ANNA GRIGORIAN
Anna Grigorian was born in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, USSR. She was exposed to classical music from a very young age. Her mother was a violin teacher and her father and grandmother were both passionate music enthusiasts. She started her formal music education at age six, taking piano, solfege and music history classes at a music school. From that age she always participated in concerts and festivals, winning at several state-wide competitions. She continued her study at the Paliashvili Special Music School for Gifted Children. At age 15 she gave her first solo recital playing major works by Chopin, Mozart, Frank, Rachmaninoff and Debussy.
In 1986 she moved to Armenia were she earned her Masters Degree ( Summa Cum Laude) in Musicology and Piano Pedagogy at the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan. After the collapse of Soviet Union, she lived for a few years in Aleppo, Syria, where she led an active career as a piano teacher and a solo and chamber musician. She was a staff accompanist with Narekazi Chorale with which she had several TV and radio appearances.
In 1995, after winning the Immigration Lottery, Anna moved with her young family to the US. She continued her piano teaching as an adjunct faculty at Anna Maria College, and as a piano instructor at Performing Arts School of Worcester and Pakachoag Music School in Auburn, Massachusetts. She also performed frequently as a solo performer and as a chamber musician with numerous instrumentalists, singers and chorales. She became one of the founders of the Greater Worcester Armenian Children's Chorus and produced an educational CD of Armenian Liturgy for Sunday School. She also served as an adjudicator at Commonwealth Competition for Young Artists.
After relocating to California, Anna became an active member of MTAC Irvine and currently serves on the board of directors and as a co-chair of branch festivals. She continues to teach at her private studio and explore wider range of solo and ensemble repertoire.
NATASHA GUBENKO
Natasha Gubenko was born in Ukraine into a family of musicians. From a very young age Natasha was immersed in the world of classical music. Natasha’s grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles were all professional musicians: orchestra and choir conductors, composers, pianists and teachers. At the age of six, Natasha started her musical training at Kharkov Special Music School for Gifted children, one of the top four music schools in Ukraine known for its superb quality and highest standards for musical education in the world. Natasha continued her education at Kharkov National University of Arts.
In 1990 Natasha’s family made the decision to immigrate to Israel. There, she resumed her training and successfully completed her studies graduating with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Tel Aviv University, The Bachmann-Mehta School of Music.
While in Israel Natasha worked as a principal accompanist with Youth Symphony Orchestra
students in Haifa. Natasha coordinated and taught a chamber music class at Carmel Zvulun Regional High School, working with students majoring in music.
Since 2000 Natasha has been living in California. She has a private piano studio in Irvine where she teaches piano. Natasha is an active member of the Music Teacher’s Association of California, Orange Coast Cities branch. Her students are participants and winners of multiple local festivals and competitions. Natasha is one of the founders and organizers of Russian School of Orange County, the biggest school of its kind on the West Coast. There she teaches music classes for young students. Besides teaching, Natasha enjoys collaborating with and accompanying aspiring students at music competitions.