We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andre Madatian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andre below.

Andre, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to even consider the venture of pursuing music as an occupation, as I am aware that many are not awarded this luxury. In fact, I am motivated by this privilege as it has disheartened me since a young age to learn that my mother abandoned her dream of attending a conservatory, with hopes of one day becoming a concert pianist, while escaping the Iranian Revolution in the 1970s, to instead create a better life for her family in the United States. Both my father and my mother are the definition of the American dream. They came to this country with little to no help and sacrificed their own dreams and ambitions to ensure that their three children were given the kinds of opportunities that were limited or simply inexistent to them in their birthplace. So what my parents did that was right is that they supported their children in any passion that we showed interest in. For me, it was music. My father introduced me to the electric guitar one afternoon when I was eleven years old while cleaning out our attic and finding his old 1970’s Teisco guitar that he bought in college. He told me about this great guitarist named Jimi Hendrix that inspired him to buy a guitar in hopes to learn when he was a student at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. I was instantly drawn to the beauty and the mechanics of the instrument. Soon after, my parents enrolled me in lessons so that I could start learning to play. Instantly, I was hooked and joined a band with a couple of my best friends. By the time I was fifteen years old, I knew I wanted to go to music college and pursue a career in music. Not once did neither of my parents discourage this dream. In fact, they supported me in ways that I will always be thankful for. At the age of 16, my parents asked if I wanted a trip to London as a “sweet sixteenth” present (the same gift that was given to my elder sisters for when they turned 16) or money towards my dream guitar: a Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 electric guitar in ‘Matteo Blue’. Of course, I chose the guitar and ironically, that same guitar has taken me to several countries throughout Europe to perform music. Additionally, my parents helped support my dream of attending Berklee College of Music by encouraging me to study music fully and deeply. As a student at Berklee, it was disheartening to hear of so many student colleague’s who’s parents did not support their attendance of music school and their desire to make music a career choice. Without this pressure from my parents, I felt like I was able to fully concentrate on being the best student I could be and learn as much about all kinds of music during my time at Berklee. Once graduating, my parents fully supported my decision to leave Pennsylvania and move to Nashville, where I knew I would be exposed to more musical opportunities. My father and mother continue to be my biggest supporters and because of the grace, excitement, and encouragement that was shown to me since a young age, my dream of pursuing music as a career has become a reality.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Andre Madatian and I’m a guitarist, composer, and educator based in Nashville, Tennessee. I started playing music at the age of eleven after discovering my father’s electric guitar from his college days one afternoon while helping to clean out the attic. I started taking guitar lessons soon after and by the age of twelve, I formed a rock band with two of my best friends from middle school. Through the freedom of expression and the power of music-making with friends, it became evident early on in my childhood that music was going to be my career path. I decided to study music at. Berklee College of Music in Boston where I graduated with a major in Film Scoring and a minor in Contemporary Conducting. Before I arrived to Berklee, I did not compose much at all. In fact, I had only written an arrangement for my high school orchestra for a winter concert. Being versatile as a musician has always been the core goal for me. I believe that being a versatile musician and wearing many musical hats is essential in the music industry today. The more skills we learn and adapt as musicians can lead to even more opportunities to grow both professionally and musically. So when I arrived at Berklee, I decided to explore a completely different avenue of music-making. Instead of guitar performance, I decided to learn and focus on the art of film composition. In hindsight, this was a great choice for me. When I became a full-time musician, I was able to explore several facets of the music industry and create several avenues of income in performing, composing, and teaching.

After moving to Nashville in 2016, I decided to lean in on my passions and offer services in guitar performance, composition, and teaching. In terms of guitar playing, I am a primarily a touring musician and play for several Nashville-based artists. With composition, I compose original music for independent films and work with several music licensing companies. I have over 100 placements on television shows on a variety of major television networks such as NBC, CBS Sports, Bravo, TLC, Oprah Winfrey Network, and more. After graduating with my masters degree in composition from MTSU in 2022, teaching has become an additional passion of mine. I am currently an adjunct professor of music at Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee State University where I teach a variety of courses such as “Introduction to Music”, “Music Appreciation”, “Arranging”, and directing a commercial music ensemble.

When I work with clients, I ensure that I provide work of a high quality whether it be for guitar playing/recording services, composition commissions, or academic-based lessons. I have over 20 years of experience with a vast knowledge in music theory that I often use as a basis for my work. When you hire me for a project or performance, you are hiring someone that is fully immersed in the “why” behind music and understands the theoretical concepts behind the mechanics of how much of music works. I am a musician that believes in the importance of music education to the fullest extent and the idea that we are students of the craft forever.

I’m most proud when I compose an original composition for a client that is well-received. When working with directors, the best compliment I can get as a composer is that they don’t even notice the music when watching a scene. To me, this means that the music was used to enhance the scene without taking the attention away from the story plot. I’m also very proud when my original works are commissioned or performed by live orchestras. Earlier this year, I was awarded the Grand Prize for the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra’s Composition Competition for my “Symphony No. 1- 1st mvmt. Assertion of the Truth”, which was performed twice as a part of the NPO’s spring concert series.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I hope that my music can be used to spread awareness on political or social issues. I have personally seen the impact that music has had on educating people on the devastating travesties in relatively unknown areas such as Armenia. On September 27th, 2020, armed conflict began between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Artsakh over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the displacement of over 90,000 Armenians. I struggled during this time with what I could do to support the cause. Music is a healing source for many and proves to be a powerful tool in educating the public on current issues. Therefore, I composed an original work entitled, “Hope for Artsakh,” and created a video featuring Armenian musicians from various parts of the world. My hope was to provide comfort to the people of Artsakh while also raising donations and spreading awareness. I raised $1,400 for the people of Artsakh through these efforts.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like many other performers, the pandemic was an extremely challenging time. Slowly but surely, all live performances began to get cancelled and for gig workers, that means we did not get paid. This is where the importance of versatility comes to play for an artist or creative. During this time when the artists I played for were not touring, I had to pivot my energy to a different facet of the music industry. Since I have a home studio, I was able to compose music for several music licensing companies and independent directors as the film industry was experiencing a boom due to the increase of home viewers. Additionally, I was able to teach private lessons remotely via Zoom from the comfort of my home during this unprecedented time. I am so relieved to see the live entertainment industry booming again, however, it was leaning into my other musical passions that allowed for me to stay creative and financially stable during the global pandemic in 2020.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.andremadatian.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andremadatian
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andremadatianmusic/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-madatian-262374211
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5NQXsS67LduIXFsgh7ok6Q/videos?view=0