Konstantin Ishkhanov Presents ModComFest 2025 in France and Italy, Dedicated To Michel Petrossian

Titled Portrait des Compositeurs d’Aujourd’hui: Michel Petrossian, the fourth edition of The Modern Composers International Music Festival (ModComFest), organised by its President Konstantin Ishkhanov, will take place in Italy and Paris in September and October 2025, honouring the life and works of acclaimed French-Armenian composer Michel Petrossian, a virtuoso who looks to the ancient past for the sounds of the future. 

A keen populariser of contemporary music, Petrossian gained international recognition in 2000 when Académie des Beaux-Arts de L’Institut de France awarded him the Prix Veuve Buchère. He achieved further acclaim in 2012 when he won the Grand Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Composition Competition for In the Wake of Ea. Since then, he has developed a broad range of works spanning concert halls, film scores, ballet, and opera, with performances at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall and festivals like the Dilijan Chamber Music Series in Los Angeles. Adding ModComFest to his list of achievements, the event will allow him to showcase his work from the last ten years in the fields of symphonic music, chamber music, vocal music and ballet.

The musical celebration will open in Chieti on September 14, 2025, with a concert at Teatro Marrucino before continuing on September 20, 2025, in Paris at the Auditorium du Petit Palais with ”Chanter l’icône”, performed by Ensemble Musicatreize under the direction of Roland Hayrabédian.

On October 2, 2025, the festival will be held at the Auditorium du CRR de Paris with a performance of 8.4 Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, ”La lutte ardente du vert et de l’or” for piano solo, ”Stilleven” for solo violin, ”Vénus de Lespugue” for solo viola, Claude Debussy’s ”L’après-midi d’un faune” and György Ligeti’s Etude pour piano by soloists Alexander Chaushian, Elsa Grether, Chae-Um Kim and Karine Lethiec, accompanied by contemporary French musical choir Ensemble 2E2M and conducted by Léo Margue.

The festival will come to a grand close on October 3, 2025, at the Théâtre de Saint-Maur with ”Sept, les anges de Sinjar” featuring The Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain, Bruno Mantovani and dancers from Compagnie Hallet-Eghayan.

In this exclusive interview, Michel Petrossian shares his musical origins, his involvement in ModComFest and gives a sneak peek inside the highly anticipated festival to Living in Monaco magazine.

You have a multifaceted artistic background. What initially drew you to music, and how did it become your true passion?

I grew up in an art-friendly family, and my journey with music began when I took cello lessons for a couple of months as a child. However, it was as a teenager that I discovered the Beatles, who had a profound impact on me and inspired me to learn the guitar. Eventually, I took lessons, which led to music becoming a significant part of my life.

How did you get involved in ModComFest 2025 as Composer-in-Residence?

The festival’s president, Konstantin Ishkhanov, contacted me, explaining that he organises a remarkable festival for important composers from around the world and expressed interest in featuring my pieces. Following our conversation, we developed different concepts for the concert, highlighting essential aspects of my life and work.

I must say, working alongside Konstantin Ishkhanov for the festival has been very rewarding; I feel very fortunate to have friends and music enthusiasts like him who appreciate my art and support my projects. As someone extremely particular about the organisations I work with, I find it exciting to be involved in this project with a professional team that genuinely knows what it’s doing. It inspires me and motivates me to give my best effort.

ModComFest’s agenda features diverse formats. What is your approach to composing for such varied mediums?

I believe that preferences can change over time and are influenced by our interests. Personally, I think it’s important to have works across different genres, such as film music and string quartets, etc. One of the pieces that will be presented at ModComFest, titled “Chanter l’icône,” blends different domains by featuring a wide range of elements, including acapella vocal music and video animations, which I find very interesting.

The festival features performances in iconic venues like the Petit Palais and the Théâtre de Saint-Maur. Do you think they add something special to the experience of your compositions? 

Petit Palais is a well-frequented and exclusive venue where the premiere of “Chanter l’icône” took place in 2015, along with a couple of my other concerts, which makes it very special and ties back to the actual performance. On the other hand, the Auditorium du CRR de Paris is a historic conservatory located in the centre of Paris, which has a unique connection with aspiring musicians and is a prominent venue for concerts. And, of course, Théâtre de Saint-Maur is an excellent performing arts theatre which is a strong partner of ModComFest, as established by President Konstantin Ishkhanov.

Looking back at your diverse career, is there a project or piece that best represents your voice as a composer?  

My very last piece for Ensemble Intercontemporain, titled “TimKat,” focusing on Ethiopian culture and featuring a contemporary ensemble of 30 musicians is particularly special to me. However, I view all of my projects as my children, as each reflects different aspects of my identity while also evolving independently.

For more details about the upcoming fourth edition of ModComFest, Michel Petrossian or Konstantin Ishkhanov, please visit modcomfest.com.