Ardashes Kmpetian
Born: March 10, 1900, Alexandropol (Gyumri) | Died: February 12, 1967, Paris
Active years (performance): 1923-1960
Label Association: Ararat Exclusivité Alkaz

As a young man, Ardashes Kmpetian followed in his father's footsteps, gaining acclaim for his recitation of lyrical narratives, a musical form of storytelling. Born on March 10, 1900 in Gyumri (then Alexandropol) in the Russian Empire, Kmpetian was raised in a musically rich environment. His father, Ashough Pesendi (born Mardiros Kmpetian), was a renowned performer among both Turkish and Armenian audiences in his native Sebastia (Click here to read more.) After the Constitution of 1908 was announced, he, like many other Armenians, gained hope and returned to the Ottoman Empire. Ardashes began his career as a stage actor, joining the Arevelyan Taderakhump (Eastern Theatre Troupe) under the direction of Mihrtad Haygazn. But just as his fledgling career was beginning to take off, Kmpetian would flee the newly established Turkish state in 1923, settling in Paris.

Kmpetian would become a leading figure in the Parisian theater scene, joining the Parizahay Dramatik (Armenian-Parisian Dramatic Group), founded by Dertad Neshanian. He performed a number of roles on stage, from Ishkan in Levon Shant's "Ancient/Old Gods" to Iago in Shakespeare's "Othello". Through the decades, Kmpetian shared the stage with actors such as Hovhaness Zarifian, Petros Adamian, Varham Papazian, Asia Gostanian, Setrak Sourabian, and others. In both1948 and 1954, he premiered new plays by Grigor Vahan: Two Roads, a play about Armenian life in Paris and Tigran the Great. Known for his booming voice, Kmpetian gained acclaim for his recitals of popular Armenian poems, often accompanied by musicians. While his focus and dedication lay with the Parisian-Armenian theater, he also played small roles in nearly a dozen French films using the name Kmpetian.

In 1953, the Paris-based Ararat record label produced three discs documenting Kmpetian’s powerful and rousing voice. Included with this article are four examples of Kmpetian’s exceptional recitations of poems by Fr. Ghevond Alishan ԲԱՄ, ՓՈՐՈՏԱՆ (Boom, They Roar) , Silva Kaputikyan ԽՈՍՔ ԻՄ ՈՐԴՒՈՅՍ (A Word To My Son), Vahan Tekeyan ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻՆ ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆ (Armenian Church) and Hovhaness Toumanyan ՀԱՅՐԵՆԻՔԻՍ ՀԵՏ (With My Fatherland).

After Ardashes Kmpetian’s passing in 1967, his friend and collaborator Grigor Vahan published the following lines:

“If it’s true the spirit comes back, Kmpetian’s spirit will always be there, where the Armenian language is heard, where Armenian art flourishes… And it will continue the sweet longing and dreams of the Armenian world.”

Grigor Vahan, 1969

Poems read by Ardashes Kmpetian:

ԲԱՄ, ՓՈՐՈՏԱՆ (Boom, They Roar) - written 1849

Ghevond Alishan 

B. July 6, 1820, Constantinople | D. Nov. 9, 1901, San Lazzaro, Venice

ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻՆ ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆ (Armenian Church) – written 1924

Vahan Tekeyan

B. Jan. 21, 1878, Constantinople | D. April 4, 1945, Cairo, Egypt

ՀԱՅՐԵՆԻՔԻՍ ՀԵՏ (With My Fatherland) – written 1916

Hovhaness Toumanyan

B. Feb. 19, 1869, Tiflis, Russian Empire | D. Mar. 23, 1923, Moscow, USSR

ԽՈՍՔ ԻՄ ՈՐԴՒՈՅՍ (A Word To My Son) – written 1944

Sirvart Kaputikyan 

B. Jan. 20, 1919, Yerevan | D. Aug. 25, 2006 Yerevan

A special thanks to the SJS Charitable Trust for their generous support of our work to digitize and share our collection of 78 rpm records.