Stepan Armasar is a Moldovan conductor, born in 2000. He received his musical education in Saint Petersburg. He began his musical studies at the Secondary Special Music School of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he studied accordion under Professor Alexander Dmitriev.
During his studies, he became a laureate of numerous international competitions, including the 2017 Coupe Mondiale in Italy and the 2017 Trophée Mondiale in France, and received the Cultural Initiatives Award from Maestro Yuri Temirkanov.
He has performed throughout Europe — in Russia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, France, and Italy — appearing at festivals such as Kissinger Sommer, Galakonzert der Internationalen Musikakademie im Fürstentum, and the Classic Festival in Bad Ragaz.
In 2019, Stepan entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory to continue his accordion studies and soon began studying conducting under Professor Peter Gribanov. Two years later, he joined the Faculty of Opera and Symphony Conducting.
Throughout his conducting career, he has collaborated with many orchestras, including the Arturo Toscanini Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concert Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Festival Orchestra, the Karaganda Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Rostov State Philharmonic Orchestra.
In September 2025, Stepan achieved remarkable success, winning both the First Prize and the Audience Prize at the Arturo Toscanini International Conducting Competition in Parma, Italy. As the youngest participant in the competition, he impressed both the jury and the orchestra with his mature artistry, natural authority, and profound musical sensitivity, conducting Rendering by Luciano Berio in the final round.
Following this success, in April 2026 Stepan Armasar was named the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s new Bernard Haitink Associate Conductor. The two-season appointment, made possible thanks to the Haitink family, will see him collaborate on approximately half of the orchestra’s concert programmes during the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons, assisting Klaus Mäkelä and other leading conductors in Amsterdam. He will also work with orchestra members on tour in ensemble formation, take part in the orchestra’s talent development programmes, and conduct several subscription concerts in the latter half of the 2027/28 season.
His previous achievements include the Second Prize at the Great Silk Road International Conducting Competition (2023) and the First Prize at the Territory of Creativity International Competition (2025).
