Mikael and Yulia Ayrapetyan Concert Inspires Audience with Rare Classical Repertoire
Radiant after their triumphant performance, Mikael and Yulia Ayrapetyan share a moment at the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center (UNLV), October 3, 2025.
October 4, 2025 — An unforgettable evening graced the Las Vegas audience at the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center in grand piano rhythms of celebrated Armenian composers.
As legendary pieces of Komitas, "Tsirani Tsar,” “Garun A," and Bagdasarian's Folk Dances such as "Zangezuri," and "Kochari," played by pianist Yulia Ayrapetyan, drops of tears of melancholy and glee poured from our hearts. From all walks of life, young and old in attendance felt inspired, awakened. This grand piano echoed an Armenian spirit and completed a missing piece in the legacy of classical music that our generation still highly regards.
Mikael Ayrapetyan, the founder of Secrets of Armenia and the force behind this international movement, brought the powerful pieces of Makar Ekmalian, Stéphan Elmas, Nikoghayos Tigranian, and fragments from the Gayane Ballet and Spartacus Ballet by Aram Khachaturian. It was a soulful dance between borders, and a reflection of our inner battles, as cultures, to unite on the classical music stage.
It made it that much more special that it took place in this private university hall, where Secrets of Armenia pianists Mikael Ayrapetyan and Yulia Ayrapetyan continued their world series concerts in Las Vegas, after a successful premiere in Los Angeles last month.
Diamonds Mirror had the chance to meet Mikael and Yulia Ayrapetyan backstage before their Las Vegas debut. Mikael remarked how perfect everything was here, "the perfect university, and city."
On stage, he added, as much as words could possibly reflect the importance and beauty of this evening.
"Every performance is more than music. It is a bridge between cultures. A dialogue between history and the present," said Mikael Ayrapetyan. "Many of these works have remained unknown outside of Armenia. Yet, they carry with them the voice of a nation: its poetry, spirit, and resilience."
Last month Secrets of Armenia celebrated 6 million all-time plays on Apple Music, and their recordings of Armenian repertoire in collaboration with the Naxos and Grand Piano labels have been critically acclaimed. Their world series of concerts which is truly a mission in its own right to conserve Armenian classical music on the world stage will continue to Madrid, Barcelona, and Chicago.
Among the audience was a 14-year-old aspiring pianist also of Armenian origin, Chanel Aramei Ketchum, who enjoyed an evening accompanied by her mother that simply felt like home. "What inspires me most is that not many people know about Armenia as it is, especially not Armenian music or composers. I want to be able to share that with people, because it is my culture."
It is threads like these, when at least one person finds the courage to follow in their footsteps that continue to complete the mission of Mikael and Yulia Ayrapetyan. Secrets of Armenia inspires a heart of gold with each performance and holds high the classical musical torch whose legacy in the 21st century is only beginning.
