Martha Carapetyan grew up in a musical family. There were always rehearsals and concerts to attend and her love of music grew from those early years. In high school, she was accepted into the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and learned the art of practice and performance from many great musical masters. Her studies took her to North Texas State University and Indiana University to earn her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, respectively. Her most significant passion, other than raising her children, has been to spend her life as a professional violist and teacher.
Martha’s symphonic career began after she won a position in the New World Symphony in Miami, the nation’s most distinguished training orchestra. Over the last three decades, Martha has had the good fortune to be able to perform with the Houston and San Antonio Symphonies, as well as the Austin Opera (formerly the Austin Lyric Opera). She is currently a tenured member of the Austin Symphony and spends the rest of her time engaging students in her viola studio.
Martha co-founded the Central Texas Viola Society, a chapter of the American Viola Society and has helped organize many events in the areas of both teaching and performing. Her extensive teaching background ranges from beginning level orchestral students at the Austin Waldorf School to adjunct lecturer in viola at Baylor University.
Eager to share her love of good viola playing with high school students, Martha co-founded the Austin Viola Workshop with Dr. Ames Asbell. The Workshop is a weekly class which explores fundamentals of viola playing, viola repertoire and the ever-expanding literature for viola ensembles, all in a collegial and supportive atmosphere.
It is important for Martha to impress upon her students the importance of mastering the viola repertoire and doing so in a way which promotes comfort and wellness for the whole musician. She is always seeking to deepen her knowledge of healthy movement and good physical habits, whether through Alexander Technique, The Feldenkrais Method, yoga, or any other disciplines which have as their basis good use and posture.