(listed in alphabetical order)
Dr. Tatev Amiryan
Piano, Composition/Songwriting, Music Theory
Preparation for ABRSM, CM, AP Music Theory Exams, competitions, auditions, and college admissions
Dr. Tatev Amiryan is an Armenian-American award-winning composer, pianist, music educator, and co-founder of Renaissance Music Académie. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, Eastern Europe, and in the United Kingdom, at such prestigious venues and institutions as: Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Preston Bradley Hall at Chicago Cultural Center, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, Southern Connecticut State University, UMKC Conservatory of Music, Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, CT, Aram Khachaturian House-museum and Komitas Museum-Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, and Royal College of Music in London, United Kingdom.
Her music has been performed extensively in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine and Israel by such renowned ensembles and performers as: German Chamber Philharmonic of Bremen, Portland Youth Philharmonic, National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, CMEA Central Coast Honors Orchestra, Carpe Diem String Quartet, Ensemble Oktoplus, Metropolitan Choral of Kansas City, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Globus Music Ensemble, and Playground Ensemble. Her pieces have been featured at festivals and projects such as: MITO Settembre Musica International Festival (Italy), GogolFest (Ukraine), Królewskie Arkady Sztuki (Poland), Blurred Edges (Germany), Women Composers Festival of Hartford (USA), London International Piano Symposium (UK), and Crossing Borders Music (USA).
Dr. Amiryan was awarded: 1st Prize at the UMKC Conservatory Chamber Music Composition Competition; Winner of the Metropolitan Chorale of Kansas City’s Composition Contest; Winner of the Abundant Silence Composition Competition; Winner of the International Alliance for Women in Music Call for Scores; Winner of the Crossing Borders Music Call for Scores; Winner of the RMN Classical Call for Piano Works; Winner of the Juventas New Music Ensemble Call for Scores; and the 2nd Prize at New Ariel Recordings Fifth Piano Composition Competition. She has been commissioned by acclaimed organizations and performers: North German Radio NDR, Portland Youth Philharmonic, New Ariel Recordings, Access Contemporary Music ACM, Abundant Silence Music Publisher, and Lilith Ensemble. Her music has been broadcasted by many TV and Radio stations in Armenia and in the United States, including the Armenian Public TV H1, American Public Media, Iheart, WCNY and KPTZ radio stations’ classical music programs.
Dr. Amiryan has presented lectures and lecture-recitals at international conferences and festivals in the US, Europe, and UK including: Women in the Arts International Conference at University of Missouri-St. Louis; Women Composers Festival of Hartford at Hartt School of Music in Connecticut; London International Piano Symposium at Royal College of Music; the 12th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii; USF New Music International Festival at the University of South Florida; the 3rd Hildegard Festival of Women in The Arts at California State University, Stanislaus; and the IAWM International Alliance for Women in Music Conference at the Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. She has presented guest lectures and lecture-recitals at Florida State University in Tallahassee and at the University of Connecticut, UConn; and as an artist in residence at Southern Connecticut State University.
Aside from her active professional career as a composer and pianist, Dr. Amiryan has also been engaged in music education for over fifteen years. She has taught at a number of higher institutions in the United States including: San Jose State University, University of Silicon Valley, University of Missouri, SAE Institute San Jose, UMKC Community Music and Dance Academy, and Crowden Music School in Berkeley.
Dr. Amiryan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in both composition and musicology with a minor in piano performance from Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, Armenia and a DMA Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. She is a member of the Union of Composers of the Republic of Armenia, IAWM International Alliance for Women in Music, ASCAP American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and MTAC Music Teachers Association of California. Dr. Amiryan has the distinction of being a Steinway & Sons Educational Partner. Currently, she holds a teaching position at the University of California, San Diego.
