Commission to Georgia Koumará

The starting point for the composition, outreach, and concert project MEMES MUSIK MACHT, in which a commissioned composition by the Greek-German composer Giorgia Koumará is to be premiered, is an exploration of meme culture, which has become a dominant part of everyday media life, particularly for young people. On the one hand, the overwhelming flood of content on social media seems fleeting and trivial, given the abundance of nonsensical material. Yet funny short videos and memes, perceived as harmless, are intermingled with manipulative and extreme political content that has a decisive influence on young people in particular. The seductive power of meme culture has become a serious threat to our democracy, and yet—it is also a vibrant part of cultural identity and an expression of creativity among adolescents and young adults.

PODIUM is taking this as an opportunity to commission two compositions that explicitly engage with current memes. One commission is awarded to composer Giorgia Koumará, whose artistic practice explores the overwhelming demands of the digital age. It is remarkable how her meticulously constructed scores create a sonic language that draws parallels with the impatient drive of a TikTok interface. Giorgia Koumará sorts through the apparent chaos and deliberately plays with this overwhelming nature as a means of artistic expression.

The commission to Giorgia Koumará is made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

Further information:
podium-esslingen.de

Date

May 9, 2026
Autohaus Jesinger, Esslingen