Joan Of Arc's

He was born in Yerevan. In 1959 David Azaryan entered the Sayat-Nova Music School. From 1960 he took up jazz, listening to American recordings and the Voice of America radio broadcasts. In 1964 Azaryan won first place in the competition of the music schools of Armenia. In 1965 he played with the "Beacon" band. In 1967 Azaryan entered the Tchaikovsky Music School. At the same time he played in jazz clubs. In 1969 he graduated from the Chekhov Secondary School, and in 1970 from the music school, after which he entered the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. In 1972–73 he led a jazz ensemble in which well-known Armenian jazz musicians played. In 1975 he graduated from the piano and composition departments of the Yerevan Conservatory. In 1975–78 he worked as an accompanist at the Sayat-Nova Music School. In 1975–79 he was a singing teacher at the Parakar basic school. From 1976 he was a member of the Union of Composers of the USSR. In 1977–78 he was music director and pianist of the jazz ensemble of Armenian Television and Radio. In 1978–81 he was music director and pianist of the jazz/rock ensemble of the "Dvin" hotel. In 1981–82 he was music director and pianist of the "Jazz Attack" ensemble at the "Intercontinental" hotel in Moscow. In 1982–83 he was music director and pianist of the Yerevan Drama Theatre. In 1983–87 he was director of the jazz trio of the Aesthetic Centre. From 1989 he lived in the USA. He taught at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the Longy School of Music, Brown University in Providence, the Cambridge music school and elsewhere. He performed in Moscow, Germany and Poland, as well as in leading concert halls of the USA. He wrote chamber works, jazz compositions, and music for theatre and film. He won first prizes at the international competitions in Baku (1976) and Lithuania (1988). He died in a car accident in the city of Boston (USA).