Christine! Thank you for representing women composers at such a high level on an international scale. It’s such an honor to feature you on our Spotlight Series! We know that you recently scored “Aurora’s Sunrise”, which won 20 international awards. It’s a very heartfelt score and the film was Armenia’s official submission to the 95th Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film category. Could you tell us about your career path that led you to having prestigious projects from so many different countries and the experience of recording the score with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra?

Hey Esin! Thank you so much for your kind words and for doing this Spotlight! Such an honour to be part of the Alliance, and so grateful it’s international, feels like being part of a close family.

As to my career path, it was quite improvised. Music has always been part of my inner world. We used to have an old piano at home, I loved improvising and playing around. My two older sisters didn’t like that at all, so when they were at home, they kept me away from the piano. But there was a grand piano in our church, and when I got older, I went to the pastor and told her that the guy before her had always given me the key to the church. Which wasn’t true, but she gave me the key, and I was able to play there whenever I felt like it. In return, I’d often play during services, weddings, and baptisms. Later on I had a pop band, played in musicals, and above all, had an amazing piano teacher who supported me a lot. The challenge came after graduation from school- my parents are scientists, my father is deaf to music, so they tried their best to prevent me from becoming a musician. But with the help of my piano teacher, and once they realized I wouldn’t change my mind, they supported me, and asked me to get a diploma. This was tricky. I didn’t have the technique to enter a conservatory, and jazz was not my world, since I was improvising by ear and not by scales. So, I studied classical piano for half a year and then passed the entrance exam for the Conservatory in Lugano. My professor was one of those old-school teachers. We were only four students, her intention was to train us as concert pianists- it was intense, for almost six years… but shaped me as a musician. And Paul Glass taught the composition classes. He was amazing. After graduating, my dream to attend Berklee came true, the best time ever. Also, because there was no separation between classical, jazz, or atonal music, that’s when I started exploring my own voice. Afterwards I moved to LA, where I participated in the SCL mentorship program. And then there was September 11, a turning point. I went back to Europe because of my family, and went to visit Berlin. The first night I arrived there, I got a low low budget film to score. For me this was incredible, so I stayed there. For some years I taught at the University in Babelsberg, Berlin, but after the ASCAP workshop, I was so inspired that I left my job in order to work exclusively as a composer. That was the moment when projects started to come.  

“Aurora’s Sunrise” was a project close to my heart, above all because it was the true life story of Aurora Mardiganian. How she fled the Armenian Genocide, was enslaved and forced into marriage, but managed to escape to America and became a Hollywood star. The project was delayed for almost two years. So, because of orchestra recordings for another project, I couldn’t attend the orchestra recordings in Armenia. The musicians weren’t used to recording film music, they ignored the click, so we recorded again in Prague. Which was amazing – incredible players and a very warm atmosphere. The sessions there are four hours long, but you need to calculate a bit of time for the translator. I love their lush warm sound, and the city of Prague is just gorgeous.

One of your other recent films, “Wir haben einen Deal” also known as “We’ve Got A Deal” was a crime/drama. We love an all women screenwriter, director, composer team! Could you tell us about the collaborative process between you and the other incredible women who told this story!

Yes, this was quite special.. The film was about abuse in a soccer club. There was a male producer, he was scared that the audience would be disturbed or depressed by the topic. When we first talked, he asked me to turn the film into a thriller, but the director and screenwriter wanted it to be a dark drama and weren’t overly concerned about the audience’s reaction. At the end it was a drama, with some thriller moments. The film won Best Film at the Munich Film Festival, which was amazing for the topic.

You wrote a choir piece called “Da Pacem Domine” in 2017, which premiered in 2019 with the Knabenkantorei Basel and got performed at many great concert halls including the iconic Berlin Philharmonie. What’s the inspiration behind this piece? Do you ever find yourself making further changes after hearing the same piece of yours being performed by different groups over the years?

The Knabenkantorei is a boys’ choir. They had sung a soundtrack of mine back in 2007, they sound so pure, it’s really touching. I always wanted to work with them again. One day I came across a text, “Da Pacem Domine”, “Give us peace, Lord”. I felt this was perfect for their sound, that’s how the piece was created. I loved their performance, so far no changes. The conductor also performed it with mixed choirs, but I haven’t heard those versions.

Your latest release “Essence” showcases music from your last 25 years. Being such a hardworking and busy composer with a vast body of work, how did you select what goes into this album?

So true, it was hard to select. I planned to release many other volumes, hopefully in the near future. The background to this is that there has recently been a law in Germany that allows composers to publish their music if the producer has not yet released a CD after two years.

You are a true trailblazer in the film scene in Europe and have also served the German Film Academy as a board member. What were your responsibilities and what kind of positive changes have you seen in the industry for women creators in Germany over the years?

For decades we were only two women film composers in the German Film Academy. When I became a board member, the first thing we did was to get more women film composers in. They haven’t always fulfilled the admission requirements, so we changed the requirements. Now we are 13 out of 108 composers! In general I feel that over maybe the last 7 years the sensitivity with regard to gender equality has increased enormously. There are still far too few women, especially in film music, but our presence is growing at such a fast pace. It happened to me to be told to my face that I didn’t get a job because I was a woman. Today there are so many super successful female composers, and I think the Alliance has played a big part in raising awareness.   

Was there any advice you’ve received in your career that really resonated with you and/or made a significant change in the arc of your career?

Yes! To be as much present in the moment as possible. Not to think of the past, not to worry about the future, especially if there is a close deadline. Focus on the very moment, that’s where magic happens..

Interview by Esin Aydingoz

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