Iosif Andriasov was born in Moscow, USSR, on April 7, 1933, to an Armenian family. His father, Arshak Osipovich Andriasov (1893-1948), was an economist; his mother, Maria Fyodorovna Bedjanova-Andriasova (1898-1974), was an artist. Mr. Andriasov’s family, originally from the city of Nukha (now - Shekhi, Azerbaijan), were descendants of Caucausian and Russian land aristocracy, clergy, merchants, and military, including Aleksandr Vasilyevich Suvorov, Generalissimo, Russia's greatest military commander. When Iosif was ten years old, he saved his father’s life against an attack of a Nazi spy during the World War II. Iosif Andriasov showed his musical talent at an early age. He began to play the piano and compose at the age of three.  At the age of five, he enrolled at the music school to study violin with Professor Tutsevich. He studied composition with Grant Aramovich Grigorian (1952-1953) and Grigory Samuilovich Frid (1953-1957). In 1958, Iosif Andriasov entered the Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, studying composition with Professor Evgeny Kirillovich Golubev and orchestration with Professor Dmitry Romanovich Rogal-Levitsky. E. Golubev, a pupil of the great Russian symphonist Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky, passed the musical traditions of the Moscow composers’ school to Iosif Andriasov (P. I. Tchaikovsky -  S. I. Taneev -  N. Y. Myaskovsky). During his years as a student at the Conservatory, Mr. Andriasov was considered a “musical genius” by his professors and peers. "I never imagined that such talents as Iosif Andriasov could exist", - E. K. Golubev. In this period, Mr. Andriasov wrote the First Symphony for Symphony Orchestra (F-sharp minor, Op. 12, 1960), Concerto for Trumpet and Symphony Orchestra (D minor, Op. 14, 1960), Sonata for Violin and Piano, romances, and other works. Together with student - composers of the Conservatory (Nectarios Chargeishvili, Boris Tobis, Dzhivani Mikhailov, and others), Iosif Andriasov organized a musical circle to learn the compositions of contemporary composers. On June 16, 1962, Mr. Andriasov’s First Symphony was premiered by the Moscow Regional Symphony Orchestra, with Leopold Gershkovich conducting at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. It attracted attention not only in the USSR, but also in Eastern Europe and the USA.  In the same year, the First Symphony received a prize at the USSR Review of Young Composers. Zoltan Kodaly, who listened to Mr. Andriasov’s First Symphony during his visit to the Moscow Conservatory, said: "Iosif Andriasov is an extraordinary talent." In 1963, Iosif Andriasov married Marina (Marta) Leonidovna Kudryashova, a fellow student at the Conservatory, a musicologist, and a pupil of Professor Alexei Ivanovich Kandinsky. In 1965, their daughter, Maria, was born.

            Mr. Andriasov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1963. The famous composer Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich, who was a Chairman of the State graduation examinations committee that year, said: "When the entire world lost a sense of harmony, composer Iosif Andriasov has not only not lost this sense, but added to harmony a new quality." D. Shostakovich played an important role in the life of I. Andriasov. When the Soviet authorities, who labeled Mr. Andriasov as an “anti-communist party element” for his independent character, wanted to send him to work to Khabarovsk (Far East), then a cultural exile, after graduation from the Conservatory, Mr. Shostakovich interfered during the committee meeting by saying: “I will not let you ruin this talent”. He protested by leaving the auditorium, slamming the door. Mr. Andriasov stayed in Moscow. Upon the recommendation by Dmitry Shostakovich, Iosif Andriasov became a member of the Soviet Composer’s Union, Moscow division (1964), and the score of Mr. Andriasov’s First Symphony was published by "Muzika" International Publishing House (1965). I. Andriasov also attended lectures at the Moscow Michael Vasilyevich Lomonosov State University, Department of Biology (Professor Leonid Vasilyevich Kudryashov). During the late 1960s - 1970s, Mr. Andriasov was a Consulting Composer of the Composer’s Union, a member of the Editorial Board at the "Muzika" International Publishing House, as well as a Consultant of the Head of Music Department at the USSR All-State Radio and Television, Moscow. Iosif Andriasov gave free consultations to the composers of different generations such as Vladimir Bunin, Yuri Alexandrov, Rudolf Manukov, Eduard Sadoyan, Dzhivani Mikhailov, Vladimir Shainsky, Sofia Checherina, - to name a few. 

