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Contra Costa SUN
May 9, 2001

CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Sun, Mar. 10, 2002

Mazmanians find making music together beautiful
By Cassandra Braun

YOU COULD SAY the Mazmanians are sort of a rare breed. Though they aren't on any endangered species list, the Orinda family is a vanishing phenomenon amid today's breakneck lifestyle. They not only manage to gather around a table nightly for dinner, but also perform Gypsy folk music together as the Mazmanians.

Violinist Greg Mazmanian, aka dad, heads the quartet, with his oldest daughter, Ida, 20, on piano, and 18-year-old son Eddy and youngest daughter, Rose, 14, both on violin. Their repertoire includes everything from Armenian and Spanish folk songs to classics, such as Vivaldi's "Four Seasons."

As a concert violinist and private violin teacher, Greg Mazmanian had his children holding a violin before they had mastered walking. As proof, he still has the miniature violin, one-sixteenth the size of a normal-size one, on which the kids practiced. It looks more like a doll's accessory than a working instrument.

Mazmanian says he never groomed his children to play concerts together as a family; the collaboration just happened naturally. Ida's skill on the piano grew so much that she began accompanying her dad in concerts. Rose and Eddy, who are equally as talented on the violin, soon followed. Two years later, the group has been performing recitals around the Bay Area, including a fund-raiser at Bing Crosby's estate, where Ida played the very piano Crosby played in "High Society."

You can catch the Mazmanians at 8 p.m. Saturday performing a benefit concert at St. John Armenian Church, 275 Olympia Way, S.F.

How did the Mazmanians begin?

"It really started with Ida, my oldest. She was sifting through some of my music, and I heard her one day playing the accompaniments to my violin pieces. She was 10 at the time. By the time she was in high school, she was beginning to accompany me in performances."

How did you get your first gig?

"I got a call to perform after this fund-raiser dinner. But then, I had this great idea, and I asked if I could bring my kids. There was silence on the line. I think they thought I was going to bring some 5-year-olds to play 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' But we played some showy pieces. They were stunned."

Does the fact that you're related help you click as musicians?

"Yeah. At this point, all I have to do is play something and they're right there. I don't have to say a word. It's like getting around the dinner table and talking; instead, we play music."

Does sharing DNA cut the other way, and make it difficult at times to work together?

"No, not really. We get along very well. They're so cool. They're very level-headed. I'm the one who gets really excited over things. And they just say, 'OK, Dad, what do you need done.' I'm impressed at how professional they are."

What was recording the album ("It's the Mazmanians!") like?

"It was fun. The kids really grew. They would become more analytical. It can be quite intense. Your brain has to be extremely focused. Recording really shaped our skills."

How did Gypsy and folk music become your repertoire?

"The violin is the natural form for Gypsy music. You don't see many Gypsy trumpeters. It just comes naturally. We also take a lot of folk songs from our own heritage. It's part of the fabric of our being" (The Mazmanians are Armenian.)

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CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Fri, Apr. 04, 2003

IN A PROFESSIONAL career spanning three decades, Greg Mazmanian has played with big orchestras, chamber groups, pop stars and jazz bands. But the Orinda-based violinist says he's never had as much fun as he does performing with his own kids.

The Mazmanians -- a quartet consisting of Greg and his three children -- join the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra in concerts Saturday evening at Los Medanos College and Sunday at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts. Under the direction of Harvey Benstein, they'll perform Vivaldi's Concerto for Three Violins -- a work that Mazmanian says might have been written for them.

"It's a fascinating piece, and it seems made to order for us," says Mazmanian, who is the first violinist and leader of the group. "We have three violinists and a pianist in the family, so it fits like a glove. This is an unusual piece for Vivaldi, because his works are usually so symmetrical. He wrote a dozen concertos for two violins. But it's rare to find something that's written for three of the same instrument."

The Mazmanians have been performing as a professional quartet for a little more than two years, but they've played together ever since the kids were small. Ida, the pianist (she'll play harpsichord in the Vivaldi concerto), is a 21-year old senior at St. Mary's College. Violinists Eddy, 19, and Rose, 15, are students at Diablo Valley College and Miramonte High School, respectively. Mrs. Mazmanian "is the only civilian in the house," says Greg. "She doesn't play, but she keeps the band together."

