He was born in Argentina in a polish family.He obtained his piano Diploma in the National Conservatory of Music of Buenos Aires by Prof De Raco and M° V Scaramuzza. He took his Engineer degree at the Buenos Aires University .Since’74 he is in Italy and he studied piano with Fausto Zadra, Carlo Zecchi, Guido Agosti and Nikita Magaloff .He studied Composition of Electronic Music with Franco Evangelisti and Orchestra Conducting with Franco Ferrara and Leonard Bernstein at the Santa Cecila Conservatory .He obtains his “Licence de Concert “ at the Lausanne Conservatory in the ’79.He teaches Chamber Music in the Music Conservatory of Pescara in Italy and he is main guest Professor in the Musikhochschule of Karlsruhe in Germany .He conducted the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra,the Simon Bolivar from Venezuela,the National Symphonic Orchestra ,Argentine Music National Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra from Villa Lugano in BuenosAires ,the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra , Brazilian Chamber of Curitiba, Filarmonica Adriatica , Orchestra Lualdi, Spettro Sonoro, Messina Chamber Orchestra and many others ,and he played together with great musicians like Martha Argerich,Sandor Wegh, Ivry Gitlis, Dora Schwarzberg, Radu Aldulescu , Daniel Grosgurin, Gervase de Payer , Pierre Pierlot , Janos Balint , Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, etc. He obtains in Biarritz Festival the Oscar of Music for a documentary film in July ’95. In the ’98 he has the most important acknowledgment from the Italian President Mr Scalfaro for his Festival “Progetto Cenacolo”. He created the first Chamber Orchestra from the Italian region Molise and the Philarmonica Adriatica Orchestra. He recorded the World Premier of the “Drei Kleine Klavierstűcke" by Arnold Schoenberg in the ’84 for the label Edi–Pan, and other CDs for EMI, Ricordi, Minstrel, Dante-Lys, etc He was the Musical Director from the Martha Argerich Festival in Buenos Aires.

Born and residing in Thessaloniki, Greece. She studied music and song in Greece and Austria, and continued her studies on vocals and drama in Holland. As a soloist, she took part with Thessaloniki State and City Orchestras, the Greek Radio Orchestra and Choral, and participated in different ensembles – string quartet, Tango quartet, jazz and improvised music groups. Her first album with Celtic songs from the Hebrides Isles, Trackers of Iura, was released in 1994. Six more albums were released including poems and songs by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, Tom Waits, Astor Piazzolla a.o., homages to silent films of Pabst and Murnau. She is interested in the use of the voice in contemporary music as well as in performances with dance, theatre and silent movies. Georgia Sylleou has been working with pianist – writer Sakis Papadimitriou since 1995 and since 2004 with pianist – composer Theodoros Economou. She has performed with Vincenzo Mastropirro, Vittorino Curci, Gianni Lenoci, Inge Missmahl, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Michalis Christodoulidis, George Bandoek Apostolakis, Christos Germenoglou, Giannis Filippoupolitis, Stergios Valioulis a.o. Georgia Sylleou has been performing in many festivals around the world (Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Slovenia, Serbia, Egypt, Cyprus, Germany, Turkey, China, Mexico) Her discography includes: Trackers of Jura (12 Celtic songs from the Hebrides Isles), The Song Of Lulu ( lyrics and music by Sakis Papadimitriou) , Open Routes (9 storied songs ), Ballad Of the Pirates ( Weill, Brecht, Waits), Nosferatu, The Rope –Walker ( lyrics by Yannis Ritsos, music by Thanos Mikroutsikos), Nosferatu a Monopoli, Alguien le dice al tango (Astor Piazzolla). She has performed in many festivals round the world (Spain, Italy , Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Slovenia, Serbia, Cyprus, Mexico, Germany).

