PROJECTS
"Gabrielian has devoted her passion towards orchestrating a musical identity that is uniquely hers."
- Yerevan Magazine
"Anyone who says that emerging young pianists all sound alike obviously hasn't heard Tanya Gabrielian."
- Peninsula Reviews
Tanya has exemplified the role of artist as citizen, finding a modern relevance for music in today’s society. Through her passion for music and dedication to bringing communities together through the power of art, Tanya has used the piano to bring a vision of love and beauty to the hearts of audiences on a variety of stages.
Working to break down the barrier between the performer and the listener, Tanya was compelled to find a new format to keep classical piano repertoire in tact while expressing her own artistic vision. She has collaborated with a number of artists outside her sphere and created various projects to promote a new perspective on music.
MUSIC ILLUSTRATED
Through workshops at schools, art and music are brought together for a creative showcase featuring artwork by students and a concert performance. Music serves as direct inspiration for students' drawings, acknowledging the historical link between the two disciplines. The students are then presented in concert, either at the school or at other local venues. The artwork created during the workshop is projected on stage during the relevant repertoire, creating a multisensory performance around a unifying subject.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
"Working with Tanya in my role as county Mental Health Director was a highlight of my 35+ years in public mental health administration. The performance itself still stands out in our community as a vivid reminder both of her gifts and the power of music to unite us. The combined impact of her music and message brought a greater awareness and understanding of mental illness in ways that still resonate for us."
- Leslie Tremaine, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Tanya has developed a platform to address the stigma around mental health. Even though artists are notorious for dealing with mental illness, this program breaks from the cliché that art comes from tragedy. Playing repertoire by composers with mental health issues, art becomes a celebration of life by demonstrating that every person, regardless of personal circumstances, can contribute beauty to the world.
Living near the New York State Psychiatric Institute, the same hospital where Rachmaninov was treated for depression, Tanya developed an interactive performance series for in-patients, bringing concerts to the hospital and engaging in conversations about music.
Tanya has also collaborated with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to bring in new audiences to promote understanding through the power of art. Through this partnership, tickets are distributed to people in local service programs who could not otherwise have had the opportunity, art created by people affected by mental illness is exhibited, and a display of educational/resource materials is available for the audience.
SEVEN LAST WORDS
This program is centered around Franz Joseph Haydn's composition, "Seven Last Words of Christ". Rather than a reading of the words of Christ between the movements, as dictated by the original, final statements of executed death penalty prisoners are presented between each section. With the prevalence of the word "love" in the statements, powerful insights emerge regarding both end-of-life values and the paradoxes revealed in the lives of these "sinners".
MUSIC WELLNESS WORKSHOPS
Through a collaboration with Pro Musicis, Tanya has presented a series of workshops at the Lighthouse Guild, a center addressing the needs of people that are blind or visually impaired, specifically those with multiple disabilities. Musical examples are used to explore emotions, focusing on the inherent strength of music to convey tension and release, creating a safe space to allow the participants to accept, express, and explore feelings in a healthy way.
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Commissioned while Artist-in-Residence at 23Arts, Tanya premiered a new version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, arranged by Steven Feifke, for classical piano and big band. Tanya performed with the Steven Feifke Big Band, blurring the lines between classical and jazz.
CHAMBER SQUARED
Joining forces with ballet producer Anton Kandaurov, Tanya is Musical Director of Chamber Squared, a unique and innovative program blending classical chamber music with original ballet choreography. Music and dance come together in a collaborative performance where both mediums develop synchronously and receive equal billing. This distinct approach allows each group to highlight and complement the other in order to create a more emotional, raw performance.
TRUST IN EDUCATION
Partnering with Trust in Education, a non-profit organization providing educational, economic, and health care assistance to Afghan families, Tanya presented a series of ten outreach performances and a benefit concert to promote the organization and raise funds.
IN FLANDERS FIELDS
The famous poem entitled "In Flanders Fields", written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during World War I, is the namesake of the project, created with artist Fran Bull. A meditation on war, the performance combines art, poetry, music, and video as an integrated whole.
MUSIC FOR FOOD
Founded by Grammy-winning violist Kim Kashkashian, Music for Food is a musician-led initiative for local hunger relief. The concerts raise resources in the fight against hunger, empowering all musicians who wish to use their artistry to further social justice. Tanya has worked to pair the New York City branch performances with local food banks, creating partnerships, raising funds, and increasing awareness. She also started the Indiana Chapter of Music for Food.
IMPROV CUBED
Tanya joined jazz pianists Andre Mehmari and Chris Pattishall at the Catskill Jazz Factory for an musical journey spanning 300 years on two pianos. Recreating the rich and hidden history of improvisation, they explored works by Bach, Scarlatti, Schubert, and music from ragtime, Brazilian choro, and the Great American Songbook.