About the concert
Tatiana Nova (vocals) and Vardan Ovsepian (piano) are artists who share a common passion for expanding the possibilities of duo play. After leading successful duo projects, they are now coming together for the first time to explore new musical paths together.
Her compositions and arrangements are characterised by a lively dialogue in which complex counterpoints interweave with expressive lyrics and the emphasis is on spontaneity and creative interaction.
Vardan Ovsepian is an Armenian-born pianist and composer who combines classical music and jazz in a unique way. He studied at the State Conservatory of Yerevan, the Berklee College of Music and the Helsinki Jazz Conservatory, among others. In 2005 he founded the chamber ensemble VOCE and later the duo "Fractal Limit" with Tatiana Parra, which received international recognition for its complex contrapuntal structures. His collaborations include renowned musicians such as Mick Goodrick, Peter Erskine, Jerry Bergonzi and David Binney.
He has released over 20 albums as a bandleader and co-leader. Vardan’s work has received significant awards, including the Achava Jazz Award (2017) and a Chamber Music America Grant (2017). He currently lives in Los Angeles and teaches at CalArts while continuing to compose and perform.
"Vardan brings its own sound language and unique ingredients..." I have never heard a musician with such harmonious awareness and melodic expressiveness. I suspect it will cause a stir. – Peter Erskine
Tatiana Nova is an award-winning jazz singer, songwriter and composer. Born in Moscow, she moved to Germany at 19. In the prestigious Focusyear Basel program, she was on stage with jazz greats such as Lionel Loueke, Miguel Zenón and Ingrid Jensen – an experience that brought her international recognition. Since then, she has worked with Ben van Gelder’s “Manifold” project, written lyrics for Kurt Rosenwinkel and won the Sparda Jazz Award 2020. She has appeared at festivals such as Jazz HR (Croatia), the Vienna Jazz Festival (Austria) and NigránJazz (Spain).
With her strong, expressive voice and impressive improvisational art, Tatiana delights audiences across Europe. Together with the pianist Julia Perminova she leads a duo project with which she released the album “Echoes of Home” in 2024 – inspired by Slavic folklore and modern jazz sounds.
Tatiana lives in Berlin and teaches jazz singing at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden.
Her ability to feel at home in such a wide range of styles – from old songs to new ones – and to interpret them with such dedication is a gift that is only surpassed by her incredible voice. It’s a pleasure to listen to her. – Jeff Ballard