Iraklis Vavatsikas was born and raised in Thessaloniki. He took his first accordion lessons in 1978 with Vassilis Tsimitsiadis and in 1982 he continued his studies and graduated with excellent grades from Kostas Aroutzidis’ class in the “New Music School of Thessaloniki” in 1992. In 1993 he started playing the Bayan (Classical Accordion) and took lessons from Viatseslav Semionov (Russia). At the same time he has been working on Greek Folk Music and has composed, orchestrated and played in over 300 discs, cooperating with great Greek musicians and composers. From 1995 to 1996 he becomes a member of the National Orchestra of Greek Music and starts creating educational composes for classical accordion, based on the Greek musical tradition. Thus, the “Light Blue Book” which includes rearranged folk pieces, but also 21 studies, a Toccata (prototype pieces) in classical style and tens of adaptations of classical works. He has also created prototype music groups such as “For voice and accordion” (2000) and “Smyrni – Buenos Aires” (2008). Since 2008 he has been working on the revival of an extinct musical instrument which was used in Greece until 1940, “Armonika”. He has been playing Tango with the Argentinean diatonic instrument Bandoneon, as it is the closest instrument to Armonika. He also has been teaching the accordion and the bayan in “Filippos Nakas” Music School. His discography includes: “Boat Heart” with Kostas Pavlidis (1994), “Tell me, soul” with Morfo Tsaireli (1999), “For voice and accordion” with Morfo Tsaireli, “New land” of Dimitris Tsekouras (2001), “Color” with Eleni Tsaligopoulou (2004), “The key” with Manolis Lidakis (2004), “The heart of the Beast” Soundtrack of Renos Haralabidis’ movie (2005).

Born in Moscow in 1976 in a family of musicians. His mother Elena Ashkenazy is his first teacher, followed by Vasilisa Tutischkina and Ida Leschinskaia. At the age of 13 he is the winner of the Moscow Young Pianists Competition. He makes his German debut in 1991 with the « Hessischer Rundfunk Orchester » under the direction of Dimitri Kitaenko In 1993 while he studies with Vladimir Krainev and Nikita Magaloff, he wins the « Citta di Senlgallia » International Piano Competition. He continues his studies at the Musikhochschule of Hannover with Arie Vardi. In may 1999, he is laureate of the International Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. He has extraordinary reviews in the press, and when he learns that he only got the sixth place he is very disappointed and refuses to greet the jury. Thc public acclaims him as a winner .This causes a scandal, and the Press is full of comments of the incident and very positive reviews of his performances. Vladimir gives concerts in the most prestigious concert halls of the world: Moscow Conservatory, in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, in Japan at the Suntory Hall, in Brussels at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, De Doelen in Rotterdam and at the Festival de la Roque d'Antheron in France. In June 2006 he wins the "Monte-Carlo Piano Masters, a competition with only one prizewinner, and where only winners of international competitions can participate. This competition offers him a lot of concerts, interviews and press reviews. A concert in November 2006 in Tokyo and a television show for "Asahi". On January 24 2007 he gave his debut recital in the Salle Gaveau in Paris. Standing ovation and four encores for an enthusiastic audience, very rare in Paris. On March 15 he will play in Moscow, and on March 30 he will give a recital in St.Petersburg. Martha Argerich invited him for her festival in Lugano, in June 2007,where he will give a recital and one concert of chamber music, with famous other soloists. During the summer he will participate in several festivals all over Europe. Next season he will play RachmaninovTs Piano Concerto n°3 and Schumann's Piano Concerto with major french orchestras in Paris. Real soloist, virtuoso he knows how to impose his musical views and communicates them with an irresistible charisma. A cd with works by Frederic Chopin (Sonata n°2 op.35,Prcludcs>Nocturnes and Mazurkas) is edited by Cypres-Records (CYP9609). He recorded a new cd with "Carnaval op.9" by Robert Schumann,and"Dumka op.59" by Piotr Tchaikovsky. This cd was edited by the magazine Classica-Repertoire (L' Express) for their December-January, and is issued in 30.000 ex.

