Ciamanto

Greetings, friends. I am Ciamanto (born Shant Ciamanto Minas) and I come from musical families from both parents. I started playing music at a young age, starting with school choir singing Christmas carols at age 7.  Starting at age 12 I was classically trained in piano, and by 15 I played guitar, bass and piano. Beginning in high school I was also classically trained as an a cappella choir singer in chamber choirs and took part in several musical theatre productions, including Oklahoma and Pirates of Penzance.

Along with friends Sam, Sebu and Hiuro, we started a Pink Floyd cover band in 1994. In the next year I started creating original music, and played bass and sang in the Distant Cousin band with Sebu and Sam. In 1996-97 I also sang with A Capella choirs at Pasadena City College and enrolled at California Institute of the Arts shortly thereafter, studying music composition. In 1997 I started a short-lived band called Distilled Spirits with Hiuro, and we recorded three original songs. 

I took several decades off from active music-making since those days, but with my new project Ciamanto, I am making a furious re-entry as a rock n' roll musician. Dream Scream is my 2022 album, with the songs in development since 2017. You are welcome to listen to the songs for free on this website. I will have them available for download soon on Apple Music and Spotify, and soon we will appear at live venues in southern California. Kenats! 

BACKGROUND ON THE NAME CIAMANTO:

I was named Ciamanto after a famous Armenian poet from the turn of the 19th century, Siamanto, who was killed in the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamanto