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==Biography==
==Biography==
Arax Mansourian was born in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]] in a family of survivors of the [[Armenian genocide]]. Her family moved to [[Armenia]] when Arax was still an infant. Growing up in [[Armenia]], music was a very important part of her life. She knew early on that she wanted to sing. Mansourian studied at the Romanos Meliqyan college of music and later graduated from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, where she was the only performer of modern classical [[atonal music]] by young composers. During her studies she participated in festivals throughout [[Russia]] and [[The Soviet Union]]. After graduation, she soon started to sing at the Yerevan State Opera and soon became one of its stars.Armenian diva, Tatevik Sazandarian, once said “Arax has it all, the whole package”. Throughout her career, Ms Mansourian was offered numerous film roles, which she declined. However her music has been used in many television programs, film soundtracks and documentaries. “... her mastery of stage and the dramatic intensity of her acting involuntarily reminds the audience of [[Greta Garbo]]” -Mandag, [[Stockholm]], 28.10.1987.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
Arax Mansourian was born in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]] in a family of survivors of the [[Armenian genocide]]. Her family moved to [[Armenia]] when Arax was still an infant. Growing up in [[Armenia]], music was a very important part of her life. She knew early on that she wanted to sing. Mansourian studied at the Romanos Meliqyan college of music and later graduated from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, where she was the only performer of modern classical [[atonal music]] by young composers. During her studies she participated in festivals throughout [[Russia]] and [[The Soviet Union]]. After graduation, she soon started to sing at the Yerevan State Opera and soon became one of its stars.Armenian diva, Tatevik Sazandarian, once said “Arax has it all, the whole package”. Throughout her career, Ms Mansourian was offered numerous film roles, which she declined. However her music has been used in many television programs, film soundtracks and documentaries.
After moving to Australia in the mid-nineties, she started her work with [[Opera Australia]]. Her first role with OA was of [[Liu]] in [[Puccini]]'s [[Turandot]] ( “Arax Mansourian’s Liù is tremulously sung and deeply affecting,the only source of warmth” Deborah Jones, [[The Australian]], Sep 1999).{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} Liu was followed by [[Santuzza]] in [[Pietro Mascagni|Mascagni]]'s [[Cavalleria Rusticana]] in [[Melbourne]] (OA) "Armenian Arax Mansourian is a natural Santuzza with real power...",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operanews.com/operanews/_archive/702/InReview.702.html |title=InReview.702 |publisher=Operanews.com |date= |accessdate=2015-09-07}}</ref> [[Sydney Opera House]] (OA) and [[Brisbane]] for [[Opera Queensland]]. Then came [[Tosca]] in Puccini's Tosca (Opera Queensland), [[Desdemona]] in [[Verdi]]'s [[Othello]] (Opera Australia), [[Elisabeth de Valois]] in Verdi's [[Don Carlos]], Fata Morgana in [[Prokofiev]]'s [[Love for Three Oranges]] (OA Sydney) Katya in [[Janacek]]'s [[Katya Kabanova]] (OA Sydney) "Her generous-voiced Katya, tragedy in every fibre of her being, was received with lusty cheers” [[The Australian]]." Katya Kabanova-Armenian soprano Arax Mansourian in the title role, she is magnificent, expressing Katya’s emotional roller coaster with immense feeling and voice control. Barry Quigley MOSMAN DAILY, FEB 2002".{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
After moving to Australia in the mid-nineties, she started her work with [[Opera Australia]]. Her first role with OA was of [[Liu]] in [[Puccini]]'s [[Turandot]] Liu was followed by [[Santuzza]] in [[Pietro Mascagni|Mascagni]]'s [[Cavalleria Rusticana]] in [[Melbourne]] (OA) "Armenian Arax Mansourian is a natural Santuzza with real power...",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operanews.com/operanews/_archive/702/InReview.702.html |title=InReview.702 |publisher=Operanews.com |date= |accessdate=2015-09-07}}</ref> [[Sydney Opera House]] (OA) and [[Brisbane]] for [[Opera Queensland]]. Then came [[Tosca]] in Puccini's Tosca (Opera Queensland), [[Desdemona]] in [[Verdi]]'s [[Othello]] (Opera Australia), [[Elisabeth de Valois]] in Verdi's [[Don Carlos]], Fata Morgana in [[Prokofiev]]'s [[Love for Three Oranges]] (OA Sydney) Katya in [[Janacek]]'s [[Katya Kabanova]] (OA Sydney) "Her generous-voiced Katya, tragedy in every fibre of her being, was received with lusty cheers” [[The Australian]]." Katya Kabanova-Armenian soprano Arax Mansourian in the title role, she is magnificent, expressing Katya’s emotional roller coaster with immense feeling and voice control. Barry Quigley MOSMAN DAILY, FEB 2002".{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
Mansourian lives with her husband, Jacob Kiujian, in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]. She has two daughters. She teaches and gives vocal masterclasses. Since 2012 Ms Mansourian has worked with the "Give Life" charity in Armenia, organizing concerts with her Australian students singing Komitas, Tigran Mansurian, Kanachian , Puccini, Bellini, Dvorak etc in Australia, the US and Armenia with the proceeds going to "Give Life" <ref>http://apo.am/benevolent-concert-featuring-lisa-bell/</ref> , <ref>http://www.performingartslive.com/Events/International-Soprano-Arax-Mansourian-and-Lisa-Bell-1016201217849</ref> ,<ref>http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/all/6854</ref>
Mansourian lives with her husband, Jacob Kiujian, in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]]. She has two daughters. She teaches and gives vocal masterclasses. Since 2012 Ms Mansourian has worked with the "Give Life" charity in Armenia, organizing concerts with her Australian students singing Komitas, Tigran Mansurian, Kanachian , Puccini, Bellini, Dvorak etc in Australia, the US and Armenia with the proceeds going to "Give Life" <ref>http://apo.am/benevolent-concert-featuring-lisa-bell/</ref> , <ref>http://www.performingartslive.com/Events/International-Soprano-Arax-Mansourian-and-Lisa-Bell-1016201217849</ref> ,<ref>http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/all/6854</ref>

Revision as of 09:01, 15 September 2015

Arax Mansourian
Արաքս Մանսուրյան
File:AraxMansourianNew.jpg
Background information
Born (1946-08-01) August 1, 1946 (age 78)
Beirut, Lebanon
Websitewww.arax-mansourian.com

Arax Mansourian (Armenian; Արաքս Մանսուրյան, born August 1, 1946) is an Armenian soprano, who started her career in her native Armenia and continued in Australia with Opera Australia. Ms Mansourian has been awarded the title of an Honorary Professor at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in 2015 [1]. Also in 2015 She was awarded with the First Degree Medal of Armenia. In 2010 Ms Mansourian was Awarded with the Medal of Komitas by the Ministry Of the Diaspora.

Biography

Arax Mansourian was born in Beirut, Lebanon in a family of survivors of the Armenian genocide. Her family moved to Armenia when Arax was still an infant. Growing up in Armenia, music was a very important part of her life. She knew early on that she wanted to sing. Mansourian studied at the Romanos Meliqyan college of music and later graduated from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, where she was the only performer of modern classical atonal music by young composers. During her studies she participated in festivals throughout Russia and The Soviet Union. After graduation, she soon started to sing at the Yerevan State Opera and soon became one of its stars.Armenian diva, Tatevik Sazandarian, once said “Arax has it all, the whole package”. Throughout her career, Ms Mansourian was offered numerous film roles, which she declined. However her music has been used in many television programs, film soundtracks and documentaries.

After moving to Australia in the mid-nineties, she started her work with Opera Australia. Her first role with OA was of Liu in Puccini's Turandot Liu was followed by Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana in Melbourne (OA) "Armenian Arax Mansourian is a natural Santuzza with real power...",[2] Sydney Opera House (OA) and Brisbane for Opera Queensland. Then came Tosca in Puccini's Tosca (Opera Queensland), Desdemona in Verdi's Othello (Opera Australia), Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi's Don Carlos, Fata Morgana in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges (OA Sydney) Katya in Janacek's Katya Kabanova (OA Sydney) "Her generous-voiced Katya, tragedy in every fibre of her being, was received with lusty cheers” The Australian." Katya Kabanova-Armenian soprano Arax Mansourian in the title role, she is magnificent, expressing Katya’s emotional roller coaster with immense feeling and voice control. Barry Quigley MOSMAN DAILY, FEB 2002".[citation needed]

