Let's celebrate International Women's Day and Music in Our School's month with this episode from composer Mary Mary Kouyoumjian. Mary speaks in a strong way by sharing stories through music. Mary is a part of the Project 19 commission series with the New York Philharmonic.

Project 19 was born of the conviction that an orchestra can participate in conversations about social imperatives and even change the status quo. Through Project 19, the Philharmonic can mark a “tectonic shift in American culture,” says President and CEO Deborah Borda, by giving women composers a platform and catalyzing representation in classical music and beyond. Project 19 launched in February 2020 with the first six World Premieres. The Orchestra will premiere the next two commissions in May–June 2020, followed by eight premieres in the 2020–21 season. The final three commissions will be premiered in future seasons.

On this episode we discuss oppression, boundaries, adversity, comfort zones, and so much more.

I hope you enjoy this conversation.

is a composer with projects ranging from concert works to multimedia collaborations and film scores. 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 palette that draws on her heritage, interest in music as documentary, and background in experimental composition to progressively blend the old with the new.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.