Mary Kouyoumdjian’s ‘Adoration’ Receives Grammy Nomination for Best Opera Recording

Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian’s “Adoration,” an electroacoustic chamber opera, has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Opera Recording category — marking the first time an opera by an Armenian composer has ever been recognized in the category.

“Adoration” follows the story of a high school student whose fictional account of a terrorist plot goes viral online, exposing how grief, racism and media distortion can overshadow truth and fuel societal hysteria.

The digital release of the opera took place on August 8, under the Bright Shiny Things label, and is now available across all major streaming platforms. The work is based on the film of the same name by Armenian-Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan.

The libretto was written by Royce Vavrek, with Beth Morrison Projects producing and staging the world premiere. The recording features performances by Miriam Khalil, Omar Najmi, David Adam Moore and Grammy Award winner Karim Sulayman, along with Naomi Louisa O’Connell, Marc Kudisch and Sammy Ivany, conducted by Alan Pierson.

They are joined by the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street conducted by Thomas McCargar, the Silvana Quartet, and sound designer Daniel Neumann, with Kouyoumdjian herself creating the electronic elements. The album was recorded live during the Prototype Festival in January 2024 at the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in New York City.

Kouyoumdjian received an Opera America commissioning grant to adapt Egoyan’s film into an opera, working alongside Vavrek. Following its world premiere at the 2024 Prototype Festival, “Adoration” had its West Coast premiere at LA Opera in February 2025.