Arax Mansourian

Arax Mansourian was born in Beirut, Lebanon in a family of survivors of the Armenian genocide. Her family moved to Armenia when Arax was still an infant. Growing up in Armenia, music was a very important part of her life. She knew early on that she wanted to sing. Mansourian studied at the Romanos Meliqyan college of music and later graduated from the Yerevan State Komitas Conservatory, where she was the only performer of modern classical atonal music by young composers. During her studies she participated in festivals throughout Russia and The Soviet Union. After graduation, she soon started to sing at the Yerevan State Opera and soon became one of its stars. Tatevik Sazandarian, once said “Arax has it all, the whole package”.

After moving to Australia in the mid-nineties, she started her work with Opera Australia. Her first role with OA was of Liu in Puccini's Turandot Liu was followed by Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana in Melbourne (OA) "Armenian Arax Mansourian is a natural Santuzza with real power...", Sydney Opera House (OA) and Brisbane for Opera Queensland. Then came Tosca in Puccini's Tosca (Opera Queensland), Desdemona in Verdi's Othello (Opera Australia), Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi's Don Carlos, Fata Morgana in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges (OA Sydney) Katya in Janacek's Katya Kabanova (OA Sydney)

Mansourian lives with her husband, Jacob Kiujian, in Sydney, Australia. She has two daughters. She teaches and gives vocal masterclasses. Since 2012 Ms Mansourian has worked with the "Donate Life" children's charity in Armenia, organizing concerts with her Australian students singing the works of European and Armenian composers which includes Komitas, Tigran Mansurian, Kanachian, Puccini, Bellini, Dvorak etc. in Australia, the US and Armenia with the proceeds going to "Donate Life" / "Give Life",

Mansourian's repertoire encompasses more than 30 roles which include Verdi's- Aida, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, Desdemona in Othello, Elizabeth Valois in Don Carlos, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Amelia in Un Ballo Di Maschera , Liu in Puccini's Turandot, Mimi in La Bohème, Tosca in Tosca, Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Isolde in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Elizabeth in Tannhäuser, Kundri in Parsifal, Katya in Janacek's Katya Kabanova, Kostelnichka in Janacek's Jenufa, Fata Morgana in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges, Anoush in Tigranian's Anoush, Shoushan in Tigranian's David Bek and others...

Mansourian has had recitals throughout the world singing the music of European Masters, such as Schubert, Schumann, Mahler, Mozart, Fauré, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rachmaninoff while always including Armenian classics by Komitas, Kanachian, Berberian, her brother, composer Tigran Mansurian, in her repertoire as well as many other contemporary composers works. Ms Mansourian is the first performer to sing many never before performed songs by Komitas, as well as his unfinished opera Anoush. Mansourian's recordings of the music of Komitas as well as the medieval Armenian chants are an important part of the treasure vault of Armenian music. In the 1990s, during a liturgical festival, she toured 14 cities in France with an all male Armenian choir. French Armenian artist Garzou said “Arax Mansourian was divine in Yekmalian's liturgy. As if she wasn't a singer but virgin Mary herself, so impressive and powerful was her singing...”

Mansourian has appeared in concerts with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony" at the Sydney Opera Concert Hall, Verdi's "Requiem", Britten's "War Requiem", a series of concerts singing Hildegard von Bingen music, ABC "Swoon Concert" with Sydney Symphony Orchestra, John Haddock's "See My Children Fly" which the author wrote with Mansourian in mind. In the last decade as well as singing in Australia, Arax Mansourian has performed concerts in the USA, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Japanand Armenia. Throughout her career she has worked with Brian Castles-Onion, Carlo Felice Cillario, Simone Young, Antony Walker, Richard Gill, Richard Mills, Vladimir Kamirski and others.