Education

D.M.A., University of Miami
M.M., University of Miami
B.M., Wayne State University

Background

A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Armen Shaomian has extensive background in performing arts, higher education, and project management consulting. Shaomian joined the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management in 2012. He is the founder and CEO of Armenize, Inc., an arts consulting agency specializing in non-profit arts management and foundational strategies.

His prior work includes programs manager / associate producer for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) and its signature YoungArts program. In his role as their associate producer, Shaomian oversaw live performance logistics as well as strategic relations with the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as well as the United States Department of Education and the United States Presidential Scholars program. Shaomian's work with the NFAA included cost analysis and contract negotiations, allowing the foundation to save fiscally while raising the quality of its programming.

He has also held the position of musical director of the critically acclaimed touring company of The Second City Theatre. Other entertainment work includes several voice-overs for Disney and Warner Bros. feature animations.

Shaomian served as president of the Miami Civic Music Association from 2014 to 2016, as well as co-chair on the board of the Green Room Society at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

Shaomian holds master's and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in accompanying and chamber music with cognates in music business and entertainment industries from the University of Miami. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Wayne State University. He is an active concert pianist specializing in contemporary classical music. He has premiered several works of notable composers and performed numerous concerts at venues in Europe and the United States. He has authored a book on Swedish National-Romantic Music and his piano recordings of composer Hugo Alfvén are featured on Vax Records' Vaxholm-Ett Dubbelnöje. Shaomian has also served as adjunct faculty at the Frost School of Music's Arts Presenting Program at the University of Miami. His language skills include English, Swedish and Armenian.

He has brought guest artists to visit his courses, including multi-Grammy and Academy Award winner Burt Bacharach and Pulitzer Prize recipient William Bolcom. Shaomian frequently collaborates with the South Carolina Philharmonic and the Trustus Theater in Columbia to bring together arts leaders from the live entertainment industry and students from the sport and entertainment management program.

During his tenure at the university, Shaomian has received grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission to host a bi-annual state-wide seminar for arts organizations titled Making Money.

Shaomian currently serves as the president of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA).

Additionally, he has been appointed by the Office of the Provost to serve as the faculty principal of Preston Residential College, the oldest residential college at the University of South Carolina.

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In the Media

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2024

• Taylor Swift had the best year for any business leader in recent memory: CNN

2023

• Economist Claims Beyoncé's Tour Stop in Sweden Increased The Country's Inflation Rate — 'We Haven't Seen This Before': Afrotech
• Beyoncé 'Renaissance' Tour Could Outearn Taylor Swift 'Eras' By $600 Million: Forbes
• Beyoncé's billions break new records for megastar tours: The Sunday Times - London
• ‘Eras’ Tour Could Net Taylor Swift $500 Million To $1.5 Billion: Forbes
• Smaller, Versatile Concert Halls Step Out of the Shadow of Stadiums: New York Times
• Taylor Swift Could Earn $620 Million On ‘Era’ Tour While Ticketmaster Makes A Pittance: Forbes

2020

• The return of Columbia festivals and events may still be a long way off: Free Times/Post and Courier

Research

• Brand marketing within performing arts organizations
• Technology use in the classroom
• Live performances

Grants

• 2022 USC Center for Teaching Excellence
• 2020 MEIEA Faculty Project Grant
• 2018 MEIEA Faculty Grant
• 2017 South Carolina Arts Commission
• 2017 SEC Grant
• 2016 USC Center for Teaching Excellence
• 2016 SEC Grant
• 2015 South Carolina Arts Commission
• 2015 USC Provost Grant
• 2016 USC Center for Teaching Excellence
• 2014 HRSM Travel Grant
• 2014 South Carolina Arts Commission

Awards

• 2020 Harry E. and Carmen S. Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year
• 2017 Brian J. and Linda L. Mihalik Global Scholar Award

Performances (selections)

• 2022 House of Sweden - Alfred Nobel Hall, Washington, D.C.
• 2020 University of Alabama, Birmingham
• 2020 Mississippi University for Women
• 2019 University of Florida (College Music Society)
• 2019 University of New Orleans (Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts Conference)
• 2019 Albany State University, GA (College Music Society)
• 2019 University of South Carolina (Freeman Concert Series)
• 2018 Auburn University, Ala.
• 2015 Royal College of Music, Stockholm, SWEDEN (College Music Society)

Guest Lectures (selections)

• 2022 Royal College of Music, Sweden (Keynote: Innovation in Music Conference)
• 2021 Royal College of Music, Sweden (Keynote: Music Focused Interdisciplinary Research & Analysis Center Conference)
• 2020 University of Alabama, Birmingham
• 2020 Mississippi University for Women
• 2020 University of New Orleans (Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts Conference)
• 2017 University of Georgia, Athens — Terry College of Business (SEC Grant/lecture)
• 2017 University of Kentucky — Department of Arts Administration (SEC grant/lecture)
• 2015 College Music Society’s International Conference in Stockholm and Helsinki 

Teaching

• SPTE 202 – Intro to Live Entertainment Management
• SPTE 202 – (Distributed Learning) – Intro to Live Entertainment Management
  Teaching
• SPTE 402 – Entertainment and the Law
• SPTE 404 – Promoting Live Entertainment Events
• SPTE 410 – Sport and Entertainment in Popular Culture
• SPTE 570 – Study Abroad: Sport and Entertainment in Europe
• SPTE 570 – Study Abroad: Sport and Entertainment in Mexico City
• SPTE 560 – Performing Arts Management and Leadership
• SPTE 565 – Business of Broadway
• SPTE 590 – Advanced Topics: Copyright in Entertainment Management
• SPTE 701 – Management in the Sport and Entertainment Industry