            After the graduation from the Conservatory, Iosif Andriasov absorbed and used creatively the achievements of the new stylistic trends of Western-European music: serialism, aleatory, electronic music, and other avant-garde techniques. He wrote several serial compositions, in particular, two pieces for piano (Labyrinth, Op. 15, 1965 and Phoenix, Op. 16, 1966) and Concerto for Orchestra - Variations in Six Movements (Op. 18, 1968).  Mr. Andriasov, being a highly original composer, always felt the enormous richness of the Armenian, Russian, and European traditions, and was never interested in novelty as such.  In his art, he always was centered on content and meaning. Iosif Andriasov was one of the first Soviet composers to use stylistic synthesis. He wrote musical sketches for different solo instruments and chamber orchestra. The composer gave his own individual treatment of a contemporary idea of pluralism, incorporating both avant-garde and traditional tonal and modal techniques in one composition. These sketches were recorded by the musicians of the USSR All-State Radio Orchestra and demonstrated at the Soviet Composers Union’s session (1969). The work from this period included a cantata To the Mother-Earth for Baritone Solo, Four Trombones, Two (or more) Harps, and Mixed Choir (A major, Op. 25, 1970), poetry by Vladimir Lazarev.

            In 1971, Mr. Andriasov composed his Second Symphony, which summed up his achievements of the previous years. The Second Symphony (Op. 26) was written for soloists  (mezzo-soprano and tenor), mixed choir, and symphony orchestra, poetry by Vladimir Lazarev and folk poetry, and dedicated to Iosif Andriasov’s parents. Initially, the Second Symphony was titled Children and a Thousand Cranes. It was premiered on April 15, 1973 by the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Gennady Cherkasov, and was later numerously performed and broadcast. In this composition, Mr. Andriasov, who had a gift of musical and spiritual clairvoyance, created an artistic model of the universal state in which “various cultures, interacting, harmonize with one another, enriching one another with virtues” (Iosif Andriasov). In 1973, Mr. Andriasov wrote a book of aphorisms To My Friends. It was not published officially, but it has been read by many people in Russia and in other republics of the former USSR, who were copying it by hand or re-typing it and passing the copies to others. It became an underground movement literature, a symbol of the moral opposition to the totalitarian system. Later, copies of this book appeared in various countries outside of the USSR, including England, USA, Israel, Japan, Bulgaria, and other countries. In 1973, the Head of Armenian-Gregorian Church, Vazgen the First, Catolikos of All Armenians, awarded Mr. Andriasov the Special Charter with Recognition and Blessing for his contribution to music and ethics. In this same year, I. Andriasov composed the Concertino for Clarinet and Symphony Orchestra (G minor–D major, Op. 27). It was premiered by the USSR All-State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Gennady Cherkasov, with soloist Rafael Bagdasarian at the USSR All-State Radio Concert Hall.       

            In 1974, Iosif Andriasov won the Soviet Composers' Competition in Budapest, Hungary, to represent Soviet music at the USSR National Celebration Concert. On October 22, 1974, his Second Symphony, together with the Fifth Symphony by P. I. Tchaikovsky and the Third Piano Concerto by S. S. Prokofiev, was performed at the Special Gala Concert, which was broadcast for the member countries of OIRT (Eastern and Central Europe) and Finland. In the same year, Editor-in-Chief of Repertoire-Editorial Board of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR Konstantin Konstantinovich Sakva, offered Mr. Andriasov the position of the Head of the Special Committee on Music and Moral matters to the USSR General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. Iosif Andriasov declined the position. Then, another senior official, the Editor-in-Chief of the Music Department at the USSR All-State Radio and Television, Gennady Konstantinovich Cherkasov, asked Mr. Andriasov if he would agree to accept the Lenin Prize from the USSR Government. Mr. Andriasov rejected this offer as well, stating: "By accepting a reward from criminals, one becomes an accomplice to the criminals". In 1975, Iosif Andriasov made the second version of his book "To My Friends" and composed his Concerto for French Horn and Symphony Orchestra (A minor-G major, Op. 28). In 1976, Mr. Andriasov wrote The Science on Morality.

