Description
Petros Shoujounian was born in Gumri, Armenia. He was introduced to music at Komitas Music School in Gumri by taking violin lessons. He made his first attempts at composition at the age of 12 and continued his studies in composition and violin at the Kara Mourza College of Music in Gumri, with Azat Shishian as a teacher. In 1976, he emigrated to Canada, where he continued his studies in composition at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal, in the class of the internationally renowned composer Gilles Tremblay. Fascinated by his young pupil's deep inspiration for Armenian music, Gilles Tremblay predicts a promising future for him as a composer. After completing his Masters in Musical Composition in 1982, Petros Shoujounian crowned his studies with a Second Prize in Composition, by presenting to the Montreal public his symphonic poem Ararat (SATB, three soloists, large orchestra, piano, organ and Martenot waves). Petros Shoujounian has been an accredited composer of the CMC (Canadian Music Center) since 1985. His works have been performed by Canadian orchestras, broadcast by Radio-Canada, recorded on CD under SNE, Radio Canada labels and published by Éditions Doberman-YPPAN. Petros Shoujounian draws much inspiration from Armenian folk songs and Armenian liturgical music. In his career as a musician-composer, in addition to composition, Petros Shoujounian has made various contributions to the musical life of the metropolis of Quebec. From 1987 to 1988, he worked as artistic assistant at the Festival International d'Opéra de Montréal, from 1988 to 1990, as Personnel Manager of the Orford Metropolitan Orchestra and from 1990 to 1992, as musical coordinator at the Orford Festival. His contribution is just as great within the Armenian community.
