KEV ORKIAN

KEV ORKIAN

Kev Orkian is one of the UK’s most
talented, up-and-coming comedians. A highly skilled pianist, singer and actor,
he has been dubbed one of the world’s finest comedy pianists.

Born in 1974 to 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 Victor Borge and
Dudley Moore (he has been compared to both), 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 and Dame Vera Lynn.

Between 2004 and 2009 Kev made a name for himself in
the cruise ship industry and toured the world with his Stow Away act visiting
all continents, drawing rave reviews with numerous leading cruise operators
along the way. From the Caribbean and North America to Europe and the Middle
East, he packed in as many as 30 cruises some years.

In 2005 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
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 at which he regularly receives encores, standing ovations and rave
reviews for the originality of his act.

In August 2010 Kev Orkian takes his ‘Illegal Tour’ to the
Edinburgh Fringe, appearing at the Underbelly, in his what will be his debut
appearance at the festival.

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.

He is also a
co-founder of the ITFO (International
Trust Fund for Orphans), a charity that raises money for orphaned
children around the world