Iris Torossian
Harpist | Actress
The orchestra being a true calling for her, she is soon invited to play within the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Orchestre National de France, the Paris Opera, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, the Orchestre d’Auvergne, the Orchestre Les Siècles, the All Armenian Orchestra, led by prestigious conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Pierre Boulez, Marek Janowski, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, Pierre Bleuse, Sofi Jeannin, Roberto Forés Veses, Jean-François Heisser, Alain Altinoglu, Lorenzo Viotti, Sascha Goetzel…
While part of the ensemble Musica Nigella and harp soloist of the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine, she also regularly plays with the Maîtrise and Chœur de Radio France.
Being passionate about chamber music, she has recorded a CD of French and Armenian music with the violinist Karen Kochafian, has recorded Berio's "Folk Songs" alongside mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch, has played in the transcription of Grieg's "Peer Gynt" for Ensemble Zellig's CD "Jivaro’s works".
She often takes part in the ensemble Musica Nigella's recordings, notably playing as a soloist on the records "Ravel l’exotique" and "Caplet le conteur".
Her partners are flautists Magali Mosnier, Sabine Morel and Anne-Cécile Cuniot, mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch, tenors Cyrille Dubois, Mathias Vidal, Samuel Boden, actor-singer Flannan Obé, violists David Gaillard, Laurent Camatte and Dahlia Adamopoulos, violinists Karen Khochafian, Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian, David Haroutunian, Paul Rouger, duduk player Artyom Minasyan, the Parisii quartet, and Indian violinist Dr L. Subramaniam, who specialises in Carnatic music.
Unanimously awarded both 1st prize on the harp and 1st prize in chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 1998, Iris Torossian followed an advanced training cycle in Isabelle Moretti's class there.
She is the laureate of the international chamber music competition of Arles, winning the Spedidam prize, as well as the 2nd prize of the international harp competition «Arpista Ludovico» in Madrid in 2002. She has likewise twice a finalist of the solo harp competition of the Paris Opera.
She has been invited to play both as a soloist and in chamber music abroad at the Kyoto International Music Students Festival, as well as multiple times in Zürich with the Tonhalle musicians, and also in recital in Montréal. In France, she has performed at the Gargilesse festival, the Folle Journée in Nantes, the Harpe en Avesnois festival, Royan's Jeudis Musicaux, Radio France's Festival Présences, the Colmar International Festival, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Salle Gaveau, the Sainte-Chapelle, and also on Réunion island.
Particularly involved in exchanging with today's composers, Iris Torossian has notably taken part in Fabien Lévy, Philippe Hersant, Nicolas Frize, Antonio Santana, Augustin Braud's creations, and has worked with the ensembles 2e2m, Musicatreize, and Zellig.
She is often invited to perform as a soloist for private events and in prestigious locations, such as the Marmottan-Monet Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Fontevraud Abbey, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs of Paris, the Carrousel du Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe Museum, but also in unique settings such as Rambouillet's animal park, in the midst of flying raptors.
She also loves sharing her instrument's technique, her repertoire and her orchestral excerpts. After having taught at Caen's CRR, she currently teaches at the CRD in Antony.
Eager for new scenic experiences, she is concurrently training as an actress (learn more >).
In 2025, among other activities, she will be at the Musica Nigella Festival wherein she will perform multiple programs as a soloist, as well as in a musical tale, in an Augustin Braud creation (in May and June), then at the Colmar Internation Festival alongside Magali Mosnier, Nora Gubisch and Alain Altinoglu (in July).
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