Biography
Arie Dakesian is a classical guitarist currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Music, studying with Gary Ryan, Christopher Stell, and Carlos Bonell. He is a Houston Family Scholar, a recipient of the prestigious Julian Bream Trust Award, and is currently supported by the Ouzounian Trust and the Wayne Sleep Foundation. He has previously been an award holder of the Royal Philharmonic Society, Wolfson Foundation, Benlian Trust, St Marylebone Educational Trust, AGBU Scholarships, AMAA Scholarships, and the Kathleen Trust.
In 2024, Arie was named a Tillett Debut Artist, making him only the fifth guitarist to receive this honour since the scheme’s inception in 1995. The award granted a two-year collaboration and a broad platform for performances across the UK. As part of his residency with the Tillett Trust, Arie played a debut concert in London’s Kings Place in November 2025. He was also a Young Artist for the International Guitar Foundation in 2023/24.
He was actively involved in the making of Play2Festival since 2023; a new festival aimed at providing free workshops and lessons for young children all around Armenia and played a concert in the State Philharmonia Hall earlier this as part of the festival. He has had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest stars of the guitar world; among them are Sergio Assad, Antigoni Goni, Gabriel Bianco, Judicael Perroy, Sean Shibe, Dušan Bogdanovic, Laura Snowden, Steve Goss, and Xuefei Yang.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an Armenian family, Arie has since been exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age, which is woven into the very fabric of his music-making. Recent engagements feature performances in Kew Gardens, St James’s Piccadilly, Royal Albert Hall, Coutts, Kings Place, and Wigmore Hall. Arie is currently represented by the Tillett Trust, Making Music, and the UK Artists’ Directory.
