The music of Armenia has its origins in the Armenian highlands, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and is a long-standing musical tradition that encompasses diverse secular and religious, or sacred, music. Folk music was notably collected and transcribed by Komitas Vardapet, a prominent composer and musicologist, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who is also considered the founder of the modern Armenian national school of music. Armenian music has been presented internationally by numerous artists, such as composers Aram Khachaturian, Alexander Arutiunian, Arno Babajanian, Haig Gudenian, and Karen Kavaleryan as well as by traditional performers such as duduk player Djivan Gasparyan.
Jazz music has a long history in Australia. Over the years jazz has held a high-profile at local clubs, festivals and other music venues and a vast number of recordings have been produced by Australian jazz musicians, many of whom have gone on to gain a high profile in the international jazz arena.
Alfred Roubenovich "Avet" Terterian was an Armenian composer, awarded the Konrad Adenauer Prize.
Alexander Grigori Arutiunian, also known as Arutunian, Arutyunyan, Arutjunjan, Harutyunian or Harutiunian, was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist, widely known for his 1950 Trumpet Concerto. A professor at Yerevan State Conservatory, he was recognized with many awards for his work, including the Stalin Prize in 1949 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1970, as well as numerous honors from his homeland of Armenia.
André Sergeyi Hovnanyan, better known by the mononym André is an Armenian singer. Andre is currently one of the most popular pop stars of Armenia, winning the Best Male Singer trophy at various Armenia Music Awards in 2004–2018.
Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiarov (Spendiaryan) was an Armenian and Soviet music composer, conductor, founder of Armenian national symphonic music.
Garbis Aprikian is a musician from the Armenian Diaspora. He has composed many vocal and instrumental works in which Western musical technique marries Armenian melodies. As a performer, Garbis Aprikian has directed for about fifty years the Armenian mixed chorus of Paris Sipan-Komitas. His contribution in the European knowledge of the works of Komitas, Ganatchian and Alemshah is crucial.
Yerevan's first jazz band was formed in 1936, by composer and trumpeter Tsolak Vardazaryan. In 1938, composer Artemi Ayvazyan founded the Armenian State Jazz Orchestra, the first in the Soviet Union. The orchestra's first drummer Robert Yolchyan became an important artist of Soviet and Armenian jazz, developing his own style over time and continuing to play and give master-classes until his death in early 2000s. Other jazz bands were founded in Nairi Cinema, Yerevan Park of Communars, and others. In 1954, Konstantin Orbelyan organized an Estrada quintet for Armenian Radio. In 1966, young composer Martin Vardazaryan founded the Estrada Orchestra, renamed in the 1970s as the Estrada Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of Melik Mavisakalyan and Yervand Yerznkyan. Then Stepan Shakaryan founded the jazz sextet Radio, and jazz trios were founded by David Azaryan and Artashes Kartalyan. Jazz pianist Levon Malkhasian ("Malkhas") founded his jazz trio with Armen Toutounjyan ("Chico") and Arthur Abrahamyan. In 1998, Malkhas become one of the initiators of the Yerevan International Jazz Festival.
Konstantin Petrossian is a composer, pianist and conductor.
Vartan Adjemian is an Armenian composer of orchestral, operatic, and chamber music whose works have been performed worldwide.
Armen Martirosyan is an Armenian musician and composer.
Garik Israelian is an Armenian-Spanish astrophysicist and scientist and founder of Starmus Festival. He led the team which found the first observational evidence that supernova explosions are responsible for the formation of stellar mass black holes.
David Satian is Armenian contemporary composer, jazz pianist, media producer and entrepreneur.
Hrachya Melikyan was an Armenian music composer and film composer. Hrachya Melikyan synthesized world music developments and national music particularities, forging his own characteristic and distinctive musical style. The majority of his compositions are instrumentals, including symphonic, chamber, as well as ensemble compositions. Melikyan also composed numerous choir compositions, romances, pieces for different instruments, as well as music to films including The Ingenious Peasant. He was a member of the Union of Composers and Musicologists from 1972 and the Vice President of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of Armenia from 1991 until his untimely death in March 2006.
Nuance Jazz Band is an Armenian ethnic jazz sextet active since 2009. Founded and led by Garik Saribekyan, Nuance is one of the most recognised and ethnically sounding bands on Yerevan jazz stage.
Artur Avanesov is an Armenian composer of chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that have been performed in Armenia and abroad.
Nemra is an Armenian Alternative rock / Folk rock band from Yerevan, formed in 2012. The band consists of Van Yeghiazaryan, Vaspur Yeghiazaryan, Marianna Karakeyan, and Marek Zaborski (drums). The band's songs are mostly in English, but they also perform cover versions of Armenian folk songs.
Swallow Music Awards is an annual national music awards ceremony first held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 25 March 2017. The awards are created and sponsored by RA Ministry of Culture to appreciate and spur the activities of individuals and creators of various genres of Armenian musical art, as well as to display the significant achievements in the field of music to the broader layers of society. The awards consist of four parts: achievements in classical genre, folk genre, mass pop genre, and special/other awards. During the ceremony artists are given the awards designed by Armenian painter and designer Arman Nur. Each year, the award ceremony airs live on Public Television company of Armenia.
Karen Asatrian is an Armenian jazz pianist and composer. His music is a synthesis of contemporary jazz and Armenian folk music. The recent album “Noor” with Karen Asatrian & Armenian Spirit band is an expression of Armenian traditional songs rearranged with a contemporary jazz style.
Zela Margossian is an Australian pianist of Armenian heritage. Born in Beirut, she is currently based in Sydney.
