SETRAK SETRAKIAN

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Setrak Setrakian
http://www.setrakian.net/
Setrak Setrakian (Arabic: ستراك ستراكيان‎) (b. 1938 in Beirut) is a Lebanese composer and pianist, the former Director of Ganatchian College of Music in Lebanon, and a Professor of Piano, Harmony and Composition.

However, he is also noted for the fact that he has passed off the recordings of other artists as his own, and much of the information that he claims in his biographies has no real evidence to support it.



Music Education
1950 to 1960: Setrakian studied piano, solfege, theory and harmony with Prof. Ernest Chouha in Ernest Chouha Music College in Aleppo.
1961-1962: He studied piano and harmony with Prof. T. Succar, Mrs. Turkiyeh and Prof. Michel Tcheskinov in the National Conservatoire of Lebanon.
1962-1964: Setrakian studied harmony and composition with Prof. Sergey Schydril in the National Conservatoire of Damascus.
1964-1965: Setrakian studied piano and composition with Prof. Gunther Kohl in Jerusalem.
1966-1970: Setrakian gave piano and harmony lessons in Aleppo and Damascus.
1971-1972: Setrakian was invited to "Komitas" Conservatoire of Yerevan to specialize with the following professors:
1.Etvart Mirzoyan Composition
2.Etvart Baghdasarian Harmony
3.Krikor Hakhinian Polyphony
4.Kevork Armenian Orchestration
5.Elenora Atamian Piano
6.Aved Derderian Opera Composition
1974-1978: He was professor of piano in College Mont la Salle, Ain Saadeh, Beirut.
1978-1980: Setrakian was professor of piano in College des Apotre, Jounieh, Beirut.
1980-1985: Setrakian gave personal lessons as a professor of piano in Beirut.
1985-1988: Setrakina became a professor of piano and music in the Armenian Theological Seminary of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, Beirut.
1986-1987: Professor of piano and harmony in P. Ganatchian Music College, Beirut.
1987-1999: Director and Professor of piano, harmony, composition, and music analysing, in P. Ganatchian Music College, Beirut.
In 1994 Setrakian was awarded the St. "MESROB MACHDOTZ" medal of honor by the Catholicosate KAREKINE II.

Admission of Fake Recordings
In 2007 it was alleged that several of his recordings were determined to be the work of other pianists, most notably Martha Argerich.

However, in the course of discussion, Setrak admitted to having passed off other people's recordings as his own on the Piano Society website.

It was determined through musical analysis, that he had faked his recordings of: Prokofiev - Toccata Op.11, actually recorded by Martha Argerich, Prokofiev Sonata op.82, actually recorded by Martha Argerich, Warsaw Concerto, actually a copy of a midi file by Eric Halstead, and the Shostakovich Piano Trio, a recording on Erato by Yablonsky, Berezovsky, and Repin.

Setrak has since been removed from the Piano Society website.