An innovative composer, Katia Makdissi-Warren has garnered national and international acclaim for her unique style—a convergence of Middle Eastern, Western, and Indigenous musical traditions. Indeed, in 2001, she founded Ensemble Oktoecho—an ensemble specializing in musical fusion—for which she regularly composes while also serving as Artistic Director. Her fusion-based aesthetic leads her to work regularly—in the triple capacity of composer, ensemble director, and performer—with Indigenous, Arab, and Jewish communities. She is the recipient of the 2022 Betty Webster Award. Together with her ensemble, she has won several awards, including the 2019 OPUS Award for Best Album and the 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Award from the Conseil des Arts de Montréal.

Katia Makdissi-Warren studied composition in Quebec City and Hamburg, followed by studies in Arab and Syriac music in Beirut, under the tutelage of Ennio Morricone, Franco Donatoni, Manfred Stahnke, P. Louis Hage, and Michel Longtin.

In the 2019–2020 season, Katia was selected as the featured composer by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ). Her works have been performed by various ensembles—including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the National Oriental Orchestra of Beirut, I Musici de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, and the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+)—and are scheduled to be performed shortly by the OSM. Furthermore, her compositions are regularly performed by various soloists and chamber music ensembles beyond Canada’s borders, in France, Germany, Lebanon, Morocco, Argentina, and Spain. Her work is slated for upcoming performances by the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Katia has composed numerous soundtracks for theater, dance, film, television, and exhibitions in Canada, France, Singapore, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates—including that for the permanent exhibition at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower.