Meet Mariné Ter-Kazaryan | Chair, Vocal Arts Department, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Adjunct Professor of Muisic at Pepperdine University and Glendale Community College.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mariné Ter-Kazaryan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mariné, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia. Both my parents are professional classical musicians, so becoming an opera singer and a pianist was almost inevitable. My father was a world famous choir conductor, Sedrak Ter-Kazaryan, who besides teaching conducting at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, led the international award winning choir “Hayren”. My mom, Lyusya Galstyan, is an opera singer too. She also was a soloist of the “Hayren” choir. I was very fortunate to inherit both my parents’ genes. They tell me that I was able to carry a tune since before I could even speak. I vividly remember attending my dad’s choir rehearsals as a toddler, and covering my mouth to sing along. I didn’t want anyone to know I was singing. One time, during one of my “performances”, my dad cut off the choir and I was left singing alone. I was very embarrassed, but also really happy that they heard me.

As a child I performed a lot. I used to tour different cities of Armenia premiering children’s songs written by the contemporary composers of my dad, such as, Robert Petrosyan, Geghuni Chitchyan, Gevorg Armenian, Robert Amirkhanyan. I also recorded these songs in the Armenian National Radio, which are still aired today as part of their Golden Fund. My first professional debut was at the age of 5, with the Armenia Philharmonic orchestra, singing a song by Robert Petrosyan, called “The Know It All”. Musical education was and still is on a very high level in Armenia. I attended the Tchaikovsky Music School for Gifted Children of Yerevan, as a piano performance major. The curriculum was a very rigorous one. I was there from Preschool to 11th grade (then the highest grade level). Along with academic subjects, we studied our major, plus solfege, music theory, aural skills, harmony, music history, accompaniment, and chamber music. All the pianists had to sing in the choir, while the other instrumentalists had to play in the orchestra, and learn to play piano as their secondary instrument. It was very competitive, as there were crucial grades to pass (1st, 4th, and 8th). If you didn’t get a high enough grade on your exams, you would be kicked out of school. Not so fun fact, I don’t know how to ride a bike because my parents were scared I would fall and break my hands, which would be the end of my musical journey…

However, this well-rounded, rigorous education served me well, when we moved to the United States right after I graduated the Tchaikovsky school, and I got accepted at USC Thornton as a Piano Performance Major. Thanks to my strong musical education in Yerevan, I placed out of two years of music theory and three years of aural skills courses. This was really great, since I added Vocal Performance as a double major my second year, and I was able to take all the additional requirements, among which were two years of Italian, German and French, and still graduate with my BM in 5 years.

Speaking of Italian, German and French, learning a foreign language has always been very easy for me. I grew up in Soviet Armenia, where everyone had to speak, read and write Russian. So besides Armenian, which is my first language, I am perfectly fluent in Russian as well. Armenian is such a rich language, with many different nuances of consonants, and open vowels, so pronouncing anything in a foreign language is very easy for me. In fact, I was voted as the “student with the best diction” at USC! This is why the late Douglas Lowrey, our then Assistant Dean of the Thornton School of Music, selected me to sing at the Screen Writer’s Guild Gala held at the Doheney Library. This was for the motion picture “The English Patient”, which had won multiple Oscars, including best original screen play. I was to sing the Gypsy lullaby from the movie, sung in Hungarian. Douglas called me two days before the Gala and said “You are the only student anyone can think of who can pull off learning this music on such a short notice and actually pronounce it”. The manuscript of the song was faxed to his office from Paris that evening, directly from Gabriel Yared. I picked it up the next day, learned it, and performed it.

I am grateful that I grew up performing at such a young age. When I am on the stage, especially when I am singing, I feel totally at home. I feel truly blessed to have had my upbringing and all the experiences that came with that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally? What sets you apart?
As I already mentioned, I am both a pianist and an opera singer. Even though there is a good number of singers who are also fine pianists, this number is very low. I am happy to say that I have a couple of colleagues, who do both very well. And we all know today’s talented opera divas, Joyce DiDonato and Erin Morley, are excellent famous opera singers and pianists as well. However, most singers usually discover that they have a voice, and start taking piano lessons and musicianship training much later in life.

