Vasken Ohanian

Composer, Conductor, Countertenor

List of Works


Listed by category in reverse order of completion.


Orchestra

Pastoral Overture

For Orchestra (6’)
Commissioned by Academia Chigiana.
Premiered by Orchestra Senzaspine, dir. Matteo Parmeggiani, Siena, Italy, June 24, 2022.

Symphony No. 2 “Genocide”

For Orchestra (12’)
Written for Undergraduate Senior Recital.
Premiered by the Ad Hoc Orchestra, directed by the composer, San Francisco, CA, November 11, 2012.

Symphony No. 1 “Majestique”

For Orchestra (20’)
For the University High School Orchestra.
Premiered by the University High School Orchestra, directed by the composer, May 1, 2009.


Soloist(S) & Orchestra

Mountain Songs

For Solo Tenor and Orchestra (18’)
Commissioned by Emilio Valdez.
Premiered by the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, dir. Johannes Müller Stosch, March 16, 2018.

Recollections of the Forgotten

Oratorio for Vocal Soloists, Choir, and Orchestra (50’)
Written in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
Libretto by the composer, including the usage of texts from the Qur’an, the Bible, Wolfgang von Goethe, Adolf Hitler, and Ruben Sevak.
Master’s Thesis Composition.
Premiered by the Bob Cole Conservatory University Choir and the Ad Hoc Orchestra, directed by the composer, April 24, 2016.


Choral

Chasing Suns

Concerto for a capella Chorus (45’)
Texts in English and Armenian from the Armenian Christian Liturgy, Bliss Carman, Komitas Vardapet, George Herbert, Edgar Allen Poe, ee cummings, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Heranush Ashakyan, Kahlil Gibran, Misak Metsarents, and Aurelius Johnson.
PhD Dissertation Composition.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

For a capella ATB Chorus (2’45”)
Text from the Christian Liturgy.
Commissioned by the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir.
Premiered by the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir, dir. Christopher Gravis, Los Angeles, CA, January 7, 2024.

Tollite Portas

For a capella Chorus (4’15”)
Text from the Christian Liturgy.
Commissioned by the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir.
Premiered by the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir, dir. Christopher Gravis, Los Angeles, CA, December 24, 2022.

Սուրբ, սուրբ (Holy, Holy)

For a capella Chorus (3’15”)
Text from the Christian Liturgy in Armenian.
Premiered by the St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir, dir. Christopher Gravis, Los Angeles, CA, April 23, 2023.

God’s House

For a capella Chorus (3’45”)
Text from the Christian Liturgy.
Commissioned by the FCCLA Cathedral Choir.
Premiered by the FCCLA Cathedral Choir, dir. Jonathan Talberg, Los Angeles, CA, June 4, 2017.

Lord of Morning

For Chorus, Trumpet Quartet, and Organ (1’30”)
Text by Bliss Carman.
Commissioned by the FCCLA Cathedral Choir.
Premiered by the FCCLA Cathedral Choir, dir. Jonathan Talberg, Los Angeles, CA, April 16, 2017.

Ասպետին Երգը (Song of the Knight)

For a capella Chorus (5’)
Text by Սիամանթօ (Siamanto).
Commissioned by the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir.
Premiered by the Bob Cole Conservatory Chamber Choir, dir. Jonathan Talberg, Long Beach, CA, February 19, 2015.

Ave

For a capella Chorus (4’30”)
Texts compiled by the composer from the Christian and Satanic Liturgies and a Roman proverb in Latin.
Written for the 8th Bi-Annual San Francisco Conservatory Choral Composition Competition (3rd Prize Winner).
Premiered by the International Orange Chorale of San Francisco, dir. Zane Fiala, San Francisco, CA, May 5, 2012.

Ego Sum

For a capella Chorus (2’50”)
Text from the Christian Liturgy in Latin.
Commissioned by Schola Adventus.
Premiered by Schola Adventus, dir. Paul Ellison, San Francisco, CA, October 14, 2012.


Niobe

For Piano Trio (45’)
Written in response to the 2020 War in Artsakh.

A Disquisition on the Consciousness of a Trans-Dimensional Caballus - (Co-Written by Brandon Rivera)

For 2 Vocalists and Fixed Electronic Media (5’)
Premiered by the composers, Long Beach, CA, April 27, 2015.

Prelude in G Money

For Brass Quintet and Drum Set (3’30”)

The Little House on the Big Hill

For Violin and Piano (2’45”)
Written for Elinor Armer’s Diamond Birthday Festschrift.

Ego Sum (Brass Edition)

For Brass Quintet (2’50”)
Premiered by the Ad Hoc Brass Quintet, San Francisco, CA, November 11, 2012.

Pimps Under Attack

For 2 Percussionists (4’20”)
Written for the SFCM Percussion Project.
Premiered by Kevin Schlossman-Park and McKenzie Camp, San Francisco, CA, January 15, 2012.

Rhapsody on an Armenian Lullaby

For Violin and Piano (15’)
Written for the 14th Annual Kris Getz Composition Competition (1st Prize Winner).
Premiered by Natalie Yeo and Sophia Liao, San Francisco, CA, May 23, 2010.

Comedy and Tragedy

For Violin and Cello (1’40”)

String Quartet No. 1

For String Quartet (1’30”)
Recorded by the principals of the University High School Orchestra, Fresno, CA, Fall 2008.

Woodwind Quintet No. 1

For Woodwind Quintet (2’30”)
Recorded by the Fresno State President’s Quintet, Fresno, CA, Fall 2008.

Works for 2-6 Players


Eve

For Soprano/Mezzo-Soprano and Piano (11’)
Texts by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Ella Higginson, and Jones Very.
Recorded by Emily Scott and Phyllis Pan, Los Angeles, CA, April 14, 2022.

Mountain Songs

For Tenor and Piano (18’)
Texts by Li Bai, trans. by the composer & Arthur Waley.
Commissioned by Emilio Valdez.
Recorded by Daniel Coy Babcock, Los Angeles, CA, March 2023.

My Sanctuary

For Tenor and Piano (3’40”)
Texts by the composer.
Recorded by the composer and Tiffany Chen, Fresno, CA, September 23, 2008.

Vocal


American Massacre

For Solo Native-American Flute (3’)
Written for John Barcellona.
Premiered by John Barcellona, Long Beach, CA, April 8, 2015.

Twilight Preludes

For Solo Piano (13’)
Partial Premiere by the composer, Long Beach, CA, November 6, 2013.

Dies Irae Variations

For Solo Viola/Violin (15’)
Written for Esteban Corona (Viola)
Premiered by Esteban Corona, San Francisco, CA, October 9, 2011.

Three Armenian Dances

For Solo Oboe (3’15”)
Premiered by Noemy Gagnon, San Francisco, CA, November 14, 2009.

Solo Works


Friend

Film Score (2’)
Animation by Madeline Walker and Rene Nguyen
Premiered in Long Beach, CA, May 8, 2015.

The Evening Show

Sound Design and Film Cue (3’50”)
Animation by Justine Prebich.
Premiered in Long Beach, CA, May 3, 2015.

Film Scores

Copyright 2024 by Vasken Ohanian.  All rights reserved.