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Stella Tsani

Stella Tsani began her violin studies at the age of 5, with distinguished teachers such as Robert Papavramis and Evangelos Papadimitris. Later, she completed her studies with a Violin Diploma in the class of Tatsis Apostolidis, graduating with the highest distinction and a First Prize. Since then, she has won awards in competitions, recorded for radio, television, discography, and cinema, given numerous recitals and chamber music concerts in Greece and abroad, and premiered many works. She has performed many recitals, solo appearances, and tours in Greece and many other countries, mainly in Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, appearing in significant venues under the direction of Greek and foreign conductors such as Theodore Antoniou, Lukas Karytinos, Haris Iliadis, Andreas Pylarinos, Andreas Tselikas, Vladimiros Simeonidis, Eleftherios Kalkanis, Angelo Guarania, Solhi Al Vadi, Raad Khalaf, Amine Kouider, Guihad Daoud, Elise Gauthier-Villars, Jetmir Barbullushi, Nanse Gum, and Joachim Harder. She is a founding member and first violin of the string quartet “L’ Anima” (established in 1996) and the Ellemis piano quartet (2003).
Her discography – for which she has been awarded twice (2008 for a personal album and 2016 for her participation as the first violin of L’ Anima string quartet) by the Union of Greek Theater & Music Critics – consists of 5 personal albums (collaborations with E. Chounta, St. Ham, D. Mallouhos, T. Gouvelis, “Violin Through” for 2 violins performed by herself), while she has also participated in more than 50 discographic releases of Greek and foreign creators, as well as in digital releases (single and non-single), either as a solo violin or as the first violin of L’ Anima string quartet.
Her recent discographic releases include participation in the album Aenaos poiein, dedicated to Thomas Tamvakos, with the works Reflections (Contemplation) for violin by Aris Karastathis and Tambakikon by Nikos Katsoulis, as well as the album Five Trails with works for violin and harpsichord (with Katerina Ktona on harpsichord) from Subways Music. Additionally, the single album Rays for two violins (in collaboration with G. Tsolaki), by Sp. Mazis, from the Donemus label, her participation in the album Works for Strings by F. Antonopoulos, from Subways Music, in the work End of Destination for two violins (herself performing both parts), and finally, another participation in the album The City in the Void, by F. Antonopoulos, from Irida Music, in the work At Our Times for violin and viola (with I. Sdoukos on viola). She teaches at the Erateio Conservatory.

Lefki kolovou

Lefki kolovou was born in Athens. She started piano lessons at the age of 4. She studied violoncello in the Athens Concervatory in the class of L.Papastavrou and graduated with the highest degree and a distinction. She also studied with the cello soloist Renato Ripo in Greece and Japp Kruithuf in Belgium and participated in masterclasses and ensemble courses in many countries in Europe. She is completely dedicated to chamber music, especially string and piano quartet music. During the last 15 years she has given numerous concerts with the two ensembles she is commited to(and a founder), “Ellemis Piano Quartet” and “L’Anima” string quartet”, in Greece and all over the world. With the first she has recorded her first CD in 2004 with works from Brahms and Chausson in Subways Music. In January 2010 they recorded their next CD titled “Images” with works of Schumann, Handel, Cancini, Armstrong, Mavroudis, Kanaris, Arhontides and Hounda. In October 2011 they recorded with L’Anima works of Savas Zanas under the title “Music for strings”. In October 2014 the recorded six string quartets of Theodore Antoniou (1935-2018) which received the first prize from the Greek Theater and Music Critics Union in 2016. In 2017 she recorded Iosif Valet’s “Orpheus’ Dance” for cello and orchestra with Radio Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked as a cellist in most of the Greek Symphony Orchestras and ensembles. Athens State Orchestra (1995-2001), Radio Symphony Orchestra (2002-4), Camerata-Friends of Music Orchestra in Megaron (2007-2011), Orchestra of Colours-Manos Hatzidakis (1994-1999) etc. The last 10 years she is the permanent cellist of the Hellenic Ensemble of Contemporary Music, and since 2009 the solo cellist of the ensemble of the National Opera, which is giving 2-3 concerts every week in schools and theaters all over Greece. She is currently a member of Philhamonia Orchestra.

