiem and an oratorio and more than 45 music for films. Tjeknavarian was the conductor of the Armenia Philharmonic Orchestra from the years 1989 and 2000 and mostly he was residing in Armenia. He stayed three years (1991-3) in Vienna for charity performances. In 2005 he performed a concert with the cooperation of Shahram Nazeri and Komitas, a great Armenian Orchestra which was published in 2011 by the Avay-e-Barbad Publications under the name of Shahram Nazeri and Loris Tjeknavarian. Loris Tjeknavarian, the conductor of the Iranian Orchestra, has published and presented a sarcastic book under the title of “The Land of Asses” which is a collection of satiric short stories. Tjeknavarian the man with a humorous disposition has depicted a land that is run by the asses. Some Views about Tjeknavarian The great men of music have written about him: “He possesses an enormous talent who has kept and expanded the traditions of Armenian music, … and he is an outstanding musician and conductor.” Aram Khachaturian “His gifts namely his artistic works are very interesting.” Karl Erf“ An able talented composer, an experienced conductor, and an expert musician.” Lucas Fuss Works 1. The opera of Pardis and Parisa 2. The opera of Rustam and Sohrab 3. The ballet of Simorgh (Phoenix) 4. The melody of Light and Sound (for the Persepolis Festivals) 5. Tokata and Fog (for the orchestra of stringed instrument) 6. Concerto for piano 7. Symphony of Persepolis (2005) Short Film 1. To Grow Horns out of Astonishment 2. The Holy Shrine of Imam Reza 3. The Religions 4. The One Has Risen up 5. The Safavid Buildings 6. Tourists in Iran 7. Chehelsotoon (an edifice with 40 pillars) 8. Haj Mossaver-ol-Maleki 9. Biography 10. Ali Qapoo (an edifice belong to the Safavid era) 11. The complex of Ganj Ali Khan 12. Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque 13. Ilkhani (Mongol) Architecture 14. Timurid Architecture 15. Seljuk Architecture 16. Iran’s Views 17. Hasht Behesht (the palace belong the Safavid Kings in Isfahan)