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was born in Iran into a family of Armenian emigrants from Russia. His first compositions appeared when he was only 13. He has studied composition and piano at “Conservatorio Nicolini” in Piacenza, Italy, UCLA, and New England Conservatory of Boston, where he received his graduate degrees. His composition teachers include Shaheen Farhat, Paul Reale, Ian Krouse, Russell Steinberg, John Heiss, and John Corigliano. His piano teachers include Sheldon Steinberg, and the legendary pianist Johana Harris.
John Sarkissian's music has been heard at in the United States, Germany, Austria, Italy, Iceland, Armenia and the Middle East by such artists and ensembles as Armen Babakhanian, Esther Budiardjo, Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Luis Leguia, Emanuel Feldman, Penelope Bitzas, Noune Karapetian, Yeghishe Manucharian, Carmen Peralta-Rodriguez, Karen Sauer, Susanna Martirosyan, Gunnsteinn Ólafsson, Gottlieb Wallisch, National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, the Icelandic Youth Orchestra, the Arden String Quartet, etc. His music was also chosen by pianists as part of their program presented at instrumental competitions.
John Sarkissian is the author of symphonic, chamber, stage, vocal and solo instrumental music. His music shows the influences of his varied background. In spite of general American eclecticism principles which guide and shape his sound world, John Sarkissian’s predilection for polytonality and strong, albeit irregular rhythms give his music its particular Oriental-Eastern-European flavor.
John Sarkissian is the recipient of Armenian Allied Arts Association’s first prize in composition for his choral song-cycle “the Birds” on medieval Armenian poetry and “Theme and Variations for Solo Piano”. Sarkissian was a founder-member of “Just in Time Composers and Players” in 1995 in Boston. His “Theme and Variations for Piano” performed by Gottlieb Wallisch has been released on CD by the “Living Artist Recordings” label in fall 2008.
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