To learn more about Dr. Amiryan and her compositions, or to hear her performances, visit her personal website: https://www.tatevamiryan.com
Gayane Grigoryan
Violin
Preparation for competitions, All State auditions, collegiate admissions and auditions
Gayane Grigoryan is an award-winning concert violinist and music educator. She has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe at prestigious venues and institutions including: Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall; Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle Concert Halls in Hamburg, Germany; Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile and Teatro Giuseppe Verdi in Pordenone, Italy; Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia; Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts in Greensboro, NC; Bradshaw Performing Arts Center in Pinehurst, NC; Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, NC; Methodist University and Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC; Schneebeck Concert Hall in Tacoma, WA; and Meany Center of the Performing Arts in Seattle, WA.
Her solo appearances and recordings include performances with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Espirito Santa Philharmonic Orchestra, Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, German Neue Philharmonie, Federal Way Youth Orchestra, Yerevan Youth Symphony Orchestra, Arno Babajanyan Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Alan Hovhannes Chamber Orchestra, and Armenian TV and Radio National Symphony Orchestra.
She was a member of the Hrachya Piano Trio in Beirut, Lebanon and recorded with the Gloria String Quartet in Yerevan, Armenia. For many years Gayane has been an artist in residence at the Holter Chamber Music Festival in Sacile and Trieste, Italy. Currently, she is a member of a contemporary music string quartet sponsored by the Amabile Classic organization in Hamburg, Germany.
Ms. Grigoryan is the First Prize winner of the J.S. Bach National Competition; and the Aslamazyan and Gabrielyan National String Competition.
Ms. Grigoryan studied at the Arno Babajanyan Music College; Komitas State Conservatory of Music in Yerevan, Armenia; and East Carolina University School of Music where she worked with Ara Bogdanyan, a former student of David Oistrakh, Armen Haroutunian, Ara Gregorian, and Joanne Bath.
Ms. Grigoryan has over 23 years of teaching experience with the traditional approach and over 15 years with the Suzuki method. She is a member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and is officially registered for SAA Violin Units 1 through 10. Gayane served as a faculty member at the Arno Babajanyan College in Yerevan, Armenia and at the Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Currently she holds a teaching position at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.
To learn more about Ms. Grigoryan visit: https://suzukiassociation.org/people/gayane-grigoryan
Tehmine Schaeffer
Voice
Preparation for competitions, auditions, and college admissions
Tehmine Schaeffer is an internationally acclaimed Austrian-Armenian opera singer, one of the leading performers of her generation. Her repertoire encompasses a wide array of operatic and concert works. She has performed in many countries including: the United States, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Russia, Greece, Armenia, Egypt, and China. Such performances were at prestigious venues of the: Wiener Musikverein in Vienna, Teatre Calderón d’Alcoi in Spain, National Theater of Greece, Cairo Opera Thater and Alexandria Opera House in Egypt, Wuxi Grand Theater in China, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, and Saint Petersburg Philharmonia in Russia. She has made appearances as a soloist with renowned orchestras: Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong; European Strauss International Orchestra; Cappella Istropolitana Slovak Chamber Orchestra; Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra; Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra of Russia; Russian National Orchestra of Mikhail Pletnev; Tatarstan Philharmonic Orchestra; State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia; Cairo Symphony Orchestra in Egypt; Symphony Orchestra of Tbilisi, Georgia; Kirov Philharmonic Orchestra; Ural Philharmonic Orchestra; Minsk Chamber Orchestra; Symphony Orchestra of Novgorod; and Ryazan Philharmonic in Russia.