"Vladimir Sverdlov is one of today's leading young artists with Great power of expression"
Martha Argerich

Spyros Mourikis international reputation started when he won the first Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition in Odense in 1997 , while he has also awarded both the orchestra’s Prize and Audience Prize. Born in 1974, Spyros Moyrikis studied with Ch. Farantatos and got his Diploma with the Gold Prize at the Athens Concervatory in 1992.He continued his stadies at the Paris Conservatory with Michel Arrignon and Maurice Bourgue, gratuading with the First Prize in 1995. In 1997 he won the young Artist Prize of the Greek Associatio of Theatre and Music Reviewers. As a soloist he regulary performs with all the orchestras in Greece and has given concerts with the Odense Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, the European Union Wind Ensemble, the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Orchestra of South-west Germany, the Mexico city Symphony Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has already given recitals in several European concerts halls including Athens Concert Hall, Cite de la Musique and Salle Gaveau of Paris, Gasteig of Munich, Queen Elizabeth Hall of London, Tivoli Concert Hall of Copenhagen, receiving enthusiastic critical acclaim. He also took part in the “Rising Stars” with concerts in the Vienna Concert Hall, Cologne Philharmonic, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Brussels Palais de Beaux – Arts, Amsterdam Concertgebouw and in New York city at the Weil Hall. Many composers have composed and dedicated works to him. He has worked as a principal clarinet with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra directed by Claudio Abbado. He has recorded for the Greek, the Danish Radio and the Radio Vaticana. He is professor of clarinet at the Athens Conservatory and solo clarinetist at the Athens State Orchestra. Among his recordings are Nielsen’s Concerto with the OSO (Danish Radio), the Brahms’s and Mozart’s clarinet quintets with the “Paris Opera string quartet” (Agora) and also the clarinet piece “Reflexions” of the Danish composer Erik Bach with the ASO (Dacapo).

Apollonas Grammatikopoulos was born into a musical family in Athens in 1972. He began his violin studies at the Athens Conservatoire with Pantelis Despotidis. During the course of his studies, he was honoured with awards and financial prizes for his achievements. He graduated from the Attic Conservatoire with distinction in 1991. A Greek state scholarship allowed him to continue his studies in Austria and Germany with Stelios Kafantaris, Christos Polyzoidis and Winifried Rademacher. He was awarded a postgraduate degree with distinction from the University of Music, Trossingen. He has appeared as a soloist alongside Greek and international ensembles and symphony orchestras (including on a Spanish tour given by a string ensemble of the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, and with the “Alpe Adria” Philharmonic Orchestra), and actively participates in a number of chamber music ensembles that cover a broad range of repertoires, from Baroque to contemporary music, and present first performances of new works. The renowned Austrian violinist Lukas David invited him to perform at the international chamber music festival held in his honour in Lima, Peru. He has also played at Greek and international festivals and concert series, and performed for radio and television. As a duo with his pianist sister, Mina Grammatikopoulos, he has appeared at numerous esteemed festivals and cultural bodies, including the Penteli Festival, the Hellenic French Union, the Filippos Nakas Conservatory, the Goulandris Museum, and ERT Educational Television; the pair were also special guests at the 25th anniversary celebrations of the ERT Third Radio Programme. He teaches on a regular basis, particularly following his stint as violin tutor and string department supervisor of the Volos Municipal Conservatory. He has been honoured at the “Alpe Adria” international violin competition in Gorizia, Italy, and was warmly received by the press for the concerts that followed in towns around Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. 2004 saw him perform as a soloist at the inaugural concert of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra (Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola). He has served as principle violinist of the Athens State Orchestra since 2003.

