My mother's younger sister Shake Zakaryan played a special role in my life, together with her husband Alexander Chaushyan. They moved to Armenia after graduating with honors from Tbilisi State Conservatory, (Shake Aramovna in piano, from the class of Professor I. Aizberg, and Alexander Akopovich in cello, from the class of Professor K. Minyar) I would come to stay with them in Yerevan during my vacations from school and the institute.
      Here, through them, I was introduced to classical music and enthusiastically embraced it. It was not only the happiest of times for me but a period that determined my future destiny.