Mariné  Ter-Kazaryan portrait

Mariné Ter-Kazaryan

Vocal Arts Department Chair

The Los Angeles Times called her “The Nightingale Who Sang on Los Feliz”. Known for her colorful, crystal clear voice, and dramatic and expressive stage presence, soprano Mariné Ter-Kazaryan has been performing around the world both as a singer and a pianist since she was a child. She made her debut with the Armenia Philharmonic at the age of 5, and her recordings since that age are still aired on the Armenian National Radio. She has received warm recognition and high ratings from Russian/Soviet, American, Mexican and Armenian music critics and professionals. A devoted teacher and a highly sought-after adjudicator and piano collaborator, Ms. Ter-Kazaryan is the Chair of the Vocal Arts Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. In addition, she is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Pepperdine University Seaver College, and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Music at Glendale Community College.

Most recently, Ms. Ter-Kazaryan recorded Art Songs by Carlos Guastavino, as part of the Latin American Composers themed Faculty Concert at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music (PCM). Another major project was the recording of the film-concert titled “Bel Canto” (based on Ann Patchett’s book), as part of the Musical Interludes Series at PCM. In the film, Ms. Ter-Kazaryan portrays the famous opera diva Roxanne Coss, singing arias from the heroine’s repertoire from the story, while the film is narrated by the multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominated actress Jane Kaczmarec. Ms. Ter-Kazaryan also performed a Solo Faculty Concert of operatic arias with the Glendale Community College Orchestra, and made her debut at Carnegie Hall! Recently she was the featured musical artist on the Life Changes Radio Show on the BBS network, where she gave an interview and a live performance of the “Song To The Moon” from Rusalka by Dvořák.

Ms. Ter-Kazaryan is an active recitalist, and has performed numerous voice and piano solo recitals. Some of her notable solo concerts were “Bouquets of Love and Sorrow”, as part of the Glendale College Concert Series, when she sang 21 Russian Romances by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky. She later performed the same repertoire on “From Russia, with Love” concert, on the Mansions and Music Series of Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Other notable concerts and recitals were of operatic arias by Dvořák, Puccini, Catalani, Cilèa, Bizet, and French art songs of different composers, as well as Armenian art songs, performed on the Enlightenment Music Concert Series.

Ms. Ter-Kazaryan’s operatic repertoire includes exciting roles as Adriana (Adriana Lecouvreur – Cilèa), Tosca (Tosca – Puccini), Rusalka (Rusalka- Dvořák), La Wally (La Wally – Catalani), Carmen (Carmen – Bizet) Leonora and Elena (Il Trovatore and I Vespri Siciliani – Verdi), to name a few. She also sang the role of Blanca in the US and Mexican premier of “Serafina y Arcangela”, the opera written by the celebrated Mexican-American composer Enrique Gonzales-Medina. Ms. Ter-Kazaryan is the winner of International and local competitions, including the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, Young Keyboard Artist International Piano Competition, Grand Prize winner of Clef Club Competition, and a double Grand Prize Winner in Piano and Voice categories at the Armenian Allied Arts Association’s Competition. She is an honorary member of the Golden Key National Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society, and is affiliated with NATS, and the International Society of Female Professionals.

She has had performances with orchestras such as the Armenia Philharmonic, USC Symphony, Glendale Community College Orchestra, Nayiri Center for the Arts Orchestra and appearances with the USC Opera and Euterpe Opera. She has been a regular solo recitalist on Mansions and Music Series of PCM, Musical Interludes, Enlightenment Music Series, and Classics Become Eclectic concert series.

Ms. Ter-Kazaryan serves on the faculty of Glendale Community College teaching applied voice, piano and music fundamentals since 2011. She holds a full time position as the Chair of the Vocal Arts Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, where she has been teaching individual piano and voice lessons, giving masterclasses and teaching workshops both in piano and voice, collaborating with instrumentalists and vocalists during recitals, juries and competitions since 1997. Since becoming the Chair of the Vocal Arts department, Ms. Ter-Kazaryan has successfully developed the vocal arts curriculum, introducing new programs, thematic recitals, such as the yearly Art Song Recital, has invited prestigious performing artists from all over the world to give masterclasses at the conservatory, and has achieved great results improving the overall level of students of the Vocal Arts Department. Within a year of becoming the department chair, she was awarded the Faculty Leadership Award, for the Exemplary Leadership of the Vocal Arts Department of Pasadena Conservatory of Music. She also has a Certificate of Appreciation for Professional Contribution as Adjudicator, to the Performing Arts Award Program of The Fine Arts Club of Pasadena, and Faculty Appreciation Award, for 20 Years of Dedicated Service to the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, as a Piano and Voice Instructor and Chair of Vocal Arts Department. Previously, she was the Chair of Piano Department at the Nayiri Center for the Arts, where she has taught for eight years. Her students have gone on to be music performance majors at prestigious universities such as Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Harvard, USC Thornton School of Music, New England Conservatory, University of Maryland, Boston Conservatory.

In addition to being a pedagogue in high demand of stellar reputation, Ms. Ter-Kazaryan is also a highly sought-after adjudicator of local and international competitions, including the Virginia Hawk International Vocal Competition, Fine Arts of Pasadena Performing Arts Vocal Competition, NATS Collegiate Audition, and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival, to name a few.

Ms. Ter-Kazaryan is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky School of Music in Yerevan with a diploma in Piano Performance. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree, Cum Laude in Piano Performance and Vocal Arts from USC, and a Master of Music degree Magna Cum Laude in Vocal Arts. She has studied and coached with such profound teachers as Judith Natalucci, Dr. Stewart Gordon, Dr. Louise Lepley, Margaret Schaper and Svetlana Dadyan, Frank Feta, William Vendice, Franz Boerlage.

Mariné Ter-Kazaryan is a performing artist who searches for perfectionism and emotional fulfillment. She strives to deliver her music to the audience with a high professional quality. Being exposed to the audience from a very early age she realizes that her audience has to go home with his/her emotional spirit uplifted.

Music is a universal language. Not only it connects people from different parts of this planet, conveying emotions, feelings, and even thoughts, but it also removes us to an entirely different universe, freeing our mind and soul from everyday routine burdens, leaving behind only beauty, love, and serenity. It's magic, and I love that through teaching I can spread this magic among our students, children or adults!
Mariné Ter-Kazaryan