PRESS RELEASE
Grigori Balasanyan announced Conducting Apprentice for the 2026–2027 season
BOSTON, MA: August 10, 2026 — The Back Bay Chorale is pleased to announce Grigori Balasanyan as its Conducting Apprentice for the 2026–2027 season. The apprenticeship is a full-season, paid position built around immersive, hands-on experience: the Apprentice prepares and conducts sectional and full ensemble rehearsals, works closely with Music Director Stephen Spinelli in structured one-on-one mentorship sessions, and observes artistic planning and interpretive decision-making from the inside, leaving the season a stronger, more confident conductor.
"This opportunity represents much more than the next step in my career — it is the chance to learn from an ensemble with a remarkable artistic tradition while contributing to a community that values both musical excellence and human connection," said Balasanyan. "Every rehearsal is an opportunity to grow, and I am eager to embrace that process with humility, curiosity, and gratitude."
About Grigori Balasanyan Balasanyan
Grigori is an Armenian-American conductor, composer, and pianist whose work bridges Armenian musical traditions with contemporary artistic expression. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, he has composed since the age of eight, with works spanning orchestral, chamber, opera, ballet, and choral music, including The Bald Hedgehog — the first children's ballet in Armenian music history — and the opera Silent Tears, fully staged in Boston; his work has also been presented at Carnegie Hall. He is currently the Choral Conducting Graduate Assistant at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a scholarship recipient of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Richard Tufenkian Foundation, the Edward Hosharian Educational Institute, and the Guzik Foundation.
About the Apprenticeship
Podium experience is essential to the start of a conducting career, and mentored experience with a skilled ensemble is among the most valuable foundations it can have. The Back Bay Chorale Conducting Apprenticeship was established to address that gap, offering emerging conductors a structured, supported, and artistically serious path into the profession. The program welcomes graduate students, recent graduates, and early-career conductors ready to commit to a full season; faculty and educators are encouraged to share the opportunity with their networks. MORE...
About the Back Bay Chorale
The Back Bay Chorale is a 120-voice auditioned volunteer chorus that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Chorale maintains an ambitious concert calendar, highlighted by a recent landmark production of Carmina Burana at Symphony Hall in May 2026. MORE...