Originally from Avignon, Emmanuel Arakélian developed a passion for both early and modern keyboard instruments at a very young age. He first trained at the Conservatoire National de Région in Toulon, then at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP), where he studied organ, harpsichord, basso continuo, and chamber music under renowned musicians such as Pascal Marsault, Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Olivier Baumont, and Blandine Rannou.

Supported throughout his studies by the Fondation de France, the Fonds Tarazzi, and the Fondation Meyer, he was awarded second prize in interpretation at the Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition in Lausanne in 2015, and in 2018, he won both second prize and the audience prize at the Lens/Béthune Organ Competition.

Emmanuel Arakélian has steadily emerged as one of the leading musicians of his generation. Equally at ease on the organ and the harpsichord, his versatility and interest in historical instruments have led him to perform regularly as a soloist at many prestigious festivals, both in France and internationally. Notable appearances include the Radio France concert season, the Roquevaire Organ Festival, the Chartres International Organ Festival, the Royaumont Foundation, the Festival de Saintes, as well as the Bach Festival in Lausanne (Switzerland), the Mozartfest in Würzburg (Germany), the Utrecht Early Music Festival (Netherlands), and performances in Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Canada.

He is also deeply committed to contemporary repertoire, frequently featuring works by composers such as Vincent Paulet, Valéry Aubertin, Édith Canat de Chizy, Thierry Escaich, and Bernard Foccroulle in his programs.

Appointed titular organist of the grand organ at the Royal Convent Basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, he is actively involved in preserving and promoting this masterpiece built by organ builder Jean-Esprit Isnard between 1772 and 1774. In partnership with the municipality, he founded the summer estival “Harmonies d’orgue” and revived “l’Académie de Saint-Maximin”, for which he serves as artistic director.

A passionate chamber musician and sought-after continuo player, he regularly performs with the ensemble Les Ambassadeurs – La Grande Écurie under Alexis Kossenko, with Le Concert d’Astrée directed by Emmanuelle Haïm, and more recently with the Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône.

In November 2016, he became the seventh “Young Artist in Residence” at the Cathedral of New Orleans (Louisiana), a position that led him to perform regularly over a six-month period on some of North America’s most prestigious stages — as a soloist on organ and harpsichord, in choral settings, or with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Carlos Miguel Prieto.

Highly involved in the cultural sphere, he co-chairs the Association des Amis de la Cathédrale de Fréjus and has been co-curating a rich concert season for over a decade around the Quoirin/Loriaut grand organ of Saint-Léonce Cathedral in Fréjus.

In the 2024–2025 season, he will notably be heard in Monteverdi’s Orfeo at the Opéra de Marseille, Bach’s Cantatas in Megève, and St. John Passion in Aix-en-Provence.