What sets me apart, is the fact that I have a Bachelor of Music in both Piano Performance and Vocal Arts. In fact, I was the first student at USC Thornton at the time to ever have two Performance majors. Performance and Theory, or Performance and Composition, was common. The Dean at the time (Michael Sells) was reluctant to approve my application to add Vocal Performance as a second major, worried that I wouldn’t have enough time to practice both, and be successful at graduating with both degrees. I am happy to say that I graduated quite successfully, Magna Cum Laude. Not many singers can both sing Verdi and Puccini arias, and also play Liszt Rhapsodies and Rachmaninoff Concerti. I am fortunate and lucky to say that I can. I also collaborate on the piano with vocalists and instrumentalists. The fact that I am a singer helps me be an excellent collaborator, as I understand the breathing and the phrasing of the solo instrument on a truly cellular level. Thanks to my dual degrees I teach both Piano and Voice at a college level.

I wear many hats in my career. For example, at the Pasadena Conservatory, I chair the vocal department, which involves the development of curriculum, programming, presentations to the board of directors, etc.. I teach piano and voice lessons, teach diction and performance workshops, masterclasses, collaborate with the singers and instrumentalists, perform both on the vocal and piano faculty recitals, My students are very fortunate, as I always play with them during their lessons. They always get to sing to the full original accompaniment. I also perform with them on recitals, concerts, auditions and competitions. I try my best to be available to collaborate with my students whenever it is possible. Some of these collaborations have truly been life changing for me. I played with my student at Carnegie Hall, when she won the grand prize at a competition. And most recently, I got home to an email offering me a teaching position at Pepperdine University, after I played with my student for his college auditions.

The fact that I am a pianist and had excellent extensive musical training from such an early age help me memorize entire operas very quickly, regardless of the language and the tonality/genre. I have a lot to offer as a musician, and that makes me very happy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ah, this is a good one. We would definitely go to the Music Center and see an opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, or attend a concert at the Disney Hall (or both). Afterwards, we would go out for drinks somewhere in DTLA, most likely at the Noe Bar and Louge at the Omni, or the Perch. I would take them to the Griffith Observatory at night to see LA lit up with its grid-like layout. We would drive to Laguna or Newport Beach, and eat at Javier’s. I would definitely take them to The Cheescake Factory. This is a favorite spot of ours, my children and I go there quite often. My guests would definitely have to try some cheescake flavors. My favorite is the 30th Anniversary Cheescake. Ah! It’s so good! I would also definitely take them to have some amazing sushi. Shiki Sushi in Studio City is by far, the best in LA! I think I would also fit in a Disneyland day in there somewhere. You are never too old to enjoy the park! Dinner at the Castaway, in Burbank is magical on the patio. You see the views of LA and the valley… gorgeous sunsets.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this to my parents, and teachers: my late piano teacher from childhood, Svetlana Dadyan, and my voice teacher, Judith Natalucci. Without the tremendous influence of these amazing people I wouldn’t be the musician, pianist, singer and the teacher I am today.

Besides my musical talent, I learned strong leadership skills from my father, who was a natural leader, and a gifted speaker. This really helps me in my everyday work as the Chair of the Vocal Arts Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of music. My mom’s tenacity and support and belief in me, help me conquer anything I set my mind to. And besides, I owe the beauty of my voice to her excellent genes.

My late piano teacher from the Tchaikovsky school, was crucial to my development as a pianist and musician. And my wonderful voice teacher whom I adore, the vocal magician, the guru of all that vocal pedagogy and vocal arts embody, has been the best thing that happened to me as a singer and a teacher. Since I started working with Judy right before starting my Master’s at USC, my voice has blossomed into the powerful and strong instrument it is today. I learned so much from her about the secrets and mysteries of vocal technique. I am able to teach these to my wonderful students, who are very successful in competitions, and get accepted into prestigious universities and graduate programs.

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