Emmanuel Arakélian has been appointed Young Artist in Residence at the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, in New Orleans, Louisiana, made possible through the Elise Murray Cambon Memorial Trust. A native of Avignon, France, Arakélian began his musical studies at age 12 with organists Jean-Pierre Lecaudey and Henri Pourrau. At the Conservatoire National de Toulon, he studied organ with Pascal Marsault and harpsichord and basso continuo with Claire Bodin. He completed his studies in 2012 with highest honors and continued his harpsichord studies with Françoise Marmin and Françoise Lengellé. He entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris in 2012. He is an organ student of Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard; his studies in harpsichord and basso continuo are with Olivier Baumont and Blandine Rannou. Arakélian is a recipient of scholarships from the Fondation de France, the Fonds de Tarrazi, and the Fondation Meyer. He won second prize at the 2015 Grand Prix Bach competition in Lausanne.
His love for early music and his interest in instrument building have led him to work extensively with historic organs and harpsichords and to conduct research on baroque ornamentation and musical rhetoric. He is equally passionate about the organ music of contemporary composers such as Vincent Paulet, Bernard Foccroulle, Thierry Escaich, and Grégoire Rolland. Arakélian is organist of the Saint-Léonce Cathedral of Fréjus, France, and is artistic director of the cathedral’s concert series.
