Composer

The motto "Stories that matter" sets the tone for the second edition of the Wiener Festwochen’s Academy Second Modernism. A public discourse event examines the possibility of a global, equitable music culture and how new ways of storytelling from a diverse perspective can succeed. The two concerts with Klangforum Wien are featuring 10 internationally groundbreaking female composers whose artistry shapes the global, second, feminist modernsim.

Wiener Festwochen - Academy Second Modernism: No More Excuses I

ORF RadioKulturhaus

EPSG:4326

Beethoven and Shostakovich

Sarasota Opera House

An adaptation of Atom Egoyan’s 2008 film of the same name, Adoration follows Simon, an orphaned high school student. As part of a dramatic writing exercise, Simon’s teacher encourages him to appropriate details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight the challenges of intolerance and racism in our society. The fictional and actual circumstances of the loss of Simon’s family are revealed in fragments, only fitting together with the final revelation that the prejudices of Simon’s maternal grandfather led to his parents’ deaths.

Adoration

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Adoration follows Simon, an orphaned high school student, as he grapples with his family history, racism, and intolerance in our digital age, in an adaptation of Atom Egoyan’s 2008 film. As part of a dramatic writing exercise, Simon’s teacher encourages him to appropriate details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight how hate is a learned behavior, and the impact of hate on society. The fictional and actual circumstances of the loss of Simon’s family are revealed in fragments, only fitting together with the final revelation that the prejudices of Simon’s maternal grandfather led to his parents’ deaths. Presented in collaboration with LA Opera and Beth Morrison Projects, this piercing contemporary opera tells two simultaneous narratives—a fictional story of violence and betrayal juxtaposed with real experience of family strife and the rejection of the other.

Mary Kouyoumdjian, Royce Vavrek, Laine Rettmer, Alan Pierson, Beth Morrison

Hailed by The Whole Note as "highly enjoyable and immensely satisfying“, JUNO-nominated Land’s End Ensemble (Maria van der Sloot, violin; Beth Root Sandvoss, cello; Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, piano; Vincent Ho, Artistic Director) is one of Canada’s foremost contemporary ensembles, inviting curious audiences to reimagine the possibilities of the classical piano trio. Dedicated to presenting innovative compositions, the Ensemble has been praised by critics for their exceptional artistry.

Land's End Ensemble

artsPlace Canmore

Marianne Gedigian, Flute

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

In this exciting series of contemporary music, Kwame Ryan conducts World Premieres by Melinda Wagner and Mary Kouyoumdjian. These works were commissioned as part of Project 19, the largest women-only commissioning initiative in history.

Sound On: Eötvös, Kendall, van der Aa, and Kouyoumdjian

Lincoln Center

Adapted from the original film written and directed by Atom Egoyan, Adoration follows Simon, an orphaned high school student. As part of a dramatic writing exercise, Simon’s teacher encourages him to appropriate details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight the challenges of intolerance and racism in our society. The fictional and actual circumstances of the loss of Simon’s family are revealed in fragments, only fitting together with the final revelation that the prejudices of Simon’s maternal grandfather led to his parents’ deaths.

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture

An adaptation of Atom Egoyan’s film of the same name, Adoration follows Simon, an orphaned high school student. As part of a dramatic writing exercise, Simon’s teacher encourages him to appropriate details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight the challenges of intolerance and racism in our society. The fictional and actual circumstances of the loss of Simon’s family are revealed in fragments, only fitting together with the final revelation that the prejudices of Simon’s maternal grandfather led to his parents’ deaths.

The SFCM Orchestra performs its final concert of the season with one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors on the podium today, Vinay Parameswaran. Originally from the Bay Area, Parameswaran recently served as the Associate Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Nashville Symphony, and has made debuts as conductor with the Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago Symphonies, among many others. Parameswaran conducts the overture to Rossini’s Semiramide opera, the last the composer wrote in Italy, as well as Beethoven’s “Heroic” symphony that revolutionized the form during a transformative period for the composer. The concert also features SFCM faculty Jeff Anderle in a performance of a bass clarinet concerto that was written for and premiered by Anderle.

SFCM Orchestra with Vinay Parameswaran

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Jeff Anderle is a pioneer in the world of low reeds, helping to popularize the role of the modern clarinet and bass clarinet through his innovative and diverse performances, ensembles, and commissions. He is the bass clarinetist in Splinter Reeds and half of the bass clarinet duo Sqwonk, as well as a member of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. He is a former member of the virtuosic, heavy metal bass clarinet quartet Edmund Welles, as well as REDSHIFT contemporary music ensemble and the Paul Dresher Electro/Acoustic Band. In addition, he makes regular guest appearances with a wide range of music institutions from orchestras to diverse chamber music ensembles. Jeff is a founding co-director of Switchboard Music, and serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he teaches clarinet, chamber music and professional development, and is the chair of the woodwind department. He is a Selmer Paris performing artist.

Composer

Mary Kouyoumdjian

Events

Past events

Jun 8, 2025

Wiener Festwochen - Academy Second Modernism: No More Excuses I · Klangforum Wien

Jun 7, 2025

Beethoven and Shostakovich · Sarasota Orchestra

About

Mary Kouyoumdjian hasn't added a bio