Born in Geneva, Lyda first studied the violin in Geneva Conservatory of Music with Ayla Erduran. She then continued her studies at the Beijing Central Conservatory with Professor Lin Yao Ji. In parallel, she followed an academic course and obtained a law degree at the Geneva University. Later, she turned to the viola, exploring the chamber music repertoire, taking private classes with Gad Levertof, teacher at Tel Aviv University. She started performing in different groups ,especially harp and flute trio, and piano quartet formations. However,it is while playing in Amarcord string quartet that she followed the class of Gabor Takacs and received the chamber music diploma at the Geneva Conservatory. She has been regularly invited at Festivals, such as Verbier ,Lugano, Suze-La-Rousse, Egina(Greece),Crans-Montana(Switzerland, where she had the opportunity to play together with her mother Martha Argerich ,but also partners such as Mischa Maisky, Ivry Gitlis, Nicholas Angelich and the brothers Renaud and Gautier Capuçon. Recordings made during the Progetto Argerich in Lugano include Beethoven, Dvoràk ,Schumann and Fauré piano quartets as well as Franck and Shostakovich piano quintets under the label EMI. In 2005,she started giving recitals in France and Italy, played chamber music concerts in Tokyo Suntory Hall,- Homage to Friedrich Gulda-and in the Teatro Colon,during the Argerich Musical Encounters. She also performed as soloist at the Teatro del Circulo in Rosario Argentina. Beginning 2006,she meets with the Bendayan Trio. This rich encounter gives her the possibility to perform regularly in piano quartet formation both in England and Switzerland. She also gives chamber music master classes at the Musicalta music encounters in France. Throughout the same year, she performs in duo with Vladimir Sverdlov in France, Japan, Belgium and Switzerland. In 2007-2008, concerts are scheduled in Salle Pleyel Paris, Triphony Hall in Tokyo and Vienna Muzikverein among others.

Praised for his “musical sensitivity and craftsmanship”, cellist Christophor Miroshnikov was named a 2004 ECHO “Rising Star”. As a part of the ECHO (European Concert Hall Organization) he has given recitals at such celebrated venues in Europe as Wigmore Hall in London, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Mozarteum in Salzburg, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Cite de la Musique de Paris, Megaron Athens Concert Hall, Cologne Philharmonie as well as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has won top prizes at National and International competitions. Mr. Miroshnikov’s playing has been heard and received with high acclaim by Maestros Vladimir Fedoseyev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Neville Marriner. In 2006 he performed with the Tokyo and Nagoya Philharmonic orchestras under baton of Maestro Fedoseyev in Japan. In the season of 2007 Mr. Miroshnikov had a pleasure of working with Maestro Fedoseyev again in Moscow and on the UK tour with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. Later this year he collaborated with Maestro Christopher Warren-Green and La Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Athens. At the age of 5, Christophor was presented to the violinist Leonid Kogan. Following Kogan’s suggestion, he started studying the cello with his uncle, cellist Nikolai Polupan. At 16 he was the youngest prize winner at the XIVth Young Artists International Competition in Hungary. Mr. Miroshnikov quickly earned recognition as he continued his education under the auspices of Natalia Shakhovskaya at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory while performing a number of solo concerts and appearing at the festivals that included concert halls of Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Greece, Hungary, and the United States. He also made numerous Television and Radio appearances throughout Russia, Holland, France, Italy, and Greece. In 2000, earning his Artist Diploma with Prof. Andor Toth at the Oberlin Conservatory in the United States, Christophor was granted the use of a David Caron cello after winning the Virtu Foundation Competition. Two years later he was awarded with an honorary bow that was made especially for him by the famed German bow-maker Rudolf Neudörfer. Mr. Miroshnikov currently plays a Guadagnini cello.

Victoria Kiazimi was born in 1987, and started piano lessons at the age of 5. She continued her musical studies it the Athens Conservatory with professor Dora Bakopoulou and graduated in January 2008 with excellence and first prize. She has participated in many national competitions gaining first prizes and distinctions. She took piano seminars with Gwen Beamish, Karin Merle, Bernard Ringeissen. She has [participated in the Symphony Orchestra of the Athens Conservatory, in concerts organized by EPTA Greece and in the Corfu Festival 2007, performing chamber music. Apart from her piano studies, she is also a student in the Musical Studies Department of the Aristotle University of Thessalonica.

