Asieh Mahyar has newly started her Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at Michigan State University under the mentorship of Octavio Mas-Arocas and serves as assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she is assigned teaching assistant and the librarian of the Concert Orchestra under the directorship of Katherine Kilburn.
Previously, she received her master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at University of Massachusetts-Amherst under the guidance of Morihiko Nakahara and Kristo Kondakci. During her studies, she served as assistant conductor of UMass Symphony Orchestra and Co-Director of All University Orchestra.
Before arriving in the U.S., Asieh studied choral conducting at the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan-Armenia with Hovhaness Mirzoyan and graduated as the top student. Then she started her studies in orchestral conducting there to learn more from Ruben Asatryan. During her stay in Yerevan, in addition to choral and orchestral conducting activities within the conservatory, Asieh was appointed assistant conductor at Tchaikovsky Music School of Yerevan.
Asieh has participated in several conducting workshops and conferences including The Conducting Institute with Miguel Hart-Bedoya, Conductors Retreat at Medomak with Kenneth Kiesler and the Oxford International Conducting studies Conference. She has attended various conducting lectures by distinguished conductors including Gerard Schwartz and JoAnn Faletta. Her other mentors include Loris Tjeknavorian, Martun Israelian, Yervand Yerkanian and Anahit Nersesyan.
Being grateful to all of her mentors who guided her through her journey, Asieh takes it as a serious duty to use the immense power of music as a tool to facilitate universal integrity, humanity, equity and peace.