Greg, who grew up in Oakland, planned to follow his father into the family business. But music kept getting in the way of his plans. In his second year at UC Berkeley, he joined the Oakland Symphony under conductor Harold Farberman. That led to stints with the San Francisco Ballet and Opera orchestras.

Finally he decided to pursue music full-time. He went back East and earned a degree from the prestigious Juilliard School, where he studied with the legendary Dorothy DeLay. "That was it for me," he says. "From then on, I was totally immersed in music."

DeLay, known as a tough taskmaster, gave him a strong foundation. "She taught me that nothing is just at random," he says. "You have to learn a piece so well that by the time you perform it, you can throw the technical stuff aside and play from your heart."

Has he passed that on to his kids? "Well," he says, "they call me Do It Again Dad."

In addition to orchestral music, Mazmanian spent years performing in bands behind singers such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ray Charles. These days, he teaches music at Orinda Intermediate School and leads the Contra Costa Youth Orchestra. But he says nothing is quite so satisfying as performing with his family.

"We're a very close family," he says. "Every night we have dinner together, and the music is the same way. We don't even think about it; we just do it. It's a natural part of our lives together."

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Contra Costa
SUN
May 9, 2001

The Family that Plays Together Records a CD
By Jackie Burrell

Musical families have a certain cachet. Think of Johann Sebastian Bach and his dozens of musical children and relations, the Von Trapps, the Jackson Five and the Mazmanians.

But the Bachs never had to juggle Miramonte basketball schedules or algebra homework when planning their performances.

Orinda Intermediate School string teacher Greg Mazmanian and his three musical teens, Ida, Eddy and Rose, have been playing together for years – performing at fundraisers, concerts and bar mitzvahs. This week, the Orinda violin and piano quartet releases its first CD, "It’s the Mazmanians," featuring their favorite Spanish, Armenian, gypsy and folk music.

As a classically trained violinist, Greg began performing as a teen himself, playing in the Oakland Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet and Opera orchestras and subbing for the San Francisco Symphony.

He left his native Oakland to study at the Juilliard School but always knew he would return to the Bay Area. "My folk’s are here. All my family is here. I could have stuck around in New York and done a lot of different things, but this is home base," he says.

Returning to California, he married and started raising a houseful of pianists, violinists and percussionists. With musical instruments lying around the house and tiny violins practically in their cribs, these children never stood a chance, notes a laughing Greg.

"It was always the piano for me. I begged my parents for piano lessons," recalls Ida, now a sophomore at Saint Mary’s College. "When I was really small, I used to go to a lot of performances that my father was in with an orchestra or chamber music. A lot of times, I had my eye on the accompanist. I was really impressed by his rapid finger movements and everything. And I always dreamed of being able to perform with my dad."

Neither Eddy nor Rose can pinpoint the first time they played a piano or picked up a violin. The Miramonte senior and OIS eighth-grader have played since they could walk. But formal instruction began for them somewhere between the second and fourth grades.

"We watched home movies last night, from when there were 1 and 4 and 6 years old," says Greg. "They were all at the piano just playing together – six-handed piano."

Now, Ida plays chamber music at Saint Mary’s, Eddy is concertmaster of the Miramonte orchestra and Rose plays first fiddle at OIS under her father’s baton. Greg oversees their day-to-day music-making as well.

"It’s kind of convenient," Eddy says with a grin. "Whereas his students only see him once a week, we have him every day."

The Mazmanians didn’t start out intending to emulate the Von Trapps, but several years ago, Ida pulled out the piano accompaniment to a work she had heard her father perform long ago.

"Actually that’s how we got started. That wasn’t my idea – ooh, let’s have a family band, looks like we’ve got the makings here," Greg laughs. "But all of a sudden Ida’s playing a Beethoven violin sonata and she says, ‘Do you mind reading through this with me?’"

The family began playing together, as a duo and then as a quartet at home. They performed first for themselves, polishing their classical repertoire and trying out Armenian folk tunes and gypsy dance music just for the fun of it. But word spread and they began performing publicly, both locally and farther afield.

In the coming months, those performances include gigs in the Central Valley and Colorado, plus this weekend’s celebratory appearance at Orinda Books to fete their new CD.