Yannis Tsitselikis was born in Thessaloniki. He graduated from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki and got his degree, unanimously with A, in 1990. His first important cello teacher was Manolis Kazabakas. He completed his studies on scholarships (from the British Council, the Onasis Foundation and the Foundation of State Scholarships) at the Royal College of Music in London with William Pleeth, at the Eastman School of Music in the United States under Steven Doan, and finally at the Indiana University with Janos Starker, where he got his “Master of music” degree in 1998. He gave signs of his talent early in life. In 1996 he was awarded the “Spyros Montsenigos” Prize by the Athens Academy for his artistic accomplishment. Today he holds the position of solo cellist at the State Orchestra of Athens. He has appeared as a soloist with important orchestras in Greece as well as abroad, such as: Camerata of the Friends of Music, State Orchestra of Athens, State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna, Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra. He is a member of the World Orchestra for Peace as one of its principal cellists and took part in the orchestra`s tours (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008) in Europe, Russia, China and Israel under the direction of Valery Gergiev. In October 2004 he came first at an audition announced by the Maggio Musicale of Florence for the position of cello concertino and participated in its tour to Budapest, Singapore and India, under the direction of Zubin Mehta. In 2006 he participated in a concert at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of History and Art) of Vienna which formed part of the “Coins and Poetry: C. P. Kavafis” exhibition. He was often invited to perform in the Athens Festival and the Demetria Festival of Thessaloniki.

Edited by Penelope Barbetaki

Portrait © Nikoleris

Varvara Gyra was born in Ioannina, Greece, and has been living in Paris since 1998. She has won the following International Prizes: The 1st Prize of the International Guitar Competition of the UFAM in Paris (France, 2001), the Prize of the International Guitar Competition of Ile-de-Ré (France, 2002), the 2nd Prize of the International Guitar Competition of Fontainebleau (France 2002), and the 1st Prize of the Pan-Hellenic Guitar Competition of Ioannina (Greece, 1993).Varvara GYRA has performed in various countries, such as France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria and Greece and has performed as a soloist with the Orpheus Orchestra of Sophia and with the Classical Orchestra of Mexico. She has received enthusiastic reviews from the international press and the public, especially for her recitals at the National Art Center of Mexico and at the Cabañas Institute - Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. The compact disc «La Guitarra en 3 Continentes» includes a live recording of her at the 8th International Guitar Festival of Capilla (Conaculta - Helenico, Mexico City 2006). Varvara GYRA has recorded the disc « Live! 2003 » which includes a part of her recitals and has also participated in the recording of Francis Kleynjans’ work for guitar that will be produced in France. Varvara GYRA has obtained the Diploma of the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and studied the guitar in Paris with Roland Dyens (École ATLA), Francis Kleynjans (Conservatoire Nadia and Lili Boulanger), and Alberto Ponce (Ecole Normale). She began to study the guitar in Epirus (Greece) and at the age of 19 obtained the Guitar Diploma with honours (Excellent unanimously – 1st Prize). She has been awarded scholarships by the Academy of Athens, the Alexandros S. Onassis Foundation and the National Scholarship’s Foundation (IKY-Greece). Varvara GYRA is a Ph. D. in Musicology (University of Paris VIII) and she has been carrying a thesis on the work of the Greek composer Jani Christou (1926-1970). She has obtained a Master in Musicology (DEA - University of Paris VIII), a Diploma in Musicology (Ionian University), and a Diploma in Counterpoint and Harmony (J. Papadatos).She is fluent in French, Spanish, English, German and Greek.

