One of Armenia’s preeminent pianists, Lusine Grigoryan was born in Gyumri and studied at the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory under the direction of Professor Robert Shugarov. Her debut album, on ECM Records, entitled Komitas: Seven Songs has been widely acclaimed.

Grigoryan’s solo concerts, performed on stages throughout Europe, America, the Middle East and Australia, have also generated enthusiastic critical approval. As a soloist she has performed at many prestigious festivals and concert halls, including the Holland Festival in Amsterdam, the Bozar Center for Fine Arts in Belgium, the Nostalgia Festival in Poland, the Canberra International Music Festival in Australia and others.

Grigoryan’s unique interpretations of classical music, conveyed through a repertoire ranging from early Baroque to Contemporary, are complemented by an equally vast awareness of folk music traditions, which grants her insights into the works of classical composers whose pieces were informed by folk traditions. Her thorough research into the works of Komitas and Bela Bartók are examples of this actualised perspective. Her interpretation of Komitas’ piano works in particular has been praised both for its originality and its faithfulness to the composer’s vision.

As hailed by BBC Music Magazine, “[…] with judicious use of staccato and pedaling, [she] manages to suggest the original folk instruments: the duduk oboe, the zurna trumpet, the tar lute, and the daf drum.”  Gramophone extoled the collection as a “highly appealing programme”; that Grigoryan “renders […] with an ideal poise and incisiveness, and she has been accorded spacious though never unfocused sound.”