BIOGRAPHY | CV
Born in 1974 to Turkish Armenian parents, Kev Orkian comes from a long line of entertainers; His great grandparents were scriptwriters and introduced the first theatre show to Turkey in the early 1900’s, whilst his grandparents all played numerous musical instruments and one of them was also an amateur comedian.
Kev started playing the piano at four years old. Music came naturally to the young Kev — by the time he was 12 he had already composed his first pieces and by 15 had passed all eight piano grades — gaining a Performers Diploma in Music along the way.
At 15, after competing in many competitions and concerts, Kev decided to complete his training and move on to performing arts at Brunel University — earning himself a National Diploma in Performing Arts and Music in 1994.
From 1988 - 1992 Kev toured the UK with the Russian Armenian Dance Troupe as a way of connecting to his heritage. From the age of 23 he became very involved with the piano and it was soon an ‘instrumental’ part of Kev’s life. As a consummate concert pianist he toured with a variety of orchestras and appeared at many prestigious venues including the Sydney Opera House, performing classical repertoires.
However, the piano alone wasn’t enough, so with both comedy and the theatre calling him, Kev was soon back on the stage. He made his West End debut in 1996 starring in Fame at the Victoria Palace Theatre. This foray into London’s theatre scene led to many other roles including Me & My Girl (1996-1997), the Grease concert tour (1998), Buddy Holly concert tour (1998), Happy Days (1998 - 2000) and Boogie Nights (2001-2004).
Not wanting to tender his relationship with the piano, Kev Orkian spent his spare time writing and developing comedy routines that incorporated music but was never fully aware he could turn this into a full act until 2004. Kev decided not to perform in musicals for a few years so he could concentrate on building his stand up career, which ultimately led to combining the piano and comedy together. Kev Orkian’s heroes include both Victor Borge and Dudley Moore, so he felt their styles of comedy needed to be brought back… and he was the man to do it!
By chance, Kev happened to be performing in Blackpool when a well-known act pulled out of the renowned Comedy Bonanza Show — in stepped Kev to try out his new material and the stand-up comedy act was born!
Since then Kev Orkian’s career as a stand-up comedian has gone from strength to strength. He has toured as the support act to some of Britain’s premier entertainers including Jim Davidson, Julian Clarey, Cannon & Ball and Joe Pasquale to name just a few. He has been involved with numerous variety shows including gala events for the Duke of Kent, Prince of Oman, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, Dame Vera Lynn and various members of the British Royal Family.
From 2004 Kev made a name for himself in the cruise ship industry and has since toured the world with his Stow Away act, drawing rave reviews with numerous leading cruise companies. From the Caribbean and North America to Europe and the Middle East, he packed in as many as 30 cruises some years — these days Kev’s hectic schedule unfortunately only permits him to accept two or three a year.
In 2006 Kev released his first piano album Little Fingers, which claimed the top 10 spot in the AMA Instrumental category that same year. Kev has also performed many of the tracks from his album in numerous concerts and galas. In 2008 he hosted LA’s own Armenian Music Awards to a sell-out audience at the famous Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Kev now spends a large proportion of the year touring the world with his one-man show, which features an energetic mix of hilarious stand-up comedy and spectacular recitals on the piano, many of which have been composed by Kev himself. Cities recently visited include Sydney, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Dubai, Oman, Montreal and Toronto.
2009 saw Kev Orkian’s leap onto the UK comedy circuit with performances at London’s Comedy Store and the Jongleurs chain of comedy clubs, the latter of which he now performs at two or three times a month (when in the country) and regularly receives encores, ovations and rave reviews for the originality of his act.
Kev is currently working on a brand new show for the Edinburgh Festival 2010.
Charitable Work
As an avid charity worker Kev has raised thousands of pounds for various charities, including the Willow Charity for Bob Wilson, Safe Hands for David Seaman, NSPCC, Armenian Orphans and the Bobby Moore Fund.
Through his friendship with comedian Jim Davidson he has performed regularly for the BFF (British Forces Foundation), touring Army and Navy bases around the world, entertaining the British and American Forces.