photo ©: Eunice Chao

A piano quartet is not a common group for chamber music, even though many great composers have written for such an ensemble. There are very few such such "permanent" quartets internationally and only one in Greece: Ellemis. Ellemis piano quartet was created by four soloists, who had cooperated with each other several times in the past, but never simultaneously, until, in 2002, a concert at the University of Patras and its success became the springboard for the creation of a permanent chamber music ensemble. They first appeared under the name "Art" but since autumn 2003, when they started their collaboration with the Subways Music record label, they were renamed to "Ellemis piano quartet". With this name, deriving from their initials, they have performed on several occasions in Athens, but also throughout Greece. They have been distinguished in Greece and abroad, received numerous important awards, recorded various albums and have collaborated with renowned Greek and international artists. In 2004 Subways Music published their first CD (76 mins long), with works by Johannes Brahms and Ernest Chausson, which received great praise. In 2005 two members of the group, Stella Tsani and Elena Chounta, recorded a CD called "Hellanion" with works by Kalomiris, Skalkottas, Antoniou, Kanaris and Konitopoulos, which was once again published by Subways Music and distributed free of charge in 3000 copies by the Greek Composers Union. Stella Tsani, a musician with many awards in her career, has three albums as well as several performances as a solo artist in Greece and abroad. Mikhail Smirnov, a graduate of the Musical College of Moscow and the Tchaikowski Academy, is a member of the Athens State Orchestra, has given many recitals and has been awarded for his talent in improvisation. Lefki Colovou is characterized by her intense involvement in chamber music and has collaborated with most Greek orchestras of the genre. Elena Chounta, a renowned performer and composer, has appeared as a soloist in the most famous venues in Greece and abroad, while some of her work have been interpreted by orchestras, musical ensembles and well-known soloists.

Born in 1964 in Athens, he got involved in music at an early age. In 1977, he started classical piano studies at the Hellenic Conservatory, graduating in 1984 with Piano and Harmony diplomas with honors. In addition to his studies on classical music, he was engaged in Jazz and has cooperated with many acclaimed Jazz musicians of the Greek Jazz Scene. In 1983, he attended the classes of the Hungarian jazz pianist Bela Lacatos and in 1984 he co-founded the ISKRA group with which he released two albums (“A new day” and “Parastasis”). He first composed music for the group and he later got involved in other ventures and music styles. As an associate of the National Theater of Greece composed music mainly for Ancient Greek Drama Productions, participating in the Festival of Epidaurus (Euripides’: “Alkestis” and “Ion” – Sophocles’: “Antigone” and “Oedipus” – Aeschylus’: “Persians”).He has also composed music for the cinema and he has worked with a wide range of Greek composers, singers and musicians, as an arranger and pianist in a large number of recordings and concerts in Greece and Europe. He has participated in festivals (Brugges Festival-2001, International Festival of Jazz Piano in Prague-2005) and theatrical performances as a multi-instrumentalist in Europe, Australia, Africa, North and South America, China and Japan. His music combines different styles, balancing between classical, jazz and world music. His debut recording as a composer “Spells of musing” has been praised in reviews and highly appreciated by the music lovers in Greece. “Spells of musing” has also had an exceptional acceptance in Japan. Beside his career as a composer and a performer he also occupies himself by teaching piano. He has made the following recordings: “Spells of Musing” Lyra 0189 , 1996, “Euripides’ Alkestis” Lyra 4853, 1996, “B.Brechts’ The Caucasian chalk circle”, MP 1010, “Manos Hadjidakis’ 24 songs” (arranged for piano).

He was born in the island of Paros studied with Jeffry Carson in piano and music theory. In the age of 19 he goes to Athens and attends courses at Conservatorium Philippos Nakas, where he studies guitar and jazz harmony with Yiottis Samaras. At that moment he also works as a professional guitarist. In 1999 he started his studies on the acoustic bass with Evgenios Politis, focusing entirely on that instrument, together with the electric bass. Since then, he has worked as session musician and arranger with acclaimed Greek singers (P. Thalassinos, H. Alexiou, O. Perides) and he has participated in concerts as well as recording sessions of important musicians such as Haig Hajdjan, Vassilis Rakopoulos, Stavros Lantsias and Takis Farazis.

