Arda Mandikian (; 1 September 1924 – 8 November 2009) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

soprano opera singer. Mandikian launched her career in England. She took on leading roles in London and Edinburgh. In the 1980s she became the assistant director of the Greek National Opera.

Career

Mandikian was born in

İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 1924. Mandikian's parents, Krikor Mandikian and Beatrike Ananian, were survivors of the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. The family fled to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, Greece, and Mandikian was sent to the Athens Conservatory where she studied under

Elvira de Hidalgo Elvira Juana Rodríguez Roglán (December 28, 1891 – January 21, 1980), known professionally as Elvira de Hidalgo, was a prominent Spanish coloratura soprano, who later became a teacher and vocal coach. Her most famous pupil was Maria ...

. When she was 15 she made her operatic début with

Maria Callas Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...

. In 1948 she travelled to Britain to meet the scholar and composer Egon Wellesz. Wellesz arranged for her to give a recital that included Greek music written over two millennia. This included Delphic Hymns written in about 128 B.C.John Warrack, ‘Mandikian, Arda (1924?–2009)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 201
accessed 7 Sept 2015
/ref> She also appeared in Wellesz's ''Incognita'' in Oxford.
Naxos.com, Retrieved 7 September 2015 A demonstration of her singing led to regular work. In 1953 she had leading roles in operas in both Paris and London. In that year she was singing in London's

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

in Peter Grimes by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

and in 1954 she appeared in ''Le Coq d’or'' by Rimsky-Korsakov again at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

. In 1954 she sang the ''First Delphic Hymn'' at the

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the town of Aldeburgh, Suffolk and is centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festi ...

. This inspired

to include a similar idea in his ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 gothic horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' from January 27 to April 16, 1898. On October 7, 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', publis ...

''. Britten created the role of the ghost ''Miss Jessel'' especially for Mandikian. It has been said that Britten made the part so close to Mandikian that it "sounds like Arda, whoever sings it". In the 1960s her mother became ill and she went back to look after her. Whilst she was back in Greece a

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

seized power there and Mandikian spoke out against them. She could not sing opera as she would not take work in Greece and she feared that she would be exiled if she left the country. The Greek junta's dictatorship ended in 1974. From 1974 to 1980 Mandikian was assistant director of the Greek National Opera. She worked with Christos Lambrakis.Arda Mandikian obituary
The Guardian, Retrieved 7 September 2015 Mandikian died in

in 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandikian, Arda 1924 births 2009 deaths Musicians from İzmir Greek expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century Greek women opera singers Greek people of Armenian descent Smyrniote Armenians Turkish emigrants to Greece Singers from Athens Greek opera singers