Jenia Manoussaki

She made her debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weil Hall with a solo recital in 2002, followed by two more concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, in 2005 at the Isaac Stern Auditorium with the New England Symphony and in 2006, with the Olympic Trio. She is the founder of the OLYMPIC TRIO with the multi-awarded German violinist Peter Clemente (1st ARD Prize) and the leading Czech cellist Jiri Barta (Supraphon, Deutsche Grammophon Artist), with whom she frequently tours as a duo. With the Olympic Trio, they have performed, among others, at Carnegie Hall, the Athens Concert Hall, the Onassis Foundation in New York and at many Festivals in Greece and Germany, receiving enthusiastic reviews. She has collaborated as a soloist with the Athens State Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of ERT, the Camerata Orchestra of the “Friends of Music” of the MMA, the orchestra of the Munich Academy of Music, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, the Contemporary Music Orchestra (Th.Antoniou), the Pazartzic Philharmonic, the Orchestre St. Peterskirche Wien, the Academica of Athens, etc. and has presentations and recordings on satellite broadcasts of Greek radio and television (ERT, Antenna, Mega). Important publications have dedicated interviews and laudatory reviews to her such as: “Suddeutches Zeitung”, “Muenchen Merkur”, “The National Herald-New York”, “Kathimerini”, “Eleftherotypia”. As a soloist she has appeared with conductors such as: Hobart Earle, Jonathan Grif th, Nicolas Carthy, Nikos Athinios, Dimitris Agra otis, Andreas Pylarinos. Peter Tiboris etc. She is an excellent graduate of the National Conservatory, the Munich Academy and a scholar of the Prague Academy of Music. Her inspirations were Lilia Boyadjieva, Klaus Schilde, Margarita Hoehenrieder, Jan Panenka and Valery Schagaidatchny. She has been a Professor A’ at the Athens Conservatory since 2014.
www.jenia-manoussaki.com

Angelos Politis

He took his first clarinet lessons at the Corfu Philharmonic Society. He studied in the Senior Class of the “Athens Conservatory” with Char. Farantatos and Spyros Mourikis, from where he graduated with a Clarinet Diploma with “Excellent unanimous” and distinction. He continued his studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, as a scholarship holder of the I.K.Y., with Professor Guy DANGAIN. He graduated in 2005 with a Diplôme Superior de Concertiste, and has also attended the “classe de Perfectionnement” of the École Normale. He has taken part in various masterclasses with internationally renowned soloists such as Thomas Friedli, Philippe Cuper, Philippe Berrod, Karl Leister, Alessandro Carbonare. In January 2005 he won First Prize at the European Clarinet Competition “Piccardie” in Amiens, France. In November 2012 he was invited as a member of the jury at the world clarinet competition “MARCO FIORINDO” in Turin, Italy, and in February 2013 he was invited as a member of the jury at the 7e Concours International de quintette à vent “HENRI TOMASI” Marseille (France). He has collaborated with the Orchestra of Colors, the Camerata Orchestra of Friends of Music, the Greek National Opera, the Athens State Orchestra, the Patras Orchestra, the Greek Contemporary Music Ensemble, with the string quartet “L’Anima”, and is a member of the “Aeolos” Woodwind Quintet. Abroad, he has collaborated and recorded with the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany, with the Zagreb Opera Orchestra in Croatia, as well as with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. He has participated in many chamber music concerts and has given recitals such as in the “Salle Cortot” hall in Paris, the F. Nakas hall, the F.S. Parnassos hall, etc. He is a member of the “AEOLOS” Woodwind Quintet and has collaborated as a soloist with the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra, the Athens Municipality Philharmonic, the “Camerata” Orchestra of Friends of Music, the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra and the ERT National Symphony Orchestra. With the Woodwind Quintet “AEOLOS” he has recorded works by Greek composers and they have been released by the GREEK CLASSICS series of the NAXOS record company. He has performed works by Greek composers in first performance and has dedicated their works to him, such as Theodoros Antoniou, Babis Kanas, Fanis Antonopoulos, Philippos Tsalachouris, Evangelos Kokkoris, Haris Kanakis. He served for twenty years as 1st clarinet in the National Symphony Orchestra of ERT. He teaches clarinet at the Athens Conservatory and the Athenaeum Conservatory. He is a member of the Athens Philharmonic and 1st clarinet as a permanent collaborator of the Camerata “Orchestra of Friends of Music”.

