KSO Extends Aram Demirjian’s Contract Through 2030

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has announced that Music Director Aram Demirjian has signed a new four-year contract that will continue his leadership of the orchestra through the 2029-30 season.

 “We have made such inspiring strides together over the last 10 years,” Demirjian says, “and I am excited for the road ahead. My family and I love this community, and we are so grateful for how fully Knoxville has embraced us.” 

A notable feature of Demirjian’s tenure with the KSO has been his unabashed exploration of music of contemporary and under-represented composers to complement the gems of music history in a way that both informs and charms the audience. To that end, he has embraced a program, “9 for 90,” that not only commissions nine contemporary composers to create new works, but does so in joyous celebration of this, the KSO’s 90th Anniversary Season. The premiere of these works will appear across the orchestra’s Masterworks, Chamber, Q Series, Concertmaster, and Youth Ensemble programs.

 “An anniversary shouldn’t just celebrate the past, it should speak to the future,” Demirjian said. “9 for 90 represents everything I believe an orchestra should be: creative, curious, and deeply connected to its audience.”