Библиотека
The Phonotheque (Sound Archive) and the K. Saradzhev Library of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory support the educational and research activities of the university. The library houses the republic's extensive collection of sheet music and music-related books, totaling more than 170,000 items. The phonotheque’s rich holdings include audio and video recordings of thousands of works by composers across diverse eras and styles, as well as exceptional interpretations of the performing arts.
The library's history traces back to a music studio established in 1921. Its first librarian was Arus Babalyan—wife of Romanos Melikyan, the founder of Armenia's first conservatory—who was a vocal coach, an outstanding pianist (especially remembered by audiences of that era for her concerts with the renowned Avet Gabrielyan), a concert singer, as well as a clerk and music copyist. Since 1954, the library has been named after Konstantin Saradzhev—conductor, educator, longtime rector of the conservatory, founder of the conducting department at the Moscow Conservatory, and musical director and chief conductor of the Yerevan Opera Theatre. His personal collection constitutes the library’s "golden fund."
The library's long-serving director, musicologist, and professor Inda Ioannisyan made a significant contribution to organizing and developing its work. She was subsequently succeeded by composers Tsovak Hambardzumyan and Stepan Sukiasyan, double bassist Sergey Minasyan, musicologist Mher Navoyan, and Ani Tonoyan, a graduate in academic singing from the conservatory.
Key figures in establishing the phonotheque included its heads: Karo Qajuni in the 1950s–1960s, musicologist and associate professor Nelli Avetisyan in the 1970s, and musicologist and associate professor Varvara Hovhannisyan from 1980 onward. In 2014, the library and phonotheque merged into a single department headed by musicologist Varvara Hovhannisyan.
The department comprises:
- Acquisitions, Cataloging, and Stacks Department: handles the acquisition, bibliographic processing,cataloging, inventorying, and preservation of book and score collections.
- User Services Department: manages patron registration, circulation of materials, reference assistance,and collection monitoring.
- Phonotheque (Sound Archive): oversees the collection, processing, categorization, preservation, and circulation of audio and video recordings.
Library Regulations
Conservatory faculty, students, postgraduate researchers, and doctoral candidates are eligible to use the library's services. Representatives of other universities may use the library with administrative permission.External researchers are served in the reading room.
To register and obtain a library card, the following documents are required:
- Passport or ID card,
- 3 × 4 cm photograph,
- Proof of status: from the dean's office for undergraduate and postgraduate students, or from Human Resources for faculty (specifying the duration of the employment contract).
Working Hours
Monday–Friday: 09:30–17:30
YKSC Digital Library
Varvara Hovhannisyan
Musicologist, Associate Professor, Head of the Phonotheque and K. Saradzhev Library at YSC