But this particular spring afternoon is devoted to playtime. The three violinists gather around Ida’s piano in the family room and tuck their instruments under their chins. The irresistible rhythms of a tango fill the air, but no one holds a flower in his teeth – the only Rose is holding a violin and grinning at her family.

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THE ORINDA NEWS
May-June 2001

The Musical Mazmanian Family
By Ksenija Soster-Olmer

The neighbors of the Mazmanian family enjoy a generous helping of music served up by four members of the household who are accomplished musicians. Greg Mazmanian, the father, is a professional violinist, conductor of the Contra Costa Youth Orchestra, and a dedicated music educator in our community. His oldest daughter Ida, a sophomore at St. Mary’s College, is an award-winning pianist as well as a piano teacher. Eddy, a senior at Miramonte High School, and Rose, a student at the Orinda Intermediate School, are following in their father’s footsteps. Both play the violin and are concertmasters of their respective school orchestra.

            Providing the moral support, not to mention a bit of chauffeuring, Laura Mazmanian is proud to be an enthusiastic audience member as her husband and three children practice a myriad of music seven days a week.

             All the practice has definitely paid off as the musical Mazmanians have created a professional ensemble, and recorded their first CD - a smorgasbord of lively international folk tunes from Gypsy rhapsodies and Latin tangos to Spanish serenades.

"I am very excited about this CD," says Greg Mazmanian. "People know us as classical musicians so they always expect us to play Pachelbel Canon or something like that. But they should get ready for a nice surprise. Our Armenian roots inspired this CD, and, while we have a famous classical Armenian composer in our musical past, I looked mostly to the folk music for inspiration." he explains. "I arranged many of the folk tunes from our heritage for our classical instruments. The result is music that puts a smile on your face." Listening to the exuberant tunes full of life and emotion invites one to step lively in a circle or spin in a dance celebrating life.

"I like to bring many different kinds of music to the attention of my students at school," says Mazmanian, director of the string education program for the Orinda School District. "In the music class that I teach as part of the sixth grade cycle, we watch bits of Disney’s Fantasia 2000 and discuss the music behind it. We talk about mixed media and overlapping of styles, and that makes it more interesting for kids."

His goal is also to expose the students to some basic education in classical music, and, most importantly, to introduce them to different instruments with the hope he might ignite in some of his students a lifelong passion for playing music.

"I was introduced to violin in fourth grade in an Oakland public school," Mazmanian reminisces, "and I feel saddened that this program that changed the course of my life doesn’t exist there anymore. We are so lucky to live in a community that supports art and music." He explains, "Therefore, when I was approached a few year ago by some parents of children playing string instruments about starting a program at OIS, I said ‘Sure, I am a musician, I work in the afternoons and evenings, I am free at eight in the morning!"

Mazmanian believes music is an important part of the school experience. "It is well documented that music training has a profound benefit to students’ scores in math," he adds. Called the Mozart effect, music (not just Mozart’s) has been used to improve memory, awareness and the integration of learning styles. It has been found to be beneficial to children who have difficulty with learning, listening, dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. Mazmanian postulates that "possibly that’s why some famous mathematicians (like Einstein) and doctors have also been accomplished musicians."

According to Mazmanian, "Music is emotion and organization, and to an extent quite mathematical. "On the other hand, I think medicine or maybe law is an art form rather than just a skill. Music is also an outlet for those who are heavily into sciences. It is a wonderful stress releaser if you are dealing with facts and figures all day long."

The violinist believes music is also an emotional release, valuable to young and old alike. That’s why he encourages parents to persevere in supporting their children in playing an instrument, even when they whine about practicing.

"Every child is different, of course, but it is abnormal that a child would want to practice. I still have to nag myself to practice, and you better believe that my parents had to nag and threaten me to practice," he confides. "They would say, ‘If you are too tired to practice the violin after a basketball game, you’ll have to quit the team.’"

Mazmanian recounts how many adults tell him they wished their parents had forced them to stick with music. "We have to nag our kids to brush their teeth, to put things away. So why not nag them to practice an instrument for which you pay good money-you have to be a nag. Parents have to be involved; it’s a family affair."

