Anna Mnatsakanyan

Among the first figures of the Armenian musical culture of the 20s of the last century was the pianist Anna Mnatsakanyan. She was the leading teacher of the Music Studio, and then of the Yerevan State Conservatory, the first professor (1934), and the first head of the piano department in the history of the Yerevan State Conservatory (1938).

She was born in the family of the city hospital doctor Mikhail Ter-Ohanyan, who was educated at the military medical academy of St. Petersburg. Her closest relatives were well-known artists and scientists Yevgenia, Yelena, Hovhannes, and Arshak Adamyan.

After graduating from the women’s gymnasium with a gold medal, Anna Mnatsakanyan continued her studies at the «Conservatoire de Musique de Genève» (Geneva, Switzerland) under the guidance of Professor Willy Rehberg (1903-1907). At the same time, she listened to lectures on literature and history at the University of Geneva and even attended meetings of political emigrants from Russia, from 1907 to 1911, she continued at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin (in the class of higher skill — «Ausbildungsklasse») with Professor Martin Krause.

After successfully completing her studies, she was invited as a soloist to the Mozart Society in Berlin (Mozart-Gesellschaft Berlin-Brandenburg). But fate decreed otherwise, and the young pianist ended up in her homeland.

At the invitation of the government of Armenia, Anna Mnatsakanyan moved to Yerevan. Students and colleagues loved and appreciated her not only for her high professional merits but also for her personal qualities: delicacy, nobility of soul, and will.

The name Anna Mnatsakanyan was considered by such prominent Armenian musicians as Arshak Adamyan, Kristofor Kushnarev, Alexander Spendiaryan (Spendiarov), and Konstantin Sarajev.

Her high erudition, and not only musical erudition, aroused great respect: she knew painting, and fiction — German, and French, and read them in the original languages.

Rich knowledge in the field of piano literature made it possible for Anna Mnatsakanyan to include in the programs her pupils’ works that sometimes sounded for the first time at the Yerevan State Conservatory.

The performance activity of the pianist did not last long — in the first decade of work at the Yerevan State Conservatory. She performed as a soloist in thematic concerts of the conservatory dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frédéric Chopin, and often played in a chamber ensemble. With an educational goal for students, together with Yevgenia Khosrovyan performed four-hand arrangements of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies in concerts.

One of the remarkable dates in the history of the Yerevan State Conservatory is connected with the name of Anna Mnatsakanyan — the first graduation of pianists, consisting of the honored worker of arts, professor Nina Sahinyan and the honored teacher S. Margaryan who later proved themselves worthy.

Many gifted musicians were brought up in the class of Anna Mnatsakanyan. Among them are: Natalia Khanzadyan, Arevik Avdalbekyan, Mariya Gambaryan (Ghambaryan), Margarita Chakhmakhsazyan, Villy Sarkisyan, Vahe Aharonian, composer Geghuni Chitchyan, and others.

Natalia Khanzadyan, Mariya Gambaryan (Ghambaryan), and Arevik Avdalbekyann continued and completed their studies at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Konstantin Igumnov; Villy Sarkisyan, Margarita Chakhmakhsazyan, Vahe Aharonian began their first steps in music with Anna Mnatsakanyan and completed their studies: the first one — with Kathy Malkhasyan, the last — with Robert Andreasian.