Born in Cairo, Egypt of Armenian parents, Roupen Shakarian’s interest in music began at the age of four when he heard Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Bach’s Little Fugue in g-minor. His musical studies in piano were interrupted when the family immigrated to the United States. When the family settled in Seattle, he began taking violin lessons and resumed piano playing. He also explored, in his formative years, the viola, composition and singing.

Roupen received his musical training at the University of Washington, receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Music degrees in Music Composition. Along with private composition lessons, he studied, piano, harpsichord, viola, voice, choral and orchestral conducting. He led numerous performances of contemporary works, acting as the principal conductor for the Composer's Lab, student conductor of The Contemporary Group, conductor of several opera scenes and musical coach for various instrumental and vocal students. In addition, as a graduate student, he taught first year Theory and Ear Training courses for two years. After a four-month stay in London, England, Mr. Shakarian returned and entered Yale University for conducting studies with Otto-Werner Mueller.

He is now an active composer and conductor in Seattle, where presently he is in his nineteenth year as music director of Philharmonia Northwest. He is also a full-time music faculty member at North Seattle Community College. Mr. Shakarian has appeared as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Symphony Chorale, the Seattle Youth Symphony, the Belle Arte Festival, Oregon's Peter Britt Festival Orchestra, the Northwest Mahler Festival, the California Youth Symphony and several of the community orchestras and choruses in the Seattle area. From 1992 - 1995, while still the music director of Philharmonia Northwest, he held the position of music director of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra in Edmonds, Washington. In December 1996, Mr. Shakarian appeared as guest conductor for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, conducting 10 performances of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet. In the summer of 1996, Mr. Shakarian and Philharmonia Northwest recorded works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Ravel and in August 1998 recorded Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 "Lobgesang". In November 1998, he was invited to guest conduct the Victoria Symphony in Victoria, B.C., Canada. For the 2004-2005 season, Mr. Shakarian has been appointed as the interim director of the Skagit Symphony.

A recipient of numerous commissions, his works include Whimsy and Chamber Symphony (both written for Philharmonia Northwest), The Turnip, Clock, and the Kid, commissioned and recorded by The Rainier Chamber Winds, Five Bagatelles for woodwind quintet, Concertino a Duende or flute, guitar and orchestra, Flute Concerto, and Pastime for a small ensemble, Inner Places for organ and brass, Other Voices for chorus and small ensemble, and choral works published by Oxford University Press.
Roupen Shakarian