Short Bio

In 23 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle and Far East, ARMEN DONELIAN has performed and recorded since 1975 as a featured solo pianist, leader of his own quintet and trio, and with Jazz legends including Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Paquito D’Rivera, Mongo Santamaria and Billy Harper.

Called “A pianist with a crystalline touch, but a penchant for avant gardism” (New York Times), Armen Donelian has performed in the Bilsak, Burlington, Caramoor, Cinco de Mayo, Hennessey, Istanbul, Jacksonville, Jazz Jamboree, Jerusalem, Montreal, Nemu-no Sato, Oshanitsky, Ottawa, Pori, Portsmouth, Toronto Harbourfront, Veneto and Yerevan Jazz Festivals.

Armen Donelian is composer of more than 90 works, and has produced eleven critically acclaimed recordings for the Sunnyside, Playscape, Odin and Atlas labels. His most recent CD release, Oasis (Sunnyside), is a trio date with bassist David Clark and drummer George Schuller, his musicians of choice for over four years, recorded in 2007.

Armen Donelian is a Fulbright Senior Scholar for work in Armenia, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. He has received six Jazz Performance Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts for concerts and master classes. A faculty member at New School University since 1986 and William Paterson University since 1993, Donelian has taught at conservatories in Copenhagen, Iasi, Jyväskylä, Lisbon, Paris, St. Petersburg, Tblisi, Yerevan and Zürich.

The author of the two-volume book/CD set Training the Ear (Advance Music), Armen Donelian is a graduate of Columbia University and has studied privately with Carl Bamberger (conducting), Ludmila Ulehla (harmonic analysis), Harold Seletsky (Schoenberg theory and counterpoint) and Richie Beirach (jazz piano).