Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee (born February 9, 1938) is an Armenian-American contemporary classical composer and pedagogue.

Biography

Rahbee was born and raised in Waltham Massachusetts. Her father, Peter Aharon Goolkasian, was a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Rahbee began her early musical training as a pianist with Antoine Louis Moeldner, and continued study at Juilliard School as a piano major. She continued her work at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria. She later studied piano with David Saperton in New York and Lily Dumont, Russell Sherman, and Veronica Jochum in Boston. At age 40, Rahbee began concentrating on composing and produced a large body of works. Her music has been described as "postserial in persuasion", and marries influences of Armenian folk music, neo-tonal musicality and rhythmic drive. Maurice Hinson in Guide To The Pianist’s Repertoire commented that Goolkasian-Rahbee's pedagogical works for piano are among the finest such works. Rahbee traces her lineage of piano study directly to Ludwig van Beethoven through Antoine Louis Moeldner. Moeldner studied with Helen Hopekirk and Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who both studied with Theodor Leschetizky. Leschetizky in turn studied with Carl Czerny, who studied with Beethoven himself. Rahbee lives in Belmont, Massachusetts where she has taught private piano lessons for many years.

Works

Piano

Piano (pedagogical)

Two pianos

Piano and orchestra

Organ

Harpsichord

Violin

Violin and piano

Viola

Cello

Ensemble

Trios

String quartet

String quintet

Sextet

Orchestra

Student orchestra

Concert band

Mandoline

Recorder ensembles

Flute

Winds

Brass

Percussion

Voice