Artemi Ayvazyan

Artemi Ayvazyan studied at Tbilisi State Conservatoire and Moscow Conservatory. Employment is recorded with Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and Paronyan Musical Comedy Theatre of Yerevan. Distinctions recorded are Order of the Badge of Honour, Honored Art Worker of the Armenian SSR and People's Artist of the Armenian SSR.

• Name — Artemi Ayvazyan • Birth Name — Artemi (Harutyun) Ayvazyan • Born — June 26, 1902 • Birthplace — Baku • Died — 14 November 1975 • Place of death — Yerevan • Occupation — composer, conductor • Known for — Founder of the Armenian State Jazz Orchestra • Awards — People's Artist of Armenia (1962)

Ayvazyan was born in Baku to a musical family. Many famous musicians including Fyodor Shalyapin and Sergei Rachmaninoff visited the family apartment on Merkurievskaya Street. Ayvazyan graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatory in 1923 and studied at the studio of Alexander Spendiarian. He then attended the Moscow State Conservatory, completing his post-graduate research in 1935. In 1933 Ayvazyan won the First Prize of All-Soviet musical competition. In 1938 he founded the Armenian State Estrada (Jazz) Orchestra in Yerevan, one of the most popular in the USSR and the only one that survived during the stalinist repressions of the 1940s. Among his well-known songs are "Jan Yerevan", "Karine", "Get Arax" and "Im Karavan", a melody which became the unofficial anthem of the Karabakh movement in Armenia in 1988. He is also the author of the Armenian operetta "The Eastern Dentist," (featuring the popular 'Taparnikos's Song') and soundtracks ("Inchu e aghmkum getn?", "Mor sirtn" Armenian films, "The Snow Queen" Soviet cartoon animation). In 1939 Ayvazyan was awarded by the Renowned Master of Armenian SSR Arts title. He headed the Armenian State Estrada (Jazz) Orchestra until 1956. From 1943 to 1945, he was also the artistic head of Yerevan Musical Comedy Theater. Ayvazyan was the first professor of cello class at the Yerevan State Conservatory.

• 1939 - The Priest and the Goat, animation • 1957 - Mother's Heart • 1957 - The Snow Queen • 1958 - What's All the Noise of the River About? • 1960 - A Poem about Armenia, doc. • 1961 - Before the Dawn • 1967 - Alexander Myasnikyan, doc. • 1967 - Suren Spandaryan, doc.

Artemi Ayvazyan is recorded with the occupation jazz musician. Recorded as conductor, composer, jazz musician and cellist.