Mary Kouyoumdjian

MARY KOUYOUMDJIAN (b. 1983) is
dedicated to composing music that pushes the boundaries of expectation and
musical tradition. As a first generation Armenian-American and having come from
a family directly affected by the Lebanese Civil War and Armenian Genocide, she
uses a sonic pallet that draws on her heritage, interest in folk music, and background
in experimental composition to progressively blend the old with the new.

With compositions ranging from
concert works to multimedia collaborations and film scores, Kouyoumdjian has
received commissions from Kronos Quartet as the recipient of their Under 30
Project, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, the American
Composers Forum/JFund for her piece Dzov Yerku Kooynov [Sea of Two Colors],
REDSHIFT, the Los Angeles New Music Ensemble, the Nouveau Classical Project,
Friction Quartet, Experiments in Opera, and Ensemble Oktoplus. Kouyoumdjian
works as a composer, orchestrator, and music editor for film, most notably as
the orchestrator for The Place Beyond the Pines (Focus Features). Currently
based in Brooklyn, New York, Kouyoumdjian also actively promotes the growth of
new music in her native state of California.

Holding a B.A. in Music
Composition from the University of California, San Diego and an M.A. in Scoring
for Film & Multimedia from New York University, Kouyoumdjian has studied
contemporary composition with Chaya Czernowin, Steven Kazuo Takasugi, and
Chinary Ung; new music performance with Steve Schick; and modern jazz with
Anthony Davis.

Kouyoumdjian is also a co-founder and the executive director of
the New York-based contemporary music ensemble Hotel Elefant. www.marykouyoumdjian.com/www.hotelelefant.org