Dan Yessian

Dan Yessian (IPAc-en|j|E|s|i:|I|n,Respell|Yes|e|in) September 5, 1944) is an award-winning American producer, musician, composer, arranger, woodwind musician and keyboardist of Armenian ancestry. Yessian received a Distinguished Achievement Award at the 2016 Detroit Music Awards. In 1971, he founded Yessian Music Inc., in Farmington, Michigan. 
Yessian's documentary and musical composition "An Armenian Trilogy" was featured on PBS. "An Armenian Trilogy" documents Yessian's journey exploring his ancestral Armenian roots and his work composing three musical movements, "The Freedom," "The Fear," and "The Faith". His work was performed live by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia. 
Yessian Music, an international music production company with locations in Michigan, New York City, Los Angeles, and Europe. The company produces music and sound design for numerous Fortune 500 companies and employs over 150 full-time and freelance creative artists. 
Brian and Michael Yessian have assumed leadership of the company. 
==Career==
A 1967 graduate of Wayne State University, Yessian taught speech and English for four years at Detroit's Redford High School. He left education to pursue a music career. 
In 1971, Yessian Music opened in a 300-square-foot office, once an old bait shop in Farmington. He called local car dealers hoping to interest them in purchasing a custom jingle to promote their business. 
Yessian wrote numerous national and regional commercial jingles for companies such as Whirlpool, Dodge, Ford Motors Company, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Chevrolet, Little Caesar's and many more. Yessian's jingle for Detroit-based business "Diitrich Furs" has aired for over 40 years. 
Yessian wrote music for "Sesame Street" with Grammy award-winning animator Ted Petok. His work on 1970s nationally syndicated children show "Hot Fudge" won a national award for children's programming. Other work for television include the Electric Company and various other local and national programming. 
Yessian wrote theme songs for sports organizations including Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yessian co-wrote several songs with the late Ernie Harwell. 
In the 1980s, Yessian met songwriter David Barrett (Composer "One Shining Moment") with whom he composed numerous songs including a collaboration with Kenny Watson "I See Wings" a song written for Yessian's documentary and symphonic work "An Armenian Trilogy". 
In 2006, Yessian purchased Burt Bacharach's piano. On the Steinway instrument, Yessian wrote numerous music compositions including classical pieces featured in "An Armenian Trilogy". 
==Yessian Music==
Yessian composed music for theme parks and museums around the world. Productions include The One World Observatory and Hudson Yards in New York, Trans Studio, Ferrari World, Lotte World, Chimelong, Movie Park, and many others.
Yessian's Music's work is featured in various types of media including video games, movies, television, sports entertainment and sound production for companies like Disney, Cadillac, Little Caesar's Pizza, Mercedes Benz, Coca-Cola, United Airlines and more. 
Yessian Music won numerous awards in the advertising and television industry. In 2018, Yessian was inducted into the Adcraft Hall of Fame in Detroit, receiving a lifetime achievement award for his work in the advertising industry. 
The company created music featured in five commercials aired in the 2012 Super Bowl|Super Bowl. Yessian's work also includes sound production for "Sunday Night Football" "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice". 
Michael and Brian Yessian have led Yessian Music since the 1990s. Both were featured in Crain's Detroit Business "40 under 40". The pair spearheaded a project to create music for the $100 million One World Observatory at One World Trade Center, which welcomes up to 4 million guests a year. 
==An Armenian Trilogy== 
Yessian created "An Armenian Trilogy" a documentary and 22-minute symphonic music piece in honor of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, in which 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered. 
Yessian worked with arranger and pianist Kurt Schreitmueller, and the pair composed the first iteration of a duet for violin and piano, debuting in 2015 at Macomb Center for Performing Arts. The initial performance featured musicians Sonia Lee and Shawn McDonald. 
Yessian expanded the musical suite to a full symphonic tribute with the help of orchestrator William Wandel and Stewart Shevin. 
In 2017 Yessian worked with producer Ohad Wilner documenting his family trip to Armenia. Nearly one hundred musicians of the Armenian National Philharmonic performed Yessian's three-part original music at the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Armenia's capital city of Yerevan. 
Category:1944 births
Category:American producers
Category:American people
Category:Musicians