Even though artists are notorious for dealing with mental health issues, the idea that art can only be created from suffering and pain is a self-defeating concept. Art is a celebration of life and a way to acknowledge that every person, regardless of their personal circumstances, can contribute beauty to this world. But the number of composers that have dealt with mental illness is staggering, as are the statistics of people in the world that deal with mental health issues in their own lives. As an artistic statement to combat the stigma, pianist Tanya Gabrielian presents a program of pieces written by composers with mental illnesses. Featuring works by Handel-Liszt, Beethoven, Chopin, and Schubert, we can find solidarity through the emotional elements presented in their works. The aim is to enable the audience to gain awareness about these issues and to be supportive of those that deal with mental illness in their own lives. The variety of the program and the centuries that it encompasses also lead back to the thought that music is a universally encompassing art and contains truths that remain throughout the passing of time.

Hailed by the London Times as a “pianist of powerful physical and imaginative muscle,” Tanya Gabrielian has captivated audiences worldwide with her gripping performances.

Tanya shot onto the international stage at the age of twenty with back-to-back victories in the Scottish International Piano Competition and Aram Khachaturyan International Piano Competition. In addition to the traditional concert stage, Tanya is passionate about inspiring new generations of musicians and music lovers in diverse settings, dedicated to community engagement, education, and activism through art.

Tanya’s interests have always been diverse. Admitted to Harvard University to study biomedical engineering at the age of sixteen, Tanya instead pursued a career in music, completing her bachelors and masters degrees at the Royal Academy of Music in London, originally studying both piano and viola. She is currently the Martin Endowed Professor of Piano at Indiana University South Bend and a Shigeru Kawai Recording Artist.

Please visit www.tanyagabrielian.com for more information.

Program: https://unl.box.com/s/uv8timz5ea3lh72d32ufa1jnc5755euh