Personal Life
- A Lebanese citizen of Armenian descent, Edward Torikian (1952-) learned to play the harmonium in the Monastery of Bzommar (Kesserwan). He remained a music autodidact, enrolling in 1981 at the USEK Faculty of Music, wherein he later taught music while continuing his studies and earning his PhD in 2004.
- His life has been a mix of various music-related activities, as he taught music in schools and at university level, conducted choirs for more than 40 years, and orchestrated/arranged several works, in addition to delivering lectures locally and internationally, and authoring several articles and music books. Edouard Torikian is still composing and teaching in Lebanon, deriving his harmony and inspiration from his wife Laura, who also offers him tremendous support in terms of managing his business.

Education
2004 - PhD in Musicology
Faculty of Music – Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) – Lebanon
Dissertation title: The General Characteristics of Armenian Liturgical Chant and the Peculiarities of the Bzommar Monastery Variant (in French).

1997 - DEA in Musicology
Faculty of Music – USEK
Dissertation title: The Characteristics of Syriac Sacred Chant (in French). 1997
Music Composition and Choir Conducting Courses
Komitas Higher Conservatory Erevan-Armenia (2-month intensive training) 1988

1981-1985MA in Higher Music Education and Musicology
Faculty of Music – USEK

Teaching and Advising
2010-present - Associate Professor and Chairperson at USEK

1997-present : Head of the Department of Music Composition
2010-present : PhD and MA advisor
2012-present : Lecturer in PhD seminars
2008-present : Teacher of musical forms analysis
2000-present : Teacher of 20th century music history and analysis
2000-present : Teacher of orchestration
- Teacher of music theory, solfeggio, harmony and counterpoint
- Founder and director of the Music School USEK-Tekeyan
1986-present : Founder and director of the P. L. Der-Minassian Music Centre in Zalka
1992-1997
1997-2011
1975-2008 : Teacher of music education in several primary and secondary schools

Choir Conducting
Christmas concerts - USEK Students’ Choir (Classical repertoire)
2012-2017 : Al-Bustan Hotel Choir (Classical and Pop Western repertoire)
1992-2016 : Armenian Catholic Patriarchate GROONG Choir (Armenian, Arabic and Western classical repertoire)
1980-2007 : Armenian Catholic Patriarchate Residence Church KILIKIA Choir (Armenian Mass)
1985-1986 : AGBU-Tekeyan Choir (Armenian repertoire)
1975-1980 : Armenian Catholic Aleppo Cathedral Church KOMIDAS Choir (Mass and concerts)

Composition and Arrangement
1980-present : Arabic songs unaccompanied chorus arrangements (more than 100)
- Composition of many songs and music short pieces in Armenian and Arabic
- Orchestration of many Western carols and Arabic songs
- Orchestral arrangement of an Arabic oratorio for symphonic orchestra entitled The Passion of the Christ (performed and recorded in Sophia – Bulgaria) 1985-present
1995-present
2010
- Composition of the first Armenian Christmas oratorio entitled Emmanuel 2015


Published Music Scores

- “Yal Asmar ellon” (A cappella Arabic chant arrangement), Earth Songs, USA 2013
- “Bint’shalabiyya” (A cappella Arabic chant arrangement), Euro-Mediterranean Youth Choral Fair, Festival Album, Cyprus 2011
- “El Caçador” and “La Pastorel-la” (2 Catalan song arrangements), Repertori de cançons traditionals Catalanes, (XXI), Barcelona 2010
- Collection of Mass Songs in the Armenian Church (224 p.) 2008
- Armenian Catholic Church Hymns and Spiritual Songs (239 p.) 2008
- The Transcribed Sacred Chants of the Bzommar Monastery (846 p.) 2007

Published Musicology Articles

2016 : “Arabic Chant, from the Monodic Tradition to the Choral Work” (in English), in European Choral Magazine (Europa Cantat), p. 7.
2016 : “Wadih As-Safi, the melody composer; detailed analysis of one of his songs [Ismaa ya Rab aqwali]”, (in Arabic, 2014), Publications of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (PUSEK), pp. 233-248.
2014 : “The musicological contribution of Nicolas Tahmizian” (in Armenian), Haygazian University Press, Beirut (pp. 451-464).
2012 : “How to use polyphonic technics in Arabic singing”, (in Arabic), PUSEK, pp. 269-274.
2008 : “Sacred Chant in the Armenian Church Sacred Chant” (in Arabic), PUSEK, pp. 197-205.
2000 : “Improvisation in the Armenian Chant” (in Arabic), PUSEK, pp. 130-143.

Lectures
- “Polyphonic Arrangement in the Arabic Music” (in Arabic),
the 26th Festival and Conference of Arabic Music, Cairo Opera House (Egypt). November 2017
- “The Arabic scales construction” (in English), the 6th Mediterranean Choral Forum, Tripoli (Lebanon). May 2017
- “Using human voices as rhythmic accompaniment” (in Arabic), the Arabic Congress in USEK (Lebanon). July 2016

- How to Compose Using Arabic Scales (in English).
July 2015 : Workshop entitled “Atelier: training on 2 Arabic songs”, in Europa Cantat XIX, Pécs (Hungary).
August 2013 : “Polyphony application in the Arabic song” (in English), the 5th IFCM Multicultural and Ethnic Choir Conference in Gerona (Spain).
July 1997 : “Musical languages achievement modes” (in French), the 3rd Seminar-Meeting of The Mediterranean Young’s Orchestra, Aix-en-Provence (France).

Hits
- First Arabic arrangements for polyphonic choir: El-Hilwa deeh and Telaet ya mahla nurhe, presented in the Cairo Opera House.
- Zahrat el-Madayen: An Arabic song about Jerusalem, melody composed by the Rahbani Bros., and arranged for an 8-voice a cappella choir combining various Christian and Islamic hymns about Jerusalem, the city of multilingual prayers; this arrangement was first performed by the Al-Fayha Choir and won the 1st Prize in Warsaw-Poland, before being performed by several choirs in Syria, Jordan, and Tunis, etc.
- 4 Syriac hymn arrangements, performed by the Damascus Symphonic Orchestra and sung by Abeer Nehme.
- Qassam Joubran, composition of an Arabic polyphonic song based on martyred MP Gebran Tueni’s patriotic oath.
- The Passion of the Christ: orchestral arrangement of an Arabic symphonic orchestra oratorio (performed and recorded in Sophia – Bulgaria, and composed by Rev. Fr. Marwan Azar).
- Asmaa Allah al-Husna, composition of an Islamic prayer for an 8-voice a cappella choir, which was subsequently performed by many choirs around the world.
- Arrangement of several songs composed by Joseph Andari for the Arab musical Nooqaddem lakom Watan.