Marianna Gevorgyan is the winner of the Global Icon Awards 2025. She also received the Grand Prix in the “Music of the Nations” category at the World Folk Vision 2020 international competition-festival, which included 3,950 participants from 115 countries.
Since 2012, she has worked as a solo qanun player at the Armenian National Centre of Chamber Music named after Komitas, performing with the Tagharan Ancient Music Ensemble under Sedrak Yerkanyan. In 2024, she also became Armenia’s first Japanese koto player at the Hrachya Ghaplanyan Armenian Dramatic Theatre, led by Grigor Khachatryan.
Born in 1986 in Yerevan, Armenia, Marianna studied at Av. Gabrielyan and Al. Spendiaryan music schools and graduated with honors from the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatoire (bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate studies). From an early age, she performed with several orchestras and ensembles, building a strong foundation in both national and classical music.
Her career includes many solo concerts and collaborations with Armenian and international musicians. She is known for exploring the expressive power of the qanun, performing complex classical works and unique interpretations on stage.
Over the years, she has taken part in numerous concerts and projects. These include performances across Armenia in the early 2000s, charity concerts in Yerevan and Norq, international collaborations between 2007–2009, and a master class concert at Komitas Conservatory in 2010.
In 2016, she presented the “Music of Armenia” program and a solo concert dedicated to Khachatur Avetisyan, where composer Vardan Adjemian wrote a special piece for her premiere. In 2017, she premiered major works for qanun by Yervand Yerkanyan, including a world-first composition for qanun and organ based on her idea.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she organized and joined multiple international online festivals, including projects with artists from 30 countries. In World Folk Vision 2020, she won the Grand Prix again in the Music of the Nations category and gained international recognition.
In recent years, she has performed in Armenia, India, Greece, and other countries, including major works such as Tolibkhon Shahidi’s Concerto Grosso for qanun, violin, and chamber orchestra, premiered with the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia.
In 2024, she appeared in a theatrical production of “Hamlet” at the Hrachya Ghaplanyan Theatre, where she performed on the Japanese koto, adding a unique musical layer inspired by Japanese literature.
In 2025, Marianna presented a Baroque concert with her own arrangements of works by Tomaso Albinoni and Isaac Albéniz, and also performed in Athens with the Tagharan Ensemble. She additionally gave a lecture and concert at the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy under the theme “Culture is a Weapon.”
In 2026, she continued performing with charity and cultural concerts, including events for children and orphan care institutions in Armenia.
Throughout her career, she has received many awards, including medals, international prizes, and honorary titles. Her work has been featured in media worldwide, and she is recognized as one of the important performers promoting Armenian traditional music internationally.
