Katia
Makdissi-Warren

Innovative composer Katia Makdissi-Warren, of Lebanese-Québécois descent, is recognized on both national and international stages for her unique style, where Middle Eastern, Western, and Indigenous music converge. She studied composition in Quebec and Hamburg, then pursued Arabic and Syriac music in Beirut, under the guidance of Ennio Morricone, Franco Donatoni, Manfred Stahnke, P. Louis Hage, and Michel Longtin. She was awarded the Betty Webster Prize (2022) by Orchestras Canada in recognition of her long-standing contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the music community, and she won the Composer of the Year Prize (2024) from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. With her ensemble Oktoecho, which she founded in 2001, she has won several awards in Quebec, Canada, and the United States. In 2019-2020, Katia was the featured composer in the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec’s Homage series. Her works have been performed by various artists and orchestras in Canada and internationally, including the Montreal, Vancouver, and Kamloops Symphony Orchestras, as well as the National Orchestras of Beirut and Brittany. She has composed numerous soundtracks for theater, film, and installations, including the permanent exhibition at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.