Biography
Narine Khachatryan was born on 28 June 1979 in Yerevan, Armenia. She received her first music lessons at the age of eight at the Armen Tigranian Music School. Already in the early years, the music teachers noticed her inclination towards composition and recommended that she take composition lessons. Thus her first small compositions were written at the age of 12: “Puppet Dance” for piano, “Night” for soprano and piano, “Fantasy” for violin and piano, which were regularly performed at the music school.
From 1996-2001 she studied composition with Edward Mirsoyan at the stately Yerevan Conservatory. She was a multiple prize winner at the Aram Khachatryan Competition and received 1st prize at the 1997 Armenian Composers’ Union Composition Competition. In 1999 she was awarded the Handel Prize of the city of Halle. The prize-winning work “Visions” was premiered by Sur Plus Ensemble in Halle in 2001. In 2003 Narine Khachatryan came to Munich on a DAAD scholarship, where she continued her master studies with Prof. H. J. von Bose at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater.
In 2004, she was awarded the sponsorship prize and interpretation prize of the Bialas Composition Competition in Munich. In 2008-2009 she received the scholarship of the Hauser Hermann Guitar Foundation and composed pieces for solo guitar as well as “Ein wenig Sonne im Wasser” for guitar and vibraphone on behalf of the foundation. Narine Khachatryan received commissions from Siemens arts Programm (2005), the City of Munich (Biennale 2007), Musica Femina (2008), Kasseler Musiktage 2009 and the Young Euro Classic Festival 2011. The work created for this was premiered at the Konzerthaus Berlin. Furthermore, Narine Khachatryan was a radio guest at BR, SWR2 and her compositions were successfully played there. She directed a children’s choir in Munich and organised concert evenings with Armenian music in Munich. In 2020 Narine Khachatryans received 3rd prize (in category II) for her work “Monologue” for oboe and piano at the 32nd Siegburg Composition Competition. In 2021, Narine Khachatryan organised the online concert “Wenn die Töne…SPRECHEN” in collaboration with the soloist:innen Ensemble collegium bratananium e.V. in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide (106th commemoration year). In 2021, performances followed at the Munich Society for New Music, at the aDevandgarte Festival, and at Tonkünstler e.V. Munich.
The composer has also been studying with the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising in the field of church music ministry since 2021 and regularly supports the celebration of mass in various parishes. Since 2020, Narine Khachatryan has been leading the vocal ensemble “Zartonk” in the Armenian Landsmannschaft München, which is dedicated to traditional Armenian music.
Narine Khachatryan’s music includes vocal music, chamber music, choral music and orchestral works. Works composed between 2019 and 2022 include “Praise to God” for four-part choir a cappella, “Still” for vocal ensemble in sextet formation, “Lamentations I and II”, “Monologue” for oboe and piano, the Choral Fantasy for organ and cello, as well as “Lamento for Arzach”, “Dies irae” and “Schwebende Präsenz” for solo organ.