Βorn in Athens, he took his first violin lessons in the island of Corfu. In 1987 he received his diploma from the Hellenic Conservatory under the guidance of Stelios Kafandaris and he furthered his studies in Freiburg of Germany and in London. After his return in Greece he worked as member of the State Orchestra of Athens, Camerata Ensemble and the Orchestra of the National Opera and chamber music ensembles, performing in Greece and Εurope. He also works as a session musician performing and recording with remarkable Greek composers singers and musicians such as: Mikis Theodorakis, Alkinoos Ioannidis, Nena Venetsanou, Takis Farazis, Savina Yannatou and Elli Paspala.

Born in 1973 in Athens, Greece, and was raised in a music family. His love for the cello inspired him to attend the Athenaeum Conservatoire, Athens, where he received a Diploma under the instruction of cellist Claire Demeulenaere. He furthered his studies in improvisation with musician and composer Stavros Lantsias. The scholarship from the Fulbright Foundation granted him the chance to develop his personal technique on the instrument and to study composition, arrangement and improvisation under the guidance of Ted Greene and James Mahlis in Los Angeles. Upon his arrival he established “Faros” duet together with the saxophonist David Lynch. He composes music for films, theatrical and dance theatre projects and he also gives master classes, seminars and lectures on his unique personal technique on the cello, and creative ways of performing in modern styles of music. On the February of 2005 DNA LABEL records released his debut solo album “Truth”. Yiorgos Kaloudis is based in Athens Greece. He performs his own compositions as a duet with Ruth Hill on the kanun and as a trio with the bassist Sylvan Richardson. He’s also collaborating with Alkinoos Ioannidis, Stavros Lantsias, David Lynch, Takis Farazis, Yiotis Kiourtzoglou, Elli Paspala, and music ensembles such as the Music Ensemble of M.Hadjidakis.

Born in Ivanovo, Russia. He started learning violin at the age of five. From 1975 to 1987 he studied violin at the Music College of Moscow and then the viola at the Tchaikovsky Academy in the class of Alexander Bobrovsky where he graduated highly commended. Soon after he became a member of the State Symphony Orchestra of Moskow. He has performed in recitals and with chamber music ensembles so far, playing both classic and contemporary repertoire in the Former Soviet Union, Germany, Italy and Greece. He was awarded with the first prize at an improvisation competition in Vilnius and Moscow. Since 1993 he has been living in Greece and he is a permanent member of the music group “Allegro”, being consistent to his soloist career with the “Classic Eklectic” duet and various other chamber music groups.

The Athens State Orchestra (A.S.O.), the principal symphony orchestra in the history of Greek music, is over 100 years old. In spite of many difficulties and years of uncertainty, the A.S.O. has reached a high level of artistic achievement and has offered music-lovers in Greece the opportunity to know and enjoy the masterpieces of the international repertoire; at the same time it has been the leading institution – sometime even the only one- to promote works of Greek composers. Celebrated Greek musicians –first and foremost Dimitris Mitropoulos (1896-1960) who was the orchestra’s guiding spirit for years- have offered their talent to the orchestra and have actively contributed to the establishment of its present symphonic tradition, which has become a point of reference for younger generations of musicians. Furthermore, music-lovers have had the opportunity to enjoy renowned musicians who played with the orchestra. Apart from its numerous concerts in Athens and other big cities of Greece, the A.S.O. has also participated with great success in various festivals abroad: Cyprus, Romania, Turkey, France, Malta, Austria and Germany. The orchestra’s most recent tour was in China (December 2007 – January 2008) in the frame of the “Greek Cultural Year in China”. This summer the Orchestra participated in the famous music festival “Kissinger Sommer” in Bad Kissingen (Germany) and received great reviews. In March 2007 the first commercial recording of the Athens State Orchestra appeared under the label of “Naxos” with works by Manolis Kalomiris, opening a new series called “Greek Classics”. Since August 2004 the permanent conductor of the Orchestra, Byron Fidetzis, executes the duties of its general director.

