"One in a hundred days can live a hundred lives
Another - not a single one in a hundred years.
Some years aren't worth a minute
Some minutes more abundant than a year"

These poetic words could not be more suitable to describe the life and work of a multitalented musician, educator and researcher Anahit Tsitsikian.

(1926-1999)

Anahit Tsitsikian was born on 26 August 1926, in Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg), Russia, into a family of an engineer and a doctor. She began playing the violin at the age of six. Her teachers were the wonderful musicians Gregory Ginsburg and later on the professor Lev Tsaitlin. At the beginning of World War II, she left Leningrad for Armenia. Even though she moved from Leningrad at the age of fifteen, the city left an unforgettable mark on her development as a person and musician. She remained an individual with fine taste, and a careful and sincere approach and attitude toward historical legacy; and she was gentle and respectful toward her friends, colleagues and students.

She studied at the Yerevan State Conservatory from 1946-1950, as a student of Professor Karp Dombayev. She was granted the Stalin Scholarship. In 1954 she completed her graduate course at the Moscow State Conservatory (adviser - Professor Constantine Mostras).

She began performing professionally at elementary school age; her performances included many solo performances as well as with symphonic orchestras. Beginning in 1961 she was the principle soloist at the Armenian Philharmonic Hall. Ms. Tsitsikian performed throughout the Republics of the former Soviet Union and in 27 countries around the world. As a violinist she produced four vinyl discs under the “Melodia” label. The music of modern Armenian composers held a special place in Ms. Tsitsikian’s repertoire. She was often the co-author, editor and first interpreter of their original pieces.

Starting in 1950, she worked as a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory, and she established three new courses in its curriculum: The History and Theory of Bowed Instruments, The History of Armenian Performing Arts, and A Course of Music Teaching Practice.

Tsitsikian started scientific research while she was still a student of the Conservatory. The research focused on bowing art, instrumentology and Musical Archaeology, which in fact she founded in Armenia. Ms. Tsitsikian spoke five languages, and lectured in English, French, and German. She participated in numerous international scientific conferences and she also published her own articles in Armenia and abroad.

During her artistic life Professor Anahit Tsitsikian performed in more than 1000 recitals, recorded sixty pieces of archived music and authored more than 300 articles and scenarios for many radio and television programs. She was a member of many local and international organizations such as: Composer’s Union of Armenia, Composers of USSR, Armenian Theater Union, Journalist’s Union, Women’s Committee of the USSR, AOKSZ (The Cultural liaison committee of Armenia with foreign countries), “History of World Culture” Committee in the Academy of Science, USSR; The World Scientific Association of Historical Archaeology, etc.

Anahit Tsitsikian was a Merited Artist of Armenia (1967), PhD of Musical Science (1970), and Professor of Music (1982). She passed away May 2, 1999 in Yerevan.