Karen Asatrian

The composer, jazz pianist and leader of the ensemble ARMENIAN SPIRIT Karen Asatrian was born in 1972 in Yerevan, Armenia. After graduating from the State Conservatory of Komitas in Yerevan, he left Armenia in 1995 to Klagenfurt in Carinthia/Austria and graduated there with honors in jazz-piano in 1999. His career till now was accompanied by various significant highlights. One of them was 2007, when he recieved the Armenian Music Award in the category of Best Jazz Album for his CD “Pathway”. The CD “Dervish” followed in 2009 and again showed how his music radiates and joins together. From his creations to date, is in particular the PRAYER WHEEL, which was composed by him on the occasion of the centenary of the genocide against the Armenians, which was performed at the 2016 Salzburg Festival. In 2018, his third public work, “Noor” (Armenian for pomegranate) appeared. With the symbolic pomegranate he wanted to place a clearly visible sign for peace and understanding in the Caucasus. Plus sow seeds, of course. May his seeds grow and bear rich fruits.
In addition to his artistic activities and performances, Karen Asatrian is now a respected Jazz-Piano-Professor at the Gustav-Mahler-University at Klagenfurt/Carinthia as well as at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. For further Information and discography please visit: www.asatrian.net and www.armenianspirit.net.