Meet Petros Boyadzhyan | Freelance Violinist and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Petros Boyadzhyan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Petros, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I come from a family of musicians. Stemming from my grandfather and his brothers, down to my dad and uncles, and now to me, music has always been a part of our identity. My passion for music and the arts started from a very young age. I spent my childhood going to violin lessons, spending hours a day practicing, going to competitions, playing in recitals, joining youth orchestras and performing on big stages. I loved seeing my father and uncles perform on stage and it was inspiring how much pure joy and love they had for music and entertaining. It was inevitable that music would be a part of my career in one shape or form.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
After high school, I entered Cal State Northridge as a Violin Performance major. During my four years of undergrad study, I was fortunate to study with incredible professors and to network with colleagues and individuals who are now big time performers and music contractors in town. I began taking gigs around LA and tried to build connections with every new contractor or event coordinator that I would meet. Besides building a career as a performer, I also had a passion for teaching that grew during my high school years at Van Nuys High. Robert Eisenhart, who is thankfully still the music teacher there, was a very inspirational teacher. He was very young at the time but was able to demand and receive so much respect from his students. Many of his former students are now incredibly successful musicians and music teachers. I enrolled back to CSUN to receive my music teaching credential. I will begin my 10th year in the fall with Glendale Unified as an elementary instrumental music teacher. I teach at five different school sites and see nearly 600 students every week. It is incredibly rewarding seeing their growth throughout the year and seeing a student’s face light up when they have one of those ‘ah ha!’ moments. As a performer, I am proud to say that I have and continue to perform with highly sought-after musicians and composers. As a solo violinist and as a member of string quartets and larger ensembles, I have had the privilege of performing and recording on stages such as Disney Hall, the Greek Theater, Capitol Records, and Warner Brothers Studios. Even though I feel that I am at a stable and comfortable place in my career, it wasn’t always easy. LA is filled with incredible musicians. Some have held positions at recording studios for over 30 years. Getting ‘in’ and being on contractors’ call-lists and building strong referrals took years to develop. I always stayed ready by practicing and developing my skills and built relationships with people on every project that I was granted to work on. It was discouraging at first when I would see others performing on big stages or hearing that so and so was recording for TV shows or movies and I was just sitting home. But, I never lost faith in what I was capable of and what my future would hold. My parents migrated to this country for a brighter future for my brother and me, and I had no doubt that true hard work and perseverance would prevail. I am proud to say that now I get to perform every weekend with the people I want to perform with and am the first call musician on several contractors’ list. I always remind myself to stay humble, thank the people that helped me during my journey, remember the countless hours of practicing that it took to get here, and take nothing for granted. I am thrilled that I also get to share my passion for music with my incredible students at my schools every week. The famous saying goes, “find a job that you love, and you never have to work a day in your life.” I haven’t worked a day for the past 15 years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have lived in LA for just over 30 years and I think it’s the greatest city in the world. Giving my best friend a true tour of the city in just one week would be a challenge. We would definitely spend time driving near the coast and checking out the amazing beaches, hidden gems, and highking trails. The Huntington Library near Pasadena would be where we would spend one of days, topped off with dinner at the nearby Langham Hotel. I would want them to also experience the incredible views of the city; we would make one of our dinner reservations at Yamashiro for amazing food and views. Disneyland would also be on the itinerary; you can’t visit LA and not make the trip to the happiest place on earth! Similarly, no trip to LA would be complete without visiting Beverly Hills. We would spend time walking down Rodeo Drive and then would catch a brunch at a local spot, such as Il Pastaio. We would have to visit the Walk of Fame and see all of the eclectic people and interesting sights. We could catch a dinner and movie at either the Grove or the Americana. Ventura Boulevard in the valley has many great bars and hangout spots. We would go to Mr. Furley’s in Sherman Oaks and if they were into whisky, we’d visit Forman’s in Toluca Lake. We would finish our week by attending an LA Phil concert at either the Hollywood Bowl or at Disney Hall.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could not do what I do or be the person that I am today without the incredible support from my family. But, the one person that I owe a lot to for my pursuit of a music performance and education career is my high school music teacher: Robert Eisenhart. His endless support, mentorship, and trust in my abilities gave me the strength to pursue my passions.

Instagram: @petros_b