Iraqi-Armenian pianist Beatrice Ohanessian is subject of new biography

Published: Wednesday January 28, 2009

Beatrice Ohanessian on the cover of her new biography.

Saint Paul, Minn. - Born into Baghdad's vibrant Armenian community, Beatrice Ohanessian studied in London and New York before becoming the pianist of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra. She performed throughout Europe and the Middle East, serving as an unofficial musical ambassador for Iraq, while also promoting the music of Alan Hovhaness (whom she had met in New York) and Aram Khachaturian.

Saddam Hussein gave Ms. Ohanessian the gift of a Steinway piano in tribute to a composition she wrote at the start of the Iran-Iraq War. In 1994, she and her sister Sita moved to Minnesota to join their brother Arsham. After her unexpected death in 2008, the Embassy of Iraq in Washington declared a worldwide day of mourning for all Iraqis.

Over several years, author Holly Windle interviewed Ms. Ohanessian, drawing out memories of her Baghdad childhood, her Armenian heritage, her musical training in Iraq and abroad, and the challenges of living in a country as it underwent a revolution, several wars, and the life under the U.N. sanctions.  Along the way, there is a shifting cast of Arab princes, diplomats, political leaders, and musicians.

Windle's biography is titled Baghdad Barcarolle: How Beatrice Ohanessian Became Iraq's Foremost Classical Pianist