As an Armenian native, Ms. Schaeffer graduated with Honors from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in vocal and composition studies. Later she continued her vocal studies at the Franz Schubert Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. While a student at the Yerevan State Conservatory she won the prestigious Crystal Camerton International Competition for Young Composers in 2003. In 2009 she was offered an honorary scholarship from the Mikael Tariverdiev Creative Heritage Charity Fund to advance her performing career. Since then, she has appeared in numerous projects presented by the Tariverdiev Fund, performing Tariverdiev’s compositions, including the mono-opera “The Waiting”, and the concerto for the coloratura soprano “Expectation”. In 2010 she debuted at the historical Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow with the State Symphony Orchestra New Russia under the baton of world-known conductor Yury Bashmet, and in Vienna Musikverein with the Donau Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ms. Schaeffer is a laureate of a number of international vocal competitions including: 1st Prize at Victoria International Vocal Competition, Special Prize at Romansiada International Vocal Contest of Romance, Special Prize at Sviridov Chamber Vocal Competition, and 25th Glinka International Vocal Contest where she was awarded a Special Prize “For the Best Performance of Work Written After 1975”. She has participated at prestigious international festivals including: Festival International d’Aix-en-Provence (France); North Aegean Music Festival (Greece); Opera Apriori (Russia); Fermata International Festival (Russia); Vyatka Spring (Russia); From Baroque to Mozart (Russia); and Organ Plus (Russia). Ms. Schaeffer appeared in a number of operatic roles including: Podtochina’s daughter in Shostakovich’s “The Nose” and first flower-maiden in Wagner’s “Parsifal” with the National Opera de Lyon in France; Nerina in Haydn’s “La Fedeltà Premiata” and Arsena in Strauss’ “Die Zigeunerbaron” with the International Opera Academy in Vienna; Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” with the Opera Burg Gars in Austria and with the Wuxi Grand Theater in China; Kate in Periklis Liakakis’s “Chodorkowski” with Greek Opera Theater; and Anastasia in Alexander Wagendristel’s “Ewiger Frieden” with Siren Opera Theater in Vienna, Austria.
In addition to an internationally active career in performing, Ms. Schaeffer has been teaching for seven years. Currently she is instructing at Franz Schubert Conservatory in Vienna, Austria. Ms. Schaeffer is also the founder and choral director of the Viennese Freudvolles Tönen choir.
To learn more about Ms. Schaeffer visit her personal website: https://www.tehmineschaeffer.com
Dr. Nara Shahbazyan
Cello, Chamber Music, Piano
Preparation for CM Certificate of Merit exams, competitions, auditions, festivals, and college admissions
Dr. Nara Shahbazyan is a highly accomplished concert cellist and music educator. She has performed and recorded extensively throughout the United States, Eastern and Western Europe, and the Middle East. Her appearances and recordings include performances at renowned venues such as Boston Symphony Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, Berklee College of Music, Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Germany, Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan, Armenia, and National Sawdust in New York City, as well as prestigious arenas such as Madison Square Garden in NYC, Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, TD Garden in Boston, and the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, just to name a few. She has performed alongside many world-known classical and popular artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Yefim Bronfman, Pinchas Zukerman, Vadim Gluzman, Augustin Hadelich, Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Sarah Brightman, 2CELLOS, Il Divo, and Evanescence, amongst many others. She has participated in numerous national and international music festivals including: the Salzburg Summer Music Chamber Institute, the Bach 2000 Festival, the Seville Opera Festival, the Babylon International Festival, the New York City InCite Festival, the Echternach Orchestra Festival, and Tuft University’s Festival of Contemporary Music.
Dr. Shahbazyan has been teaching cello, chamber music, piano, music theory and history, and has been leading string ensembles at higher institutions and music schools for over 20 years. She has been a cello professor, served as the cellist of the Stonehill Faculty Trio, and was the Director of the String Ensemble at Stonehill College, as well as a music history and theory professor at Dean College in Massachusetts. Currently, Dr. Shahbazyan is the Associate Director and the Cellist of award-winning multimedia contemporary music consort Ensemble/Parallax. Dr. Shahbazyan is also on the faculty of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School where she teaches cello, piano, and chamber music. She is a member of the Music Teachers’ Association of California, and is an Honored Listee on Marquis Who’s Who. Dr. Shahbazyan received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Cello Performance from Boston University.
To learn more about Dr. Shahbazyan visit her personal website: https://www.narashahbazyan.com