Alisa Sargsyan
Alisa Sargsyan | |
|---|---|
| File:Sargsyan, Alisa.jpg Dr. Alisa Sargsyan at the Kirkland Arts Center Avant Garden, May, 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Native name | Script error: The function "langx" does not exist. |
| Born | April 18, 1981, Yerevan, Armenia |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, composer, music educator |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
Alisa Sargsyan (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is an Armenian-American classical pianist, composer, music educator, and civic arts leader living in Washington, United States. She serves as Chair of the City of Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission and is a board member of Gallery Concerts, a Seattle-based chamber music organization. Her work spans performance, composition, education, and public service, emphasizing cultural exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the preservation of Armenian musical heritage.[1][2]
Early life and education
Sargsyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia into a family of professional musicians. She received her early music education at the Tchaikovsky Music School in Yerevan, followed by advanced studies at the Yerevan State Conservatory of Music, where she earned dual degrees in piano performance and music composition. After graduation magna cum laude, she joined the Conservatory's faculty, teaching the history of piano performance.[3]
Following her relocation to the United States, she continued her studies at the University of Washington under Professors Joël-François Durand and Huck Hodge, earning a Master of Music degree in composition. She worked at the University of Washington School of Music as a teaching assistant in music theory, aural skills, polyphony, and species counterpoint.[4]
Alisa Sargsyan's academic research focuses on the relationship between creative practice and organizational structures, with particular attention to the sustainability of classical music in contemporary society. Her publications have appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals such as Musical Armenia, Kantegh: Collection of Scientific Articles, and Yerazhshtakan Hayastan (Armenian Musicological Journal)[5]
Her doctoral dissertation, Musical Art and Music Management: Contemporary Challenges and Development Prospects, earned her a Doctor of Arts degree from the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.[6]
Musical career
Composer
Sargsyan's works have been commissioned and performed internationally in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Russia, Armenia, and Georgia.[7]
Her compositional style is characterized by a synthesis of lyrical expressiveness and structural clarity, often incorporating Armenian melodic and rhythmic elements within a contemporary harmonic language. She frequently collaborates with dancers, visual artists, and writers.[1]
Her ballet The Little Prince, based on the eponymous novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was commissioned by the Karin Kirkland School of Dance and premiered at the Meydenbauer Theater in Bellevue, Washington, in 2022.[8]
Pianist
As a classical pianist and chamber musician, Sargsyan has performed widely throughout the Pacific Northwest and internationally, frequently presenting music by Armenian composers. Venues include the Meydenbauer Center, Kirkland Performance Center, Schneebeck Concert Hall at the University of Puget Sound , Good Shepherd Center, and University of Washington Brechemin Auditorium.[9]
Civic and organizational leadership
Chair, Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission
As Chair of the Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission, Sargsyan supports cultural initiatives, advises on public art acquisition, and promotes strategic arts planning in Kirkland, Washington.[2]
Her projects include the Park Lane Outdoor Sculpture Gallery, Frog X-ing, utility box art wraps, public art for Fire Stations 21, 22, 26, and 27, and the Re-imagining the Kalakala initiative.[10]
In 2024, she successfully petitioned the City of Kirkland to proclaim April 24 as Armenian Day of Remembrance, in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.[11]
Gallery Concerts
Sargsyan serves on the Board of Directors of Gallery Concerts, featuring chamber music by composers of the 17th through 19th centuries, with an emphasis on historically informed performance practice. Repertoire performed by the organization has included works by M. Marais, J. P. Rameau, G. Telemann, J. S. Bach, J. Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, F. Schubert, and N. Paganini.[12]
Educational work
Sargsyan teaches music appreciation at the college level and provides private instruction in piano and composition. She has developed curricula for young learners exploring the history of ballet and its major composers. Her pedagogical approach emphasizes cultural curiosity and artistic empathy.[13]
Awards and affiliations
Sargsyan has received multiple awards for her compositions, including first prize in the Amadeus Composers Competition, first prize and Gold Medal in the Juniors Assembly of Arts, and third prize and Bronze Medal in the Benjamin Britten Composers Competition.[14]
She is a member of the Armenian Composers' Union, Armenian Musical Assembly, and the Armenian International Women's Association.[15]
Personal life
Sargsyan is the daughter of Armenian composer Ruben Sargsyan and musicologist Irina Zolotova. She lives in Washington, United States, with her husband and three children.