Georgios Farouggias

He was born in Corfu. He studied bassoon with Professor Konstantinos Samoilis at the National Conservatory of Athens and at the Higher Academy of Music of Freiburg (Germany) with a scholarship from the Alexander Onassis Foundation. From 1993 to 1996 he was a member of the Chamber Music Ensemble “Nikolaos Mantzaros”, the Orchestra of Colors, the E.S.O. of ERT and the Camerata-Orchestra of Friends of Music. From 1996 to 2001 he was a permanent member as Solo Bassoon of the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra (Germany) with Conductors initially W. D. Hauschild and then Steffan Soltesz. He has collaborated with many important orchestras such as the Munich Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Cologne Gürzenich Orchestra, the WDR, NDR, SWR Radio Orchestras, the Strasbourg Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Orchestra, the Antwerp Royal Opera, with many theaters in Germany, including Berlin, Munich, etc., the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as with the famous Chamber Music ensemble Consortium Classicum. He has collaborated with conductors such as Z. Mehta, G. Sinopoli, D. Baremboim, K. Masur, D. Kitajenko, W. Ashkenazy, Sir R. Norrington, C. Karydis, Chr. Warren-Green, Chr. Hogwood, H. Rilling, J. Hrusa, G. Dudamel, etc. As a soloist he has appeared with the K.O.A., the K.O.T., the E.S.O. of ERT, the Camerata-Orchestra of Friends of Music, the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens, the Munich Bach Soloists and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2001 he has been 1st Bassoon of the Orchestra of the National Opera. He is a member of the Contemporary Music Ensemble under Theodoros Antoniou, a founding member of the KYKLOS ENSEMBLE and also a founding member of the Woodwind Quintet “Aeolos” (founded 2009). He teaches at the Athens Conservatory.

Vicky Stylianou (1959 – 2024)

She was born in Athens, Greece, where she took her first piano lessons at the age of five. At ten years old, she won first prize in the Panhellenic Piano Contest held in memory of Ketty Papaioannou. With a scholarship from the organization “Jeunesses Musicales,” she attended seminars in Belgium with distinguished pianists Monique Haas and Frederic Gevers. She graduated from the “Athens Conservatory” with a first prize. With a scholarship from the French government, she studied in Paris (École Normale). She also studied at the Music Academy of Basel, where she obtained the soloist diploma. She gave many recitals and chamber music concerts in Athens and other cities in Greece. She also appeared in England, France, Italy (Spoleto Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino), Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Albania, Turkey, Romania, Cyprus, the U.S.A., and other countries. She performed as a soloist with several Greek and foreign orchestras, including the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras, Orchestra of Colors, National Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, Camerata – the Friends of Music Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Athens Municipality, Greek National Opera Chamber Orchestra, Thessaloniki Municipal Orchestra, Municipal Orchestra of Volos, National Orchestra of Belgium, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Music Academy of Basel, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra “Constantin Silvestri” (Bucharest), Symphony Orchestras of Burgas (Bulgaria), Brassov (Romania), Marienbad (Czech Republic), Erfurt (Germany), Vratsa (Bulgaria), Orchestra of the University of Louisiana, and others.
She recorded frequently for radio and television and participated in Greek and international festivals. Her repertoire included a vast number of works from Baroque to contemporary music. She performed over 1,500 works by contemporary Greek composers, often giving their premieres. She collaborated with great composers and conductors such as George Crumb, Gunther Schuller, Sir Neville Marriner, and Hans Werner Henze. She participated in the recording of several CDs, including works by contemporary Greek composers. She was a member of the “Hellenic Ensemble of Contemporary Music” and the “Athens Trio.” The Trio performed frequently in Greece and abroad and released three CDs. Vicky Stylianou was also a member of the Orchestra of Colors, established by the renowned Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis. She collaborated frequently with the Athens Concert Hall, the Greek National Opera, and other cultural institutions. She was a piano professor at the Athens Conservatory and the Hellenic Conservatory. She also studied advanced theory (fugue diploma). Her arrangements and orchestrations were performed by several orchestras and chamber music ensembles in Greece and abroad.

Stella Arabatzoglou

Stella Arabatzoglou was born in Rethymno, Greece, in 1970, where she began her musical studies in the local Philharmonic. She studied saxophone at the Athenaeum International Cultural Center with N. Ginos and Theodoros Kerkezos, graduating with highest honours and First Prize, and studied theory with H. Xanthoudakis and D. Diamantopoulos. She has attended masterclasses with J. Y. Fourmeau, D. Campbell and G. McCrystal. She has collaborated with major ensembles including the Rundfunk Blasorchester Leipzig, Camerata Friends of Music Orchestra, the Athens State Orchestra and the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, she has appeared with orchestras in Greece and abroad and has been a member of distinguished chamber ensembles. She is also recognized for her contributions to contemporary Greek music, having premiered works by Greek composers, many of which were dedicated to her. She is the principal saxophonist of the Athens Municipal Wind Orchestra and founder and Artistic Director of the ATHENAEUM SAXOPHONE QUARTET. She teaches saxophone at the Athenaeum and Kodály Conservatories and at St Catherine’s British School. As an educator, she promotes ensemble playing, fostering collaboration, creativity and artistic development.

Panagiotis Giannakakis

Born in Athens, Panagiotis studied with Maria Rota at the Athens Conservatoire and later at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire.