Gayane Avakian received her Bachelor's Degree in piano performance from the Special Music School of Baku, and her Master's and Doctorate degrees in piano performance and education from the Komitas State Conservatory in Yerevan , Armenia . Dr. Avakian is a winner of several competitions, having won Third Place in the Transcaucasian Chamber Music Competition, Second Place and Special Prize of the Press at the International Chamber Music Competition in Trapani , Italy and an honorary “Best Accompanist” Diploma in the International Young Performers' Competition in Germany . As a pianist she has made numerous television and radio appearances in Russia , Armenia , Germany and Italy .

Ms. Avakian was a tenure professor at the Komitas State Conservatory of Music in Yerevan , Armenia until she moved to the United States in 1992. Since then she has performed in New York in the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, at the Julliard School of Music, and at the Staller Center at Stony Brook. In 2002 she took Postdoctoral Studies at the Julliard School of Music. Ms. Avakian has been a faculty member at the Long Island School of Music, New York (1995-2001), and the New York Conservatory of Music (1993-1995). In 2005 Ms. Avakian moved to California where, in addition to her performance schedule she maintains a very active studio of private instruction.