Selected works
Large-scale stage works
- Vox Feminae — for three female soloists, flute, strings, and percussion (2024)
- The Little Prince — ballet (2022)
- Fire of the Heart — mono-opera (2003)
- The Swineherd — children's opera (1995)
Chamber music
- 12 Miniatures — strings (2015)
- String Quartet — two violins, viola, cello (2017)
- Trio No. 2 — violin, cello, piano (2014)
- Trio No. 1 (2006)
- 3 Hayrens — vocal cycle for soprano and piano on the hayrens of Nahapet Kuchak (2003)
- Contrasts — piano trio (2003)
- Sonata for Viola and Piano (2002)
- The Ghosts of Kobayr — for wind instruments and percussion (2002)
- The Rose — romance for soprano and piano on the lyrics by Goete (1993)
- Two Romances — for soprano and piano on the lyrics by A. Akhmatova and K. Balmont (1992)
Instrumental solo works
- Alter Ego — piano cycle (2019)
- Toccata — solo piano (2006)
- Prayer — solo piano (2005)
- Autumn Song — solo flute (2001)
Orchestral works
- Belshazzar's Vision — baritone and chamber orchestra (1998)
- Konzertstücke — violin and chamber orchestra (1996)
Selected published articles
- Sargsyan, Alisa. "On Certain Aspects of the Interrelationship Between Classical Music and Management." Musical Armenia, 3–4 (14–15), Yerevan, 2004, pp. 68–70.[16]
- Sargsyan, Alisa. "Issues in the Development of Music Management in Armenia." Musical Armenia, 1 (20), Yerevan, 2006, pp. 48–50.[16]
- Sargsyan, Alisa. "The Music Manager: Toward a Typology." Musical Armenia, 2 (21), Yerevan, 2006, pp. 75–78.[17]
- Sargsyan, Alisa. "At the Origins of Contemporary Music Management: S. P. Diaghilev." Kantegh: Collection of Scientific Articles, 2 (31), Yerevan, 2007, pp. 9–18.[18]
- Sargsyan, Alisa. "The Creative Artist and the Manager: A Correlation of Roles." Yerazhshtakan Hayastan (Armenian Musicological Journal), 4 (35), Yerevan, 2009, pp. 78–81.[19]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Official website of Alisa Sargsyan.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 City of Kirkland Cultural Arts Commission web page.
- ↑ Yerevan State Conservatory of Music faculty records.
- ↑ University of Washington School of Music alumni.
- ↑ https://yerazhshtakanhayastan.am/index.php/ma/article/view/319/236
- ↑ National Academy of Sciences of Armenia dissertation archive.
- ↑ The Living Composers Project.
- ↑ Meydenbauer Theater performance calendar (June, 2022).
- ↑ Regional venue performance listings.
- ↑ City of Kirkland public art list.
- ↑ City of Kirkland Proclamation, April 24, 2024.
- ↑ Gallery Concerts Board of Directors.
- ↑ Teaching records.
- ↑ Competitions archives and awards announcements.
- ↑ Armenian Composers' Union members.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Sargsyan, Alisa (2004). "On Certain Aspects of the Interrelationship Between Classical Music and Management". Musical Armenia (in русский). Komitas State Conservatory. 3–4 (14–15): 68–70.
- ↑ Sargsyan, Alisa (2006). "The Music Manager: Toward a Typology". Musical Armenia (in русский). Komitas State Conservatory. 2 (21): 75–78.
- ↑ Sargsyan, Alisa (2007). "At the Origins of Contemporary Music Management: S. P. Diaghilev". Kantegh: Collection of Scientific Articles (in русский). National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. 2 (31): 9–18.
- ↑ Sargsyan, Alisa (2009). "The Creative Artist and the Manager: A Correlation of Roles". Yerazhshtakan Hayastan (in русский). Union of Composers of Armenia. 4 (35): 78–81.
External links
- Composer of the Month - Alisa Sargsyan on Project CLIKK,
- Alisa Sargsyan on TWIK Government podcast
- How Artists add value to city planning. Alisa Sargsyan on Nine Dot Arts Podcast
- Armenian Musical Assembly recordings
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- CS1 русский-language sources (ru)
- Musical artist
- 1981 births
- Armenian-Americans
- Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan alumni
- University of Washington alumni
- University of Washington School of Music alumni
- Armenian musicians
- Armenian composers
- Armenian pianists
- Women composers
- American composers
- American classical pianists
- Women classical pianists
- American music educators
- 21st-century Armenian musicians
