Aram Khachaturian Museum

Address: Zarobyan Street 3, 0009 Yerevan
Phone: +374 10 589 418
Open: Mon-Sat: 11am-5pm, Sun: closed
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Shooting Day: 2.6.2023

The House-Museum of Aram Khachaturian: A Living Sanctuary of Musical Heritage

Located in the center of Yerevan, near Marshal Baghramyan Avenue, the Aram Khachaturian House-Museum stands as a profound tribute to one of the most prominent twentieth-century composers and a giant of world classical music. The museum complex beautifully integrates the original mansion presented to the maestro by the Armenian government in 1945 with a striking, modern multi-story expansion featuring a facade lined with arches that resemble tuning forks.

🏛️ The Permanent Exhibition and Artifacts

The ground floor preserves the composer's authentic residential rooms completely unchanged, allowing visitors to step into the exact spaces where Khachaturian lived, hosted distinguished international guests, and composed some of his masterworks. The upper floor houses ten bright exhibition showrooms detailing his biography, world tours, and creative timeline. Priceless personal artifacts on display include his grand piano, his conductor's baton, his official tailcoat, and numerous original music manuscripts—the latter officially inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register.

🎵 A Multifunctional Cultural & Educational Hub

Beyond preserving material history, the complex functions as an active center for live music, specialized craftsmanship, and musical education:

• The Elegant Concert Hall: Fulfilling a personal wish expressed by the maestro during his final years, the building features an in-house concert hall with exceptional acoustics and a premium Bechstein grand piano. The hall regularly hosts live chamber music performances, international festivals, music competitions, and masterclasses by prominent local and foreign musicians.

• Music Library and Sound Archives: The facility includes a rich sound library containing roughly 7,000 recordings of Khachaturian’s compositions alongside global classical masterpieces.

• Educational Programs for Children: The museum is deeply committed to youth music education. It hosts targeted cultural-educational initiatives, such as interactive school lectures and creative workshops where children are encouraged to paint while listening to the composer's symphonies.

• Specialized Violin Workshop: Adding to its rare institutional scope, the complex houses a specialized in-house workshop dedicated exclusively to the expert restoration and repair of violins and other string instruments.

📍 Visitor Information

• Address: 3 Zarobyan Street, Yerevan

• Structure: Managed as a state-protected memorial institution, serving as both a research archive and a premier venue for classical music appreciation in the capital.

The Story of the Signed 1911 Pleyel Piano

Among the many priceless treasures in the museum's collection, this exquisite brown 1911 Pleyel grand piano holds one of the most fascinating and lighthearted stories from Aram Khachaturian’s life.

In 1957, during his grand concert tour of South America, Khachaturian visited São Paulo, Brazil. A wealthy Armenian antiquarian and passionate admirer named Tigran Mostidjian decided to host a lavish reception in honor of the maestro at his private residence. However, Mostidjian faced a major dilemma: he did not own a piano, yet he was absolutely determined to hear the master play in his home.

To solve this, Mostidjian went out and specially purchased this premium, historic French Pleyel piano just for the party. Khachaturian graciously agreed to perform and played excerpts from his famous works. Following the performance, the ecstatic host did something completely unexpected—he handed the composer an iron nail and insisted that Khachaturian scratch his autograph directly into the piano's expensive wooden lid.

Khachaturian strongly resisted at first, horrified at the thought of vandalizing such a beautiful, high-quality instrument. However, after persistent coaxing from the host, he finally relented and carved his signature into the wood. The piano later traveled to Argentina as part of Mostidjian's daughter's dowry, until the family officially donated it to the Yerevan House-Museum in 1988. It remains in flawless playing condition today, with the authentic nail-carved signature still clearly visible.

You can inspect this historic instrument up close in this virtual tour under the hotspot name "1911 Pleyel Piano" inside the Concert Hall.

Educational Programs and Creative Workshops

Beyond its role as a historical archive, the Aram Khachaturian House-Museum operates as an active cultural and educational hub. The museum’s versatile multi-purpose rooms are dedicated to specialized courses, interactive workshops, and educational initiatives designed for both local youth and international professionals.

🎨 Key Educational Activities:

• Interactive Children's Workshops: The museum hosts targeted multi-step programs—such as "Our Khachaturian" and "Let's Travel with Khachaturian"—which combine classical music appreciation with painting, dance, and geography lessons utilizing modern mobile technologies.

• Cultural and Language Clubs: Interactive courses for teenagers and adults focus on global art history and cultural dialogue, conducted across multiple languages including Armenian, English, and Russian.

• Museum Education Center: The facility serves as a professional training center, hosting scientific seminars, international expert panels, and specialized lectures focused on modern museum pedagogy and cultural development.

These dynamic activities take place in the dedicated Educational Space and Workshop Room sections of the building, separate from the primary exhibition galleries.