Arin Sarkissian is the Principal Flutist of the Victoria Symphony.

In the summer of 2022, the Toronto-born artist made guest appearances at Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s La Virée Classique, as the recipient of 1st Prize and Stingray Audience Choice at the 2020 OSM Competition. Recent orchestral appearances include concerts as Guest Principal Flute with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and substitute invitations with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony. Although new to the professional sphere, he has performed under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, Jamie Martín, Larry Rachleff, James Conlon, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Sir Andrew Davis, Christian Kluxen, Tania Miller, and Otto Tausk, alongside others.

Most recently, Arin was awarded the 2022 Michael Measures 2nd Prize by the Canada Council for the Arts. That same year, Arin was also named a Yamaha Young Artist Performance Competition Winner and won 1st Place at the Nancy Clew Eller, Music Teachers National Association, San Diego Flute Guild, and Naftzger Young Artist competitions. Other awards include 3rd Prize in the 2020 National Flute Association Young Artist Competition, 1st Prize in the 2020 Young Texas Artists Music Competition, and 1st Prize in the 2019 Mika Hasler Young Artist Competition. Former festival engagements include invitations to the Music Academy of the West, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, New York String Orchestra Seminar, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, and Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States.

Named in the 2022 edition of CBC’s “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30,” Arin has recently been called for as a soloist. In March of 2023, he performed J.S. Bach’s Triple Concerto alongside Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt with the Victoria Symphony. Amongst his guest performances with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in 2022 were a spotlight chamber recital and an unaccompanied highlight with Debussy’s “Syrinx” for solo flute. That same year, Arin curated a recital for the Ottawa Chamberfest as an ambassador of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, presenting solo and chamber works at the National Arts Centre.

Next season, Arin will be a featured soloist with the Victoria Symphony in October of 2023, bringing Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra to life alongside his colleagues. Also on the program is Arin’s presentation of Edgard Varèse’s “Density 21.5,” perhaps the first unaccompanied solo in the history of the Victoria Symphony and a rare feature amongst orchestra programs worldwide.

Arin graduated in the class of 2021 from Rice University with a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance with Distinction in Research and Creative Works, studying under the professorship of Leone Buyse. He also obtained a Performance Certificate from The Colburn School, where he studied with Jim Walker in Los Angeles. Arin performs on a Haynes Custom flute, working with Cynthia Kelley as his primary flute technician. His previous mentors are Lilit Hovhannisyan and Christina Yoo, and he looks forward to sharing the gift of music with the world.