Anna Soukiassian

Hailed by the Boston Globe as “an accomplished musician,” pianist Anna Soukiassian has distinguished herself as an artist of tremendous gifts, displaying “an abundance of technique and a wide range of expression…” She has performed in Armenia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Moldavia, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States.

As a concerto soloist she appeared with the Longy Chamber Orchestra and the Boston Virtuosi. In March of 2018, Ms. Soukiassian performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as part of the Kassian-Howard Duo with violinist Jeffrey Howard. In April she returned to New York to perform at the Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium as featured Guest Artists for the 6th New York Artists International Competition Winners Recital. Additional chamber performances have included works such as the Faure Piano Quartet and the Shostakovich Piano Trio no. 2 at Towson University, the Hovhaness Fantasy with Baltimore Symphony bassist Arnold Gregorian for the “Chamber Music by Candlelight Series,” the Poulenc Sonata for Violin and Piano at the Hochschule fur Musik in Wurzburg, Germany and in Vipitano, Italy. In the summer of 2010 she was a guest clinician and Artist-in-Residence at the Orfeo International Music Festival in the Italian Alps. She has also performed as a guest artist with the Baltimore Trio (Jeffrey Howard, violin and Cecylia Barczyk, cello).

Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Ms. Soukiassian’s prodigious talent was recognized at the modest age of three when she would play back melodies at the piano sung by friends. At age five, she was accepted into the Saradjev Specialized School for Music. By the age of twelve, Ms. Soukiassian was honored with a solo appearance on Armenian TV.

Ms. Soukiassian received her Bachelor of Music “With Excellence” from the R. Melikian Music College and her Master of Music from Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia. Immediately upon graduation she was hired as Staff Accompanist at the Conservatory. It was during this time when Ms. Soukiassian was individually chosen to study at the Longy School of Music in Massachusetts. She was the winner of the Longy Concerto Competition and received her Artist Diploma Degree. She then continued her studies at Boston University in the Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree. At BU she was a recipient of the prestigious Director’s Award and the Anne and Aaron Richmond Piano Award. She also participated in the 1995 Maria Canals de Barcelona International Piano Competition in Spain.

Ms. Soukiassian has always been a strong advocate of new music. In 1996 she accompanied composer Dianne Rahbee on a tour to Hungary where she performed several of her pieces at the Liszt Academy in Budapest. She also initiated and helped in organizing a special event of performances of Ms. Rahbee’s music for the Peabody Preparatory Piano Department.

Ms. Soukiassian has taught piano solo and chamber music at venues such as Bridgewater State College, Phillips Academy, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Towson University, and the Peabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins University. She has also coached chamber music to members of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra. As an active adjudicator, Ms. Soukiassian has judged for several state and international competitions.

Teaching Philosophy:
I enjoy working with students of all levels and ages. The first priority is comprehension: understanding how the music works, and why we do things in a particular way. This leads to confidence, an essential part of a students’ development. The method that I have put together over the years includes good sight reading skills along with theory training and rhythm reading while working on performance skills. This type of detailed and in-depth work helps students understand the musical concepts of a piece and appreciate their own unique ways of interpretation. My students receive genuine praise for their growth and improvement. This positive encouragement helps them build self-assurance and a strong foundation for musically satisfying and enjoyable experiences.