Borrowed Perspectives invites audiences into an intimate exploration of how we see one another and ourselves. Featuring Watching Glass I Hear You by Douglas Knehans and Moments in Sonder by B.E. Boykin, this program weaves together themes of identity, empathy, and inner life. Performed by mezzo-soprano Noami Brigell and pianist Eva Nikolaidou, the evening offers a nuanced and deeply human musical experience.

CCM composer Knehans wins prestigious award

The 2025 New Music Festival is thrilled to feature three distinguished guest artists this year: composers Douglas Knehans and Mara Helmuth from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and multidisciplinary designer and artist Artur Lis. Throughout the festival, they will take part in concerts, rehearsals, lessons, presentations, panel discussions and special events.

With an exceptional orchestral craft Knehans is known for his four symphonies and twelve concerti which have been played and recorded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, The Kyiv Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and others in Australia, Europe and the USA. His orchestral compositions have earned him numerous international recording awards and in 2023 he was inducted into the AKADEMIA Awards Hall of Fame. Knehans was named Composer of the Year 2013 by the Ohio Music Teachers Association and was a 2011 winner of the International Music Prize for Excellence in Music Composition (Athens, Greece). He has been a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and a voting member of the Grammy Awards since 2010.

Composer Douglas Knehans is the latest recipient of the Wachtmeister Award, a prestigious fellowship awarded by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA). This distinguished prize acknowledges the vital role of the arts in our world, the importance of artists who exemplify excellence in their field, and the necessity of time and space for the creative phase of all artistic work.

Meet the Artist is a series of interviews in which musicians, conductors and composers discuss aspects of their creative lives, including inspirations, influences, repertoire, performance, recording, significant teachers and more. The interviews offer revealing insights into the musician’s working life and a fascinating glimpse “beyond the notes”.

Please enjoy this long-format conversation between David Fogel (CEO, The Symphonina Foundation) and Douglas.

Our first Artist Spotlight episode features composer, animal-lover, and vegan foodie Dr. Douglas Knehans, who has lived and worked in places as varied as Australia and Cincinnati. His compositions have been performed worldwide at Steinway Hall, Carnegie Hall, and festivals in Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Austria, the US and Australia.

Drifting through falling air and tempests, we find ourselves in a musical world of unfinished introspection.  Do you think emotion in music is real?  Let’s find out. Join us on the Composer’s  Studio as we explore that question and more with award winning composer Douglas Knehans. 

On this episode of Extra Eclectic, guest host Bonnie North presents contemporary flute music featuring Catherine Gregory and Gareth Davies performing the Knehans flute concerto TEMPEST, alongside Mary Stolper and additional collaborators. Also included are evocative shakuhachi excerpts by Kojiro Umezaki from the album A Distance, Intertwined. Listen now and enjoy this compelling mix of modern and traditional sounds.