StepanArmasar

Stepan Armasar is a Moldovan conductor celebrated for his musical intelligence, clarity of gesture, and natural authority on the podium. In 2025, as the youngest participant, he won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition, impressing both jury and orchestra with his interpretation of Luciano Berio’s Rendering.

In the 2026–27 season, Stepan will assume the position of Bernard Haitink Associate Conductor with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Spanning two seasons, he will work closely with Klaus Mäkelä and other distinguished guest conductors, both in Amsterdam and on tour, while also coaching orchestra members in ensemble settings and contributing to the orchestra’s talent development initiatives. In the latter half of the 2027–28 season, he will spend a dedicated week with the orchestra, conducting several subscription concerts.

Born in 2000, he began his musical training at the Secondary Special Music School of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, studying accordion with Professor Alexander Dmitriev. During this period he became a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the Coupe Mondiale (Italy, 2017) and the Trophée Mondiale (France, 2017). He was also the recipient of the Cultural Initiatives Award presented by Maestro Yuri Temirkanov.

Since entering the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 2019, he has studied conducting under Professor Peter Gribanov, later joining the Faculty of Opera and Symphony Conducting.

Stepan has collaborated with orchestras across Europe and Russia, including the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concert Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Festival Orchestra, the Karaganda Symphony Orchestra, and the Rostov State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.