Helen Avakian is an award winning singer/songwriter/guitarist based in Madison, Wisconsin, formerly of the Hudson Valley in New York, where she was a beloved performer, recording artist, and teacher for many years.
She was voted number one Favorite Acoustic Act four times by Rhythm and News magazine and has won numerous songwriting awards, including seven first prizes and four honorable mentions from the NewSongs Contest at the Walnut Valley Festival in Kansas. In September 2014 Helen won the International Fingerstyle Championship also at the Walnut Valley Festival. She is the first female to do so since the championship became international in 2004, and the second female to ever win this prestigious contest that started in 1979 and draws virtuoso guitarists from around the world. (The first lady winner was Muriel Anderson 25 years prior in 1989 when the contest was called the National Fingerstyle Championship.)
