Young Composers Competition

Maria Kaoutzani is an Illinois-based composer from Limassol, Cyprus. Recent projects include a concerto for the Grammy-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, a residency at Hartford Women Composers Festival in 2023, a National Sawdust residency in the 2019-2020 season, Pomegranate Institute and UCLA's Notes on Napkins, Hocket ensemble's #What2020SoundsLike, "Chicago Speaks” with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and residencies at Anderson Center for the Arts and Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild. Past collaborators include the ~Nois saxophone quartet, Chartreuse trio, Desdemona string quartet, Zafa Collective, Longleash trio, Imani Winds, the Grossman ensembles and many others. Maria teaches composition at Knox College and holds a PhD in music composition from the University of Chicago. She holds a master's degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of York. Past teachers include Augusta Reed Thomas, Anthony Cheung, Sam Pluta and Justin Dello Joio. Along with composers Gemma Peacocke and Shelley Washington, Maria is a founding member of composer collective Kinds of Kings.

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