ΓByron Fidetzis was born in Thessaloniki and graduated from the Vienna Academy with a Diploma in Cello and in Conducting. Byron Fidetzis has co-operated as a soloist and conductor with all the Greek and many foreign orchestras in various concerts throughout Greece (festivals of Athens, Corfu, Herakleion, the Demetria Festival of Thessaloniki, the Manolis Kalomiris Festival of Samos) as well as abroad (Austria, Armenia, Albania, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Romania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Cyprus, Turkey, Iceland, Mexico, China, Japan and others). For many years he has been co-operating with the Greek National Opera House, and from 1985 to 1992 he was permanent conductor of the House’s Orchestra. From September 1990 to 1992 he was the chief conductor of the Aikaterinenburg State Philharmonic Orchestra of the former Soviet Union, and since 1992 he has been Guest Conductor of Cappella Russia Orchestra in Moscow (the official orchestra of the Ministry of Culture in the former Soviet Union). He was also Honorary Guest Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Pasardjik in Bulgaria up until 1999; during the period 1999-2001 he also served as artistic director at the same orchestra. During the period 2000-2005 he was chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. Since 1987 he has been permanent conductor to the Athens State Orchestra and from 2004 he is also its Artistic Director. Byron Fidetzis has recorded more than thirty CDs with works of notable Greek composers (Kalomiris, Skalkottas, Varvoglis, Petridis, Mitropoulos, Koukos, Antoniou, Dragatakis, Evangelatos, Theodorakis etc). The recording companies he works with are, LYRA in Greece, BIS and Naxos internationally. He has taught Musical Form and History of Greek Music at the Musical Studies Faculties of the Athens University and of the Ionian University in Corfu. Also he has lectured History and Aesthetics of the Greek Opera at post-graduate students of the Athens University (School of Philosophy, Faculty for Theater Studies). In 1975, the Athens Academy presented him with the Spyros Motsenigos Music Award; he has also received awards by the National Greek Opera Friends Association and several other constitutions. The Greek Composers Association has duly acknowledged his contribution to Greek music, unanimously electing him Honorary Member in 1986. Byron Fidetzis has also received distinctions by the Union of Drama and Music Greek Critics for his recording output.

Julia Souglakou has studied classical singing at the National Concervatory of Athens and in London under the tutelage of Vera Rozsa on the “Maria Callas” scholarship. In 1994 she made her debut at the Greek National Opera, playing the role of Nedda (Pagliacci). Since then, she has been collaborating with this theater every single year, interpreting top roles, such us: Elvira (Ernani), Amelia (Boccanegra), Contessa (Nozze di Figaro), Santuzza (Cavaleria), Bolena, Freia (Reingold), Lady Macbeth, Leonora (Trovatore), Gioconda, Madre (Prigiogniero) and many others. She has also interpreted leading parts in operas by Greek composers, such as: Kalomiris, Samaras, Kounadis, Theodorakis, Mikroutsikos e.t.c. Besides, she has, time and again, collaborated with the Athens Concert Hall and the Salonika Concert Hall, with a great number of Festivals (Athens Festival, Montpellier, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Nafplion), in opera productions, such as: Begbick (Mahagony), Andromache’s Farewell, Mrs. Grose (Turn of the screw), Lyssistrati, Medea (Mayr) and in many oratorios: Johannes Passion, Messias, Requiem (Mozart, Brahms), Stabat Mater (Pergolesi, Boccherini), Symphony No 9 (Beethoven), Nelson’s Mass (Haydn), Elias, Paulus (Mendelssohn), C- moll Mess (Mozart), Oratorio de Noel (Saint-Saens). She has made a wide range of personal recitals and participated in many chamber music concerts. In addition, she has joined forces as a Soloist with big as well as small orchestras, such as: Athens State Orchestra, Orchestra of Colors, Virtuosi of Prague, Philharmonic Orchestra of Koln, National Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra of Athens and many others.