Karen Ouzounian and Lembit Beecher’s ‘Mayrig’ Program Continues International Tour

Estonian-American composer, pianist, and animator Lembit Beecher , winner of the 2025-2026 Samuel Barber Rome Prize at the American Academy in Rome, writes “hauntingly lovely and deeply personal” music ( San Francisco Chronicle ) rooted in a fascination with the ways memories, histories, and stories permeate contemporary life. His work has drawn praise for its “astonishing musical invention” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer ) and “exquisite touches” ( San Francisco Chronicle ).

A childhood shaped by family stories of homeland, migration, and displacement sparked an early interest in documentary storytelling. Beginning with his 2009 documentary oratorio And Then I Remember , Beecher has created numerous works incorporating interviews, personal testimonies, and historical writings into the musical fabric, both as sung text and recorded audio. From song cycles such as After the Fires , based on conversations with residents of his hometown of Bonny Doon following the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fires, to large-scale works such as Say Home , a 38-minute piece for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra celebrating its Twin Cities community, Beecher’s works explore the relationship between individual experience and the large-scale forces that shape our lives.

Noted for his collaborative spirit and “ingenious” interdisciplinary projects ( The Wall Street Journal ), Beecher has served as Music Alive composer-in-residence with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and was the inaugural composer-in-residence of Opera Philadelphia. His three operas with Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch have drawn particular acclaim. His 2018 opera Sky on Swings , starring Frederica von Stade and Marietta Simpson and directed by Joanna Settle, depicts the relationship between two women living with Alzheimer’s disease and was praised as “a shattering musical and theatrical evocation of what it feels like to have Alzheimer’s disease” ( The Wall Street Journal ).

Sought after for her “radiant” ( The New York Times ) performances full of “tremendous heart, bringing joy and a captivating sound to the stage” ( The Strad ), Karen Ouzounian is a GRAMMY®-nominated cellist and composer who creates music from a deeply personal place. An omnivorous musical spirit who “powerfully shatters pigeonholes with her artistic partners” ( Ravinia Magazine ), she has premiered numerous works and collaborated with some of the most singular musicians of our time, including Yo-Yo Ma, Rhiannon Giddens, and Augustin Hadelich.

Ouzounian has appeared as a soloist in venues including the Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie, Kölner Philharmonie, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and Carnegie Hall, as well as at leading festivals such as Marlboro, Ojai, Caramoor, and Ravinia, championing a remarkable breadth of music with fierce commitment and emotional power. As a composer, recent commissions include works for the Aeolus Quartet, Silkroad Ensemble, Cantori New York, Salt Bay Chamberfest, and the Cello Teaching Repertoire Consortium.

In the 2026-27 season, Ouzounian appears in recital in New York, Hamburg, Chicago, Toronto, and Los Angeles, and makes her Boston Symphony Orchestra solo debut at the 2026 Tanglewood Festival as soloist in Kayhan Kalhor’s double cello-kamancheh concerto Venus in the Mirror.