In October 2000, the Armenian Chamber Choir (ACC) was established under the sponsorship of the “Vatche and Tamar Manoukian” Benevolent Association. Robert Mlkeyan,“Movses Khorenatsi” medal recipient, Honored Art Worker of Armenia since 2008, was invited as the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the choir. Under Mlkeyan’s, the ACC was recognized one of the best chamber choirs of Armenia in a short period of time. In 2008, the choir acquired the State status and was renamed State Chamber Choir of Armenia (SCCA). SCCA is a professional choir of 35 musicians, the repertoire of which includes works by Gabrielli, Bach, Brahms, Vasks, Schnittke and other composers. SCCA brilliantly performs works of Komitas, as well as of modern Armenian composers. The choir appeared with world premieres performing works of Tigran Mansourian, David Halajian, Edward Hayrapetian and many others. Moreover, the choir introduced the debut performances of choral masterpieces of Britten, Schnittke, Vasks, Poulenc, Debussy and other composers to the Armenian audience. Together with frequent concerts in Yerevan, SCCA implements a benevolent program by performing in various regions of Armenia and introducing the choral art to wider Armenian public.
In 2001, the choir toured three times with concerts in London. In 2006, it took part in the International Festival of Modern Music in Donitsetti Opera Theatre in Bergamo, Italy. The same year, the choir appeared with concerts in the “White Hall” and Yekaterina’s Palace in Saint Petersburg summing up the Year of Armenian Culture in Russia. In 2007, the choir appeared with a concert in European Union’s Concert Hall in Strasbourg.
One of the achievements of the chamber choir is the release in 2006 of “ARS POETICA” CD of choral concert written by Tigran Mansourianon the basis of Yeghishe Charents’ 10 poems. In 2006, the CD was marked the highest rating of five stars by the World Music Council. The appearance of the ARS POETICA CD in “The Gramophone”, one of the most prestigious music catalogues, reporting on the most prestigious classical CDs since 1923, might be considered another great achievement of the choir. In 2009, on the occasion of Komitas’s 140th anniversary the choir recorded a CD in Saghmosavank monastery with selected sacred and secular chorals of Komitas. The same year, the choir toured over France and Switzerland. In November 2011 and 2013 the Armenian State Chamber Choir performed concerts in Toronto, Ottawa and Niagara. In the same month it performed concerts in St. Petersburg at Smolni Temple and the Concert Hall after Glazunov of the Conservatory, in the framework of the “Conservatory Week” International Festival. In 2012 in the Frauenkirche temple a joint concert of ACC and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra took place.