Maria Kaoutzani
Composer and Visiting Assistant Professor at Knox College.
This website is dedicated to my teaching.
For my composition work and information on future projects please visit mariakaoutzani.com .
About Me
I am a composer from Limassol, Cyprus. I hold a PhD in music composition from the University of Chicago (2023), a master's degree from New York University (2016), and a bachelor's degree from the University of York (2014).
My doctoral dissertation is a concerto that was commissioned by Eighth Blackbird and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and will premiere on March 25, 2022 at the Music Center in Cincinnati, OH, conducted by Louis Lagrée. In my work as a composer, I enjoy writing for the voice, exploring rhythmic play influenced by non-western musical traditions, as well as experimenting with orchestration and texture.
In addition to music composition, I am interested in ethnomusicology, which is my minor field. I wrote a paper on emerging composers under the age of 45 who are studying or working in the US but spent their formative years (5–16) abroad. I interviewed 30 composers who completed (or are completing) their graduate studies in music composition in the US and examined how local music traditions of their home countries may have influenced their work. You can access it here.
Please read a statement on my teaching philosophy here.
You can view my curriculum vitae here.
Zoom Vocal Workshop with soprano Bahareh Poureslami