Varujan Haig Kojian, the Utah Symphony's music director and conductor from 1980 to
1983, died Thursday morning at his home in suburban Santa Barbara, Calif., of pancreatic cancer.The 57-year-old maestro and virtuoso violinist was one of a series of guest conductors during the 1979-1980 season. He conducted the orchestra for three successive seasons, but his contract was not renewed for a fourth year. He was music director of the Santa Barbara Symphony at the time of his death.
He formerly was on the music faculty of the University of California-Santa Barbara and was a guest conductor of orchestras throughout the world. After leaving the Utah Symphony as a regular conductor, Kojian returned as guest conductor a number of times and was music director of Ballet West from 1983 to 1987.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, of Armenian parents, Kojian entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 12, continuing his education as a violinist at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He had studied with world-renowned violinist Jascha Heifetz. He was assistant concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the age of 19.
In tribute to Kojian, the Utah Symphony will open its concerts this weekend with the performance of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings."
"We are all deeply saddened by the passing of Varujan Kojian. During his tenure the orchestra had a very successful international tour, made several highly acclaimed recordings and inaugurated its residence in Abravanel Symphony Hall very successfully. He also brought some extremely gifted musicians into the family of the Utah Symphony," said Joseph Silverstein, the symphony's current conductor.
"He was a very talented conductor as well as being a very gifted violinist. It is indeed tragic to see the career of this gifted musician cut so tragically short. All of the members of the Utah Symphony are deeply grieved by the premature death of this man who led the Utah Symphony through a major transition in its history," Silverstein said.
Maurice Abravanel, the Utah Symphony's conductor for 32 years, said Kojian was an "exceedingly talented musician, violinist and conductor. It is a tragedy that he had to die so soon. Varujan was also a very kind human being, very compassionate and friendly. After leaving the Utah Symphony he conducted widely for Nurejez (a celebrated ballet dancer), including one month at the Paris National Opera. He was the permanent conductor of the Santa Barbara Symphony and highly successful and loved in that city."
Funeral services and burial will be held Monday in Santa Barbara.