            In May of 1979, Iosif Andriasov immigrated to the U.S. with his wife and daughter. He was invited to live in the U.S. by Senators Jacob Javits, Patrick Moynihan, and Edward Kennedy. Upon immigration, a U.S. State Department officer in Moscow took Mr. Andriasov’s Moscow Conservatory diploma, signed by Dmitry Shostakovich, the Special Charter with Recognition and Blessing, signed by Vazgen the First, the Spiritual Leader of the Armenian nation, and other documents to transfer them to the U.S. Unfortunately, these documents were never returned to Mr. Andriasov. After Iosif Andriasov left the Soviet Union, his name disappeared from repertoire of all USSR performers; the tapes of his music at the USSR Radio were destroyed, and the copies of all his compositions, which were in the possession of the Library of the Moscow Music Fund, disappeared.

            In 1980, Mr. Andriasov’s son, Arshak, was born in New York City.

            In the U.S., Mr. Andriasov wrote a Symphonietta for String Orchestra (D major, 1980); A Piece for String Orchestra; A Piece for Symphony Orchestra; Meditation for Choir a cappella (D-flat Major, Op. 30, 1981); the Third Symphony for Symphony Orchestra (F minor, Op. 31); The Spring for String Quartet (B-flat minor, Op. 32, 1994), and vocal and piano pieces.  He began working on his Fourth Symphony and Concerto for Oboe and Symphony Orchestra, both unfinished.  Iosif Andriasov made complete revisions of his main compositions, in particular, Trumpet Concertino (1995), Clarinet Concertino (1999), the First Symphony (2000), and the Second Symphony (2000). Mr. Andriasov continued to work on his philosophical ideas. He gave a great deal of his time to prepare his compositions for publication by the IMMA Publishing Co., which he planned to open, becoming an expert in the use of the Finale computer program. He continued his achievements in sports.  A boxer, soccer player, billiards player, yogist in Russia, he became car racer, target shooter (four gold medals), inventor (rear sights for speed and target shooting), and the first dan karateka of the Japan Karate Association.  Mr. Andriasov was a wonderful, devoted husband and father.

            In 1994, Asahi TV, a major Japanese broadcasting company, produced a documentary film about Mr. Andriasov and his remarkable contribution to the world's culture. Iosif Andriasov was selected among two thousand of the world's most prominent people as the "International Man of the Year" for the Year 2000-2001 by the International Biographical Center of Cambridge, UK in recognition of his outstanding services to music and ethics.

            In his life, as well as in his musical and philosophical works, Mr. Andriasov negated all manifestations of “slave-master morality” such as totalitarianism, nazism, chauvinism, world domination, cult of personality, and so on, and asserted “morality of the free individuals” (Iosif Andriasov). His music is characterized by the depth of its spiritual virtues, expressed through the richness of emotions, and a harmony between various elements, including antinomies.      

            Mr. Andriasov’s compositions have been performed and recorded by the Big Symphony Orchestra of the All-State Radio and Television and by other orchestras in Moscow (Leopold Gershkovich, Gennady Cherkasov, Vladimir Yesipov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vakhtang Jordania and other conductors), Bamberger Symphoniker, Germany (Luca Pfaff, conductor), the National Orchestral Association, New York City (Ronald Schweitzer, conductor), the Denver Chamber Orchestra, Colorado (JoAnn Falletta, conductor), the “Ohan Durian” Symphony Orchestra of the Armenian National Radio, Yerevan (Karen Durgaryan, conductor), the San Francisco Student Philharmonic Orchestra (Arshak Andriasov, conductor), among others; by numerous chamber ensembles and soloists; performed at various music festivals, including Festival-Plenum of the Union of Soviet Composers (Moscow) and Newport Music Festival (Rhode Island, USA); broadcast over radio stations in the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Central Europe (OIRT), Western Europe (Munich Bavarian Radio; RIAS, Berlin), and the United States (WQXR, New York; KFAC, Los Angeles; WBST, Indiana); published by “Muzika” and “Sovyetsky Kompozitor” Publishing Houses (Moscow); catalogued by Peters - Belaieff - Litolf Musikverlag Publishing House (Frankfurt, Germany); released on “Melodiya” and “Deutsche Grammophon” records; commissioned by the Ministries of Culture of the USSR, the Russian Republic, and by RIAS (Berlin).          

            Since 2001, Iosif Andriasov’s compositions are published exclusively by IMMA Publishing Co., New York that is owned by his wife, Marta Andriasova. In 2003, IMMA Records became the exclusive recording label releasing all Mr. Andriasov’s compositions, His son, Arshak Andriasov, owns IMMA Records.

© 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Marta Andriasova-Kudryashova.