Teachers

 

Era Ishkhanovna, Gayane Knyazyan, Ashot Bznuni, Joseph Bilotti, Marielaine Mammon

Taught by and performed with: Valery Ponomarev, Don Braden, Nancy Marano, Roseanna Vitro

Tatev was born in Armenia on July 7^th 1987 to artists Mels Yeghiazaryan and Karine Asharkyan. She quickly showed a great interest for music and began formal classical lessons in both voice and piano at the age of 6. Having at first been trained in classical voice, Tatev had her first professional concert at the age of 9. During the next ten years she won numerous musical competitions both individually and with the YY sisters for whom she writes the arrangements. Tatev had the honor of participating in the 1998 Yerevan International Jazz Festival at the Opera House of Yerevan for an audience of three thousand. Tatev had a series of concerts in Los Angeles as a winner of the “Do Re Mi” singing competition at the age of 11.She began high school at a British-Armenian school, but came to the United States at 15 already fluent in three languages and completed her degree here. During this time she participated in and completed the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Jazz for Teens Program under the guidance of Don Braden. During only her first few years in the U.S., she opened a performance for legendary Bucky Pizzarelli, as well as performing with Rosanna Vitro at The Blue Note jazz club.   She has currently completed a duel associate’s degree in classical piano and voice, and is pursuing a performance major in jazz studies with a duel minor in classical voice and jazz piano at William Paterson University.

YY Sisters

             The YY sisters group is comprised of Tatev, her older sister Sona, and her younger sister Lucy who together perform Armenian traditional classical music. The sisters bring  both new perspective and reverence to this age old, deeply Armenian music. Tatev’s three-part harmonies coupled with the group’s unique vocal styles and sensitivities create stirring, haunting sonorities. This music is both exclusively Armenian and broadly human, and has garnered the sisters attention both within and outside the Armenian community. As this group- individual relationship has proved developmental for both sides, so does this music offer its listener a spiritually satisfying experience. You can visit the group website here, or their myspace.

Awards and Recognition

 

2008 Opening artist for “My Fair Lady” at NJPAC, Newark NJ

2007 Performed at National Arts Club, Manhattan, NYC

2006 and 2005 Performed at NJPAC Wachovia “Jazz For Teens” concert, Newark, NJ

2006 and 2005 Recorded at WBGO (FM 88.3) Newark, NJ

2005 Performed at Columbia University International House, NYC

2004 Received an Honorable Mention award in National Arts Recognition And Talent Search

2004 Performed at the  Blue Note with Roseanna Vitro, NYC

2003 A member of New Jersey Honors Jazz Choir

2003 Performed at Cooper Union, NYC

2003 Opening performance of Bucky Pizzarelli, Warwick, NJ

1999 Toured in Los Angeles, CA

1998 Performed at the International Jazz Festival, Yerevan, Armenia

1998 Awarded first place in Children’s song festival “Do Re Mi”