What about when the kid says, "I wanna quit!" Mazmanian suggests a talk with the music teacher. "If it is a matter of practicing, there are ways to motivate the child by choosing more popular music, having him play with others, or establishing a goal such as performing at a spring concert or for visiting relatives." But if the child absolutely can’t stand the instrument, Mazmanian advises parents to focus on other areas where the child may excel.

When asked how hard it is to teach your own kids, the talented musician laughs: "If I pretend I am not their father, it’s a lot easier. Not getting too emotionally involved usually works better. I am a real perfectionist, but I also have a sense of humor, so it all balances out. But, I am also really lucky that I have kids who don’t hold grudges!"

Mazmanian doesn’t feel there is a lot of rivalry among this talented family of musicians. "Maybe in a fun and joking way, but there isn’t any serious competition. Playing together has been a wonderful experience, and we plan to do more of it out in the community. I would especially like to inspire other kids, let them see how the love for music passes from one generation to the next, and how it can connect us," he concludes.

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Friday, February 15, 2002

Family harmony, Music is the tie that binds Mazmanians of Orinda
Justino Aguila, Chronicle Staff Writer

It's dinner time at the Mazmanian home in Orinda. The family is ready to eat oven-baked chicken, rice pilaf, zucchini-eggplant shish kebab and tabbouleh. Nightly dinners together are tradition for the Mazmanian family -- dad Greg, mom Laura and the children: Rose, Eddy and Ida. Their lives are consumed by the arts, education and work, so dinner is a time to connect. There is talk about school and work, or they might turn on television to catch up on world news. They pepper the conversation with ideas about their next family trip. They tell jokes and laugh plenty.

"I remember Rose as a baby," Greg said of his youngest daughter. "She was a party girl. As soon as you walked away from the crib, she'd start to cry." Rose, 14, chuckles at her father's story. The other two children -- Eddy, 18, and Ida, 20, -- hear about when they were younger, too. As a baby, Eddy wasn't fussy, and Ida required some attention, Greg said, but "we couldn't walk away from Rose because she'd start to cry." Laughter fills the room. The family enjoys laughing, spending time together, watching classic films and playing music. For two years, they has been performing Armenian, Gypsy, Latin American and Spanish music for private parties and fund-raisers around the Bay Area.

On March 16, the Mazmanians will be performing at St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco for a benefit to raise money for Armenian orphans. "I hope audiences who see our shows are moved in some way," Greg said. "If there's one moment that's really memorable, that's what really counts."

For the Mazmanian family, one thing is clear: Music is a way of life. They appreciate Bach and Beethoven, but the Beatles are a favorite, too. On the living room door, a wooden sign reads, "Mazmanian Music Studio." This is where music comes alive. Greg and the children rehearse for at least an hour each day in the spacious room, which has music stands, violins and a Mason & Hamlin piano.

On a recent Wednesday, Rose held her violin steady as her father urged her to move more in sync with the music. "You need to show the audience that you're into the music," Greg told a demure Rose. "You're doing great. You sound good."

Rose, a freshman at Miramonte High School, and Eddy, a freshman at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, play the violin. Ida, a junior at St. Mary's College in Moraga, is the pianist. She, too, learned to play from her father. Ida also offers private piano lessons, and Eddy teaches violin. Greg, 46, who directs the strings department at Orinda Intermediate School and gives private violin lessons, plays the violin. Laura, 46, who works part time at a construction company, often plays percussion.

In May, they released their first CD, "It's the Mazmanians!," which is available through their Web site (www.mazfamily.com). "They are delightful and charming," said Peg Shambarger, a board member of the Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo. "We booked them for a fund-raiser, and they were a hit. We hope to have them again in the future."

Greg, 46, was born in Oakland to an Armenian couple, Aram and Emma Mazmanian. As a student at Redwood Heights Elementary School in Oakland, he wanted to play the drums. But he was handed the violin. "Turns out that I happened to be good at it," Greg said. "I got it right away. It was a perfect fit." From there, he began a permanent relationship with the instrument. He continued to play through middle school and high school, winning local awards along the way.

When he was a 19-year-old business student at the University of California at Berkeley, friends and mentors urged him to audition for the Oakland Symphony. He did, was accepted and became a regular player. His first concert was at Oakland's Paramount Theater. "There were all these people I admired," Greg said. "All of a sudden, I'm one of their colleagues. I couldn't believe it."

