Opera Singer. A tenor, he is remembered for his career in the major opera houses on both sides of the Atlantic. Raised in what was then the Soviet Union, he studied at the conservatory of his home city and in 1971 launched his professional career with recitals in West Berlin. Returning home in 1975, he bowed with the Armenian National Opera as the hapless Edgardo of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor", then a 1978 competition victory sent him to Italy for further training and his La Scala Milano debut as LT. B.F. Pinkerton from Puccini's "Madama Butterfly". For some reason, Grigorian soon found himself banned from foreign travel by the Soviet authorities, thus in 1980 he joined the Lithuanian National Opera of Vilnius and over the next seasons refined his art in such roles as the lecherous Duke in Verdi's "Rigoletto", Prince Vasily from Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", the younger Germont of Verdi's "La Traviata", Lensky from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin", and the title lead of Verdi's "Don Carlos". With the imploding of Communism, from 1990 on he was able to travel and was heard in most of Europe and the Western Hemisphere's major venues, making a major impression at the Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires as Giorgio from Puccini's "Il Tabarro", the tragic clown Canio of Leoncavallo's "I Pagliacci", Turridu in Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana", and Pollione of Bellini's "Norma". Grigorian's assignments in Rome included Rodolfo from Puccini's "La Boheme" while Berlin audiences saw him as Manrico of Verdi's "Il Trovatore"; he was a regular guest at St. Petersburg's Marinsky Theatre and made his 1993 Covent Garden debut as Lensky, then was also heard there as two of Verdi's 'heavyweights', Don Alvaro from "La Forza del Destino" and the faithless soldier Radames of "Aida". His December 27, 1995 Metropolitan Opera debut came as Gherman from Tchaikovsky's "The Queen of Spades", then he also appeared there as Radames as well as Count Bezukhov of Serge Prokofiev's "War and Peace". A regular participant in French and Italian music festivals, he was a sought-after Master Class presenter and from 2000 until 2007 headed the Yerevan Opera Theater. The recipient of many honors including 1982 designation as Honored Artist of Lithuania, 1985 recognition as People's Artist of Armenia, and 2011 presentation of the First Degree Medal for service to his homeland, he lived out his days in the city of his birth, remained active as long as he was able, and died of hepatic cirrhosis. His recorded legacy is quite significant and includes many 'live' and studio recordings as well as movie preservations of "The Queen of Spades", "War and Peace", and "Norma", the last filmed in an ancient pagan temple.