Music is my Life Arax 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 Boheme, 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... Arax Mansourian's recordings of medieval Armenian chants are an important part of the treasure vault of Armenian music. In the 1990's, 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...” Arax Mansourian has had recitals throughout the world singing the music of European Masters, such as Schubert, Schuman, Mahler, Mozart, Fauré, Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rachmaninoff while always including Armenian classics by Komitas, Kanachian, Berberian and her brother, composer Tigran Mansurian, in her repertoire. Ms Mansourian is the first performer to sing many never before performed songs by Komitas, as well as his unfinished opera Anoush. In the early 90's she recorded an album of Komitas's music which is available on iTunes. Throughout her career, Ms Mansourian was offered numerous film roles, which she declined. However her music has been used in many television programs, film soundtracks and documentaries. “... her mastery of stage and the dramatic intensity of her acting involuntarily reminds the audience of Greta Garbo” -Mandag, Stockholm, 28.10.1987. 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, followed by Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana in Melbourne (OA), Sydney Opera House (OA) and Brisbane for Opera Queensland. She also performed Tosca in Puccini's Tosca (Opera Queensland), Desdemona in Verdi's Othello (Opera Australia), Elisabeth de Valois in Verdi's Don Carlos, Katya in Janacek's Katya Kabanova (OA Sydney), Fata Morgana in Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges (OA Sydney). Arax Mansourian has appeared in concerts with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony" at the Sydney Opera Concert Hall, Verdi "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 Arax Mansourian in mind. In the last decade as well as singing in Australia , Arax Mansourian has performed concerts in the USA, China, Egypt, Lebanon , Armenia and Japan. Arax Mansourian lives with her husband, Jacob Kiujian, in Sydney. She has two daughters. She is a passionate teacher, who is regarded as one of the world's best vocal coaches. She has many successful students, who have been influenced as much by her musicality and vocal color, as her rigorous vocal training. Since 2012 she has organized concerts with her students singing the works of Armenian and European masters (Komitas, Puccini, Bellini etc) in Australia, the US and Armenia. The proceeds from most of these concerts go to the "Donate Life" children's charity in Armenia. Ms Mansourian has been awarded the title of an Honorary Professor at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory in 2015. Also in 2015 She was awarded with the First Degree Medal of Armenia. In 2010 Ms Mansourian was Awarded with the Medal of Komitas  by the Ministry Of the Diaspora. Arax Mansourian is one of the superstars of the Armenian Opera and classical music. She started her career in her native Armenia and continued in Australia with Opera Australia. Her beautiful voice and unique timbre, as well as her iconic beauty and regal stage presence, are unforgettable. As the great Armenian diva, Tatevik Sazandarian, once said “Arax has it all, the whole package”. 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. Arax 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 biggest stars.