Born in Teheran to Russian and Armenian refugees, she won the Munich ARD competition in 1971. A student of the late Jennie Tourel at Juilliard from which she holds bachelor's and master's degrees, she was chosen to sing in the Maria Callas master classes. Anita Terzian enjoyed a successful international career performing at major opera companies including Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Paris Opera, La Monnaie, Opéra du Rhin Strasbourg, Liege Opera, San Francisco Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Wexford Festival, Athens Festival. She was a favorite in Munich's Gaertnerplatz Theater.

One British Critic wrote: "Her flexible voice with is warm timbre and a free and exciting high top and allowed her to sing a wide and varied repertoire from baroque and belcanto to Verismo and Slavic roles. She could be dramatic as well as coquettish and delivering male heroic characters with panache. Anita was an example of perfection in executing technically difficult parts for coloratura mezzo."

 

Some of her roles were: Carmen, Alessandro, Serse, Sesto, Rosina, Sinaide (Mosè in Egitto), Isolier (Le Conte Ory), Isabella (L’Italiana in Algerie), Pierotto (Linda Chamounix), Edoardo (Mathilde di Shabran), Musette (Leoncavello’s La Boheme), Bersi, Siebel (Faust), Charlotte, Paulina/Olga, (Pique Dame), Pauline (Pique Dame), Marina (Godunov), Konchakovna (Prince Igor), Prince Orlofsky ao. At the invitation of Beverly Sills, she made her New York City Opera debut as Carmen.