Kristina Arakelyan

Kristina Arakelyan is an award-winning composer and pianist. Kristina studied music composition at the Royal Academy of Music (BMus) and the University of Oxford (MA), generously supported by the Raffy Manoukian trust, the Luys foundation and St Peter’s College choral scholarship. She is currently studying PhD in music at King’s College, London, supervised by Silvina Milstein and Sir George Benjamin, researching the connection between extra-musical metaphor and composition technique. Kristina’s numerous awards have included BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers’ competition, Overall Cup of the EPTA Composition Competition, First Prize in the Shakespeare 400 Orchestra of the Swan and first prize in the NCEM Composer's award and as a pianist, the Wigmore Hall Award. 

Kristina has had masterclasses most notably with John Adams, Oliver Knussen, Bernard d'Ascoli, Steven Osborne and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. Her compositions have been heard on BBC Radio 3, London Live and the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Steinway Hall, St John's Smith Square, Conville and Caius College (Cambridge), Jacqueline du Pre auditorium (Oxford), St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Southbank Centre and in concert halls in Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Armenia and Croatia.