Honored Artist of Armenia, Professor of the Yerevan State Conservatory after Komitas
Yelena (Heghine) Ter-Ghevondyan was born in 1918 in Tbilisi in the family of a prominent Armenian composer and public figure, People’s Artist of Armenia Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan and accompanist Tamara Sagatelova-Ter-Ghevondyan.
Her parents met while studying at the Tbilisi Music College, later they continued their studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan also graduated from the Faculty of Law of the St. Petersburg University). Living in an atmosphere of love for music since her childhood, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan naturally chose to serve art.
The Ter-Ghevondyans had at home a “Steinway & Sons” Grand Piano, about which they especially care because Sergei Rachmaninoff played on it while being in Tbilisi (unfortunately, we don’t know what happened with this piano after the death of Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan).
In 1926, the family moved to Yerevan, where Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan was offered the position of rector of the Yerevan State Conservatory. These were the crucial years of the formation of the university, and Ter-Ghevondyan did a lot in his post. Having appreciated the achievements of the Armenian university, Professor Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan was offered the position of rector of the Azerbaijan Conservatory (1934-1938), and the family temporarily moved to Baku. At the Azerbaijan Conservatory, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan studied for three years in the special piano class of a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Professor Mayor Brenner.
In 1942-1943, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan continued her studies at the Yerevan State Conservatory in the class of Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory Konstantin Igumnov, who moved to Yerevan during the Great Patriotic War. Since 1943, she has been improving at the Moscow State Conservatory in the special piano classes of famous professors Samuil Feinberg and Maria Yudina.
Having successfully graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory in 1946 and received a diploma with the qualification of “solo-pianist,” Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan returned to Yerevan and began working at the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra as a concertmaster. Her first performance took place in January 1947 in a concert dedicated to the work of composer Aro (Haro) Stepanyan (besides Ter-Ghevondyan, as an accompanist, in the concert also participated Eleonora Voskanyan).
In June 1947, Ter-Ghevondyan performed Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E♭ major, S.124 with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Michael Maluntsian. In April 1949, she performed the same concert under the direction of People’s Artist of the USSR Odysseas Dimitriadis.
Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan worked with the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra until 1953.
Among the memorable performances of accompanist Ter-Ghevondyan with famous singers are concerts dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Alexander Pushkin (1949, soloists — Gohar Gasparyan, Lyubov Lazareva, Fyodor Ohanyan, Ligia Mamadzhanyan, Maria Dzhalalyan), the works of Sayat-Nova (1952, soloists — Armenak Ter-Abramyan and Tatevik Sazandaryan), as well as solo concerts of Tigran Nalbandyan, Arthur Aydinyan, Tatyana Vanetsyan, and others.
In 1953, took place solo concerts with Tatevik Sazandaryan, Tatyana Vanetsyan, Zemfira Sedrakyan, and Knarik Grigoryan. In Leninakan (now Gyumri), Ter-Ghevondyan performed with singers Avak Petrosyan, Evgeniy Okunev, Sergei Galstyan, and prominent tar player Soghomon Seyranyan.
Beginning from 1953 and till the end of her life, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan worked (forty-six years) in the Yerevan State Conservatory. She taught an accompanist training course while continuing her intensive performing activities.
The posters are reminiscent of performances from the 1950s. These are solo concerts with Nar Hovhannisyan, Anna Sarajyan, and Armine Tutunjyan; an evening of Neapolitan songs with Eduard Bagdasaryan; a literary and musical evening dedicated to the work of Avetik Isahakyan, with the participation of singers Tatevik Sazandaryan, Nar Hovhannisyan, Shogher Mkrtchyan, Avak Petrosyan, Ofelya Hambardzumyan, Hovhannes Badalyan, and duduk player Levon Madoyan.
Let us recall the names of Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan’s permanent creative partners (she performed mainly with vocalists): Nar Hovhannisyan, Avak Petrosyan, Armenak Ter-Abramyan, Shara Talyan, Arshavir Karapetyan, Elvira Uzunyan, Eduard Bagdasaryan, Yelena Vardanyan, Armine Tutunjyan, Knarik Grigoryan, Seda Vanikyan, Seda Kurbanyan, as well as folk singers Ofelya Hambardzumyan, Hovhannes Badalyan, and many others. Among the instrumentalists are cellist Medea Abrahamyan, violinist Zoya Petrosyan, qanunist/kanunist Khachatur Avetisyan, duduk player Levon Madoyan, tar player Soghomon Seyranyan, and others.
Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan made one hundred and seventy records on the State Television and Radio of Armenia. Numerous recordings were also made at the All-Union Recording Company “Melodia”.
The creative collaboration of Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan and People’s Artist of the USSR Tatevik Sazandaryan continued for twenty-seven long years. The collaboration between Ter-Ghevondyan and the famous bass Nar Hovhannisyan was long and fruitful. They performed on stage together for twenty-four years.
She has performed for the same number of years with the famous baritone, People’s Artist of Armenia Arshavir Karapetyan. In the book dedicated to Arshavir Karapetyan (“In Life and on Stage”) Varuzhan Pluzyan (Honored Artist of Armenia. His musical programs are included in the “Golden Fund” of Public Radio of Armenia) said the following words about the collaboration between the singer and the accompanist: “In the dialogue between voice and instrument, the singer always had worthy interlocutor — a highly professional pianist, with whom they shared numerous laurels. We are talking about Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan.”
In 1964, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan began her creative collaboration with singer Elvira Uzunyan. This collaboration lasted almost twenty-five years.
In 1959, for her active and fruitful concert activity, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Armenia.
Over all the years of her performing activity, Ter-Ghevondyan took part in more than one thousand concerts, of which one hundred and twenty-six were solo concert programs with singers.
Honored Artist of Armenia Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan became the first performer-accompanist of many vocal works by Armenian composers.
In 1970, Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan headed the newly created Department of Accompanist Training at the Yerevan State Conservatory (previously it was a part of the Chamber Ensemble Department) and worked in this post for twenty long years. In 1966, she was awarded the title of Associate Professor, and in 1978 — the title of Professor.
One hundred and seventy-six undergraduate and graduate students graduated from Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan’s class. Graduates of Ter-Ghevondyan have successfully worked at the Department of Accompanist Training over the years: professors Senora Gyulbudaghyan (She was also the head of the department for many years), Ruzanna Bek-Marmarcheva, Liana Gasparyan; associate professors Suzanna Hambartsumyan, Gayane Barseghyan, Zaruhi Ghazaryan and Olga Khostikyan.
Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan wrote some educational and methodological works. Under the editorship of Ter-Ghevondyan, were published the following collections: “Selected Vocal Works of Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan” and “Ten Vocalises by Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan”.
Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan is the author of two romances based on poems by Hovhannes Tumanyan: “Haytnutyun” (arm: «ՀԱՅՏՆՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ», eng: “Revelation”) and “Du qo champen gna, quyrik” (arm: «ԴՈՒ ՔՈ ՃԱՄՓԵ՛ Ն ԳԸՆԱ, ՔՈՒՅՐԻ՛Կ…», eng: “Go, sister, in your way…”).
Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan was awarded the medals “For Distinguished Labour”, “Veteran of Labor,” and “Excellence in Military Sponsorship.” Her work has been marked by numerous certificates of honor and gratitude.
In 2005, to commemorate the achievements of Yelena Ter-Ghevondyan, in Yerevan, the Accompanists Festival was dedicated to her memory. Since 2008, periodically, every two years, the Republican Competition of Young Accompanists is named after Yelena
Ter-Ghevondyan. It is a serious test for accompanists — with a varied program in two rounds. This competition is becoming increasingly popular.