Mary Kouyoumdjian Selected to Receive Inaugural ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Prize for a Mid-Career Concert Music Composer and Performer
January 5, 2024
“The ASCAP Foundation and the Harold Adamson Estate understand the importance of recognizing composers and songwriters at different stages of their careers. We are grateful for the estate’s generous contribution to fund this new program that celebrates contributions made to the concert music field,” said ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton.
Kouyoumdjian is a composer and documentarian with projects ranging from concert works to multimedia collaborations and film scores. As a first generation Armenian-American whose family was directly affected by the Lebanese Civil War and Armenian Genocide, her compositional work often integrates recorded testimonies and field recordings to humanize complex experiences around social and political conflict. She has received a range of commissions from Kronos Quartet, New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Alarm Will Sound, Beth Morrison Projects and Bang on a Can. Based in Brooklyn, NY, Kouyoumdjian is a cofounder of the annual new music conference New Music Gathering; she is on faculty at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the College of Performing Arts at The New School, and proud to have her music published on Schott’s PSNY. www.marykouyoumdjian.com
The new program honors the lyricist Harold Adamson, writer of “Time on My Hands” and “An Affair to Remember.” The famed lyricist was a contributor to the music of many Broadway shows and movies including Smiles, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Around the World in 80 Days. Adamson received five Academy Award nominations and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Award recipients must demonstrate talent as recognized by their peers. Funded by Adamson’s royalties, the program demonstrates the Harold Adamson Estate's passionate commitment to support composers and songwriters via The ASCAP Foundation.
Applicants are nominated and selected by ASCAP composers in coordination with The ASCAP Foundation. The rules can be found at: https://www.ascapfoundation.org/~/media/files/foundation/pdf/2023/2023-harold-adamson-midcareer-rules-final--8112023.pdf
For further information, please email foundation@ascap.com.
About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting and encouraging American music creators through music education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs, and providing grants to other 501(c)(3) organizations engaged in educational programs for aspiring songwriters and composers. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org
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CONTACT:
Cathy Nevins, ASCAP
cnevins (at) ascap.com