Mansourian lives with her husband, Jacob Kiujian, in Sydney, Australia. She has two daughters. She teaches and gives vocal masterclasses. Since 2012 Ms Mansourian has worked with the "Give Life" charity in Armenia, organizing concerts with her Australian students singing Komitas, Tigran Mansurian, Kanachian , Puccini, Bellini, Dvorak etc in Australia, the US and Armenia with the proceeds going to "Give Life" [3] , [4] ,[5]

Repertoire

Mansourian's repertoire encompasses more than 30 roles which include Verdi's- Aida, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Desdemona in Othello, Elizabeth Valois in Don Carlos, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Amelia in Un Ballo Di Maschera , Liu in Puccini's Turandot, Mimi in La Boheme, Tosca in Tosca , Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Elizabeth in Tannhäuser, Kundri in Parsifal, Katya in Janacek's Katya Kabanova, Kostelnichka in Janacek's Jenufa, Fata Morgana in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges, Anoush in Tigranian's Anoush, Shoushan in Tigranian's David Bek and others...

Mansourian has had recitals throughout the world singing the music of European Masters , such as Schubert, Schuman, Mahler, Mozart, Fauré, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rachmaninoff while always including Armenian classics by Komitas, Kanachian, Berberian, her brother, composer Tigran Mansurian, in her repertoire as well as many other contemporary composers works. Ms Mansourian is the first performer to sing many never before performed songs by Komitas, as well as his unfinished opera Anoush. Mansourian's recordings of the music of Komitas as well as the medieval Armenian chants are an important part of the treasure vault of Armenian music.[6] In the 1990's, during a liturgical festival, she toured 14 cities in France with an all male Armenian choir. French Armenian artist Garzou said “Arax Mansourian was divine in Yekmalian's liturgy. As if she wasn't a singer but virgin Mary herself, so impressive and powerful was her singing...”

Mansourian has appeared in concerts with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony" at the Sydney Opera Concert Hall, Verdi's "Requiem", Britten's "War Requiem", a series of concerts singing Hildegard von Bingen music, ABC "Swoon Concert" with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Haddock's "See My Children Fly" which the author wrote with Mansourian in mind. In the last decade as well as singing in Australia , Arax Mansourian has performed concerts in the USA, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Japan [7] and Armenia. Throughout her career she has worked with Brian Castles-Onion, Carlo Felice Cillario, Simone Young, Antony Walker, Richard Gill, Richard Mills, Vladimir Kamirski and others.

References

[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

  1. ^ http://en.hayernaysor.am/%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D6%84%D5%BD-%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%BD%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%80%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%B6-%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AA%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A1%D6%81%D5%A5%D5%AC-%D5%A7-%D5%A5%D6%80%D6%87%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%AB/
  2. ^ "InReview.702". Operanews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  3. ^ http://apo.am/benevolent-concert-featuring-lisa-bell/
  4. ^ http://www.performingartslive.com/Events/International-Soprano-Arax-Mansourian-and-Lisa-Bell-1016201217849
  5. ^ http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/photoset/all/6854
  6. ^ http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/arax-mansourian/album/komitas
  7. ^ http://japan.mfa.am/en/news/item/2014/10/05/concert05102014/
  8. ^ "Arax Mansourian". Arax Mansourian. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  9. ^ "Armenia's 'Joan Sutherland' calls Sydney home". theage.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  10. ^ "AusStage". AusStage. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  11. ^ "Composers! A call to arms - Arts". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  12. ^ "ABC Classic FM Music Details: Sunday 10 November 2002". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  13. ^ "Sunday Morning - John Haddock and Arax Mansourian -18/04/2004". Abc.net.au. 2004-04-18. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  14. ^ "Press conference of famous opera singer Arax Mansourian and her three Greek, Chinese and Australian students (photoset) - PanARMENIAN Photo". Panarmenian.net. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  15. ^ "InReview.702". Operanews.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  16. ^ "2003 Reviews 32 (Theatre/Stage Brisbane Queensland Australia)". Stagediary.com. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  17. ^ "Music News Australia | AIM Music School". Aim.edu.au. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
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