The following year, Greg was asked to perform in the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, so he left the Oakland Symphony. When he was a junior, he decided to audition for the Juilliard School in New York City. He was accepted. During his breaks from Juilliard, Greg would return home and perform with local orchestras, occasionally provide background music on albums by George Benson and Art Pepper and participate on Charlie Brown cartoon soundtracks.

One summer, when he was 23, Greg came home and met Laura Kaprielian at an Armenian function in Cupertino. Greg and Laura wrote to each other while he was at school. In 1980, Greg finished his bachelor's degree in music and returned to the Bay Area to continue his music career. He also married Laura.

Greg has performed at concerts in Canada and Asia. He has been a backup musician for Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ray Charles. He also conducts the Contra Costa Youth Orchestra and is the executive director of the Sierra Chamber Society. "Greg is unique to the Bay Area," said Stevan Cavalier, general director of the Sierra Chamber Society who has known his partner for 15 years. "He's held in the highest esteem as a teacher. Greg's a flashy, charismatic violin virtuoso and dedicated as an advocate for children's music and an all-around music leader."

Laura, who attends all of her family's concerts, is "almost like our road manager," Greg said. She makes sure her family is dressed well and completes the check-off list. Laura sang in a church chorus while attending an Armenian high school in Beirut; she was raised in Lebanon. She became an American citizen in the early 1980s. Growing up, she loved listening to the radio and hearing music from all over the world. She grew fond of Elvis and the Beatles, a love passed down to Eddy.

The children love music, but they also have other interests. Ida is a math major, Eddy is thinking about a science career, and Rose hasn't decided. "I think of it (playing the violin) as a way to advance my life," said Rose, who plays in the school orchestra. "I started playing the violin when I was 8. "

Eddy, who held his first violin when he was 3, said: "Music is obviously fun. It's a great way to take time away from homework and school. It's relaxing."

Ida began practicing the piano shortly after she turned 8. By 12, she began teaching others how to play. "I grew up going to performances of the 'Nutcracker,' " Ida said. "I've always wanted to get to the level of my dad." Ida is quick with the piano. Her father can suggest a starting point, and she doesn't hesitate to take charge. She can jump from a medley of Armenian music to classical Spanish songs.

"We have been fortunate to have children that are passionate about what they do," Laura said.

Greg's heritage plays an important part in the music he writes and composes. "Our people (historically) have been kicked around," Greg said. "There have been persecutions. There was an Armenian genocide at the turn of the century. Music comes out of that culture." The folk music he performs can be melancholy, but some of it comes from a yearning for peace. "Occasionally, the songs are joyful," Greg said, "but we also have dance music that's celebratory. We can have two extremes."

Laura said every time she hears "Dance of the Spirit," written by Greg, she is mesmerized by the piano and violin in the song. Greg can be inspired almost any place. Last year, during a family trip to Colorado, inspiration hit on the airplane. "All of a sudden, I'm asking Laura for a piece of paper and pen," Greg said. "I needed to write down something quickly." That song, tentatively called "Simple Dance," was written on a airsickness bag. The song carries quaint melodies, but the family still refers to it as the "barf bag song."

To anyone, it's clear that Greg and Laura cherish their children and performing as a family. "Sometimes when we're rehearsing, I really get emotional," Greg said. "I think that someday in the future we'll look back and think how wonderful it was to have had so many great moments with our children."

Magazine
September 2001

Maz-Hysteria
By Miriam Bloom

The hills near the Caldecott are alive with the sounds of the Mazmanian family. This Orinda-based four-piece ensemble has just released its debut CD. It’s the Mazmanians, a compilation of instrumental ballads inspired by the family’s Armenian heritage. Heading the affair is father Greg, a Juilliard-trained concert violinist who played with Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra before bringing his trio of offspring – Ida, 19, Eddy, 17, and Rose, 13 – into the band.

Greg works to keep the show biz pressures on Ida, Eddy, and Rose to a minimum. And stern tutelage? "I don’t even have to tell the kids to play – I walked into the house the other day and there was music coming from three separate rooms," boasts the proud papa. "And even if they don’t choose to play professionally, we’ll still always play together."

The Mazmanians are currently touring California and Nevada.

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