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Despite financial difficulties, leaders of the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia (SPOA) expect a busy year that will also include a number of joint projects with noted conductors and soloists invited from abroad.

The Orchestra set up about 80 years ago now has 116 musicians. SPOA director Ruzanna Sirunyan says their annual budget is around $800,000-900,000, which is mainly provided from state funds as well as by sponsors.

“Now our main goal is to set up a fund for the SPOA where philanthropists could invest their money, while we will use the interest [from that invested money] to carry out all our projects that very often remain incomplete because of the lack of funds,” says Sirunyan, who adds that the salaries of musicians will also be raised.

Although according to SPOA Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Eduard Topchyan the Philharmonic’s musicians receive a much higher salary than their counterparts in any other similar state-funded institutions (on the average, the salary ranges from $400 to $600), several musicians have still left the orchestra as this salary is still uncompetitive.

“There has always been this outflow, but in recent years it almost stopped. Still, last year we lost a few musicians – a clarinetist, a violinist, a cellist, a tuba player, whom we need very much,” says the conductor. “As people play well, they get offers of better conditions from abroad. It is not with pleasure that they leave, it is that they have to go.”

Topchyan says that he also receives a lot of offers to work abroad, but turns them down. He says he has accepted only one such invitation from Spain where he is likely to spent a week every month.

“During the year I will spend six or seven months in Armenia and will continue my work in the Philharmonic,” says Topchyan, adding that during his work in Spain he also managed to make an arrangement with one of the Spanish valtorna players, who will visit Armenia several times during the year to work at the Philharmonic and during those days he will replace the local valtorna players.

“It’s time we brought in a few people instead of giving them away. Along with the continuous growth of the country, our orchestra, too, should be able to reach all possible heights,” says the maestro.

Topchyan also plans to create a music academy in September. He says it will have the first graduates by 2020 and these academy graduates will be high-level musicians capable of ensuring a smooth change of generations at the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Meanwhile, this year the SPOA plans tours in a number of European countries as well as in the United Arab Emirates. It also expects joint concerts with the Symphonic Orchestra and Michel Legrand, and rock groups.