The Royal College of Music presents a portrait of composer Panagiotis Karousos

The Royal College of Music presents a portrait of the most important living Greek opera composer Panagiotis Karousos

Royal College of Music

Prince Consort Rd, London SW7 2BS, United Kingdom

TUESDAY 23 JUNE 2016 AT 8:30PM

Program:

Piano Trio No.2

Liederabend:

Queen Elizabeth I of England: Written on a Wall at Woodstock

William Shakespeare: sonnet 109

Lord Byron: Maid of Athens

Guillaume Apollinaire: Automne

Johann W. Goethe: Nachtgedanken "Night Thoughts"

President of the United States Barack Obama: Underground

Alphonse de Lamartine: La Harpe des Cantiques

Percy Bysshe Shelley: Ozymandias

Rachel Bluwstein: To My Country

Jorge Luis Borges: Son los ríos

Romance for Violin and Piano

Divertimento for Cello and Piano

Piano Trio No.1 "D'amour"

Prometheus aria from the opera “Prometheus Bound”

Deianira’s aria from the opera “Olympic Flame”

Duet from the opera “Olympic Flame”

Artists:

Irene Konsta, soprano

Vasilis Asimakopoulos, bass

Monika Dhamo, violin

Mirela Ruci, cello

Victoria - Fjoralba Kiazimi, piano

Panagiotis Karousos, composer

UNESCO awarded Panagiotis Karousos is Greek-Canadian composer who brings to his music the philosophy and spiritualism of the Greek classics. 

He did many concerts in Canada and USA with his Symphony No.1 “Liberty”, and Symphony No.2 “Olympic” with Astoria Symphony, the FACE Symphony Orchestra, the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and the Monteregie Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestros Silas Nathaniel Huff, Andre Gauthier, Theodora Stathopoulos and Luc Chaput. The Piano Concerto was presented with pianist Nathalie Joncas under UNESCO auspices in the Montreal Popular Concerts series in Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena to an audience of 5000 people. The Olympic Flame choir was presented with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Gunst wat'n Kunst at Hague, Holland, with maestro R. Pylarinos. The opera Alexander the Great presented in Montreal at the Montreal Notre Dame Basilica, in Chicago Illinois conducted by David Stech, in North Carolina Theatre under the direction of Grant Gilman, and in Toronto at P.C. Ho Theater Cultural Center of Toronto with the Sneak Peak Symphony Orchestra of Toronto University and soloists under the direction of maestro Victor Cheng. The opera Prometheus represented in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC. From 2013 he did major presentations of Prometheus in Ancient Greek Theaters (Epidaurus, Messina, Ancient Agora), and the National Archeological Meseum of Greece. In 2014 Prometheus presented with bass Vasilis Asimakopoulos in the United Nations and in Mamie Fay auditorium of New York under the auspices of UNESCO. His Symphony No.4 “Earth” premiered with City of Athens Symphony Orchestra with maestro Eleftherios Kalkanis.

His Liederabend and chamber music was presented in Berlin with impressed reviews in 2015.

 The Greek National Radio Television did many profiles on him and broadcasted live his works with some of the most talented artists of opera and classical music. 

Porphyra, A Grecian Rock Opera debut at The Players Theatre

"Porphyra, A Grecian Rock Opera.

Anna and Vladimir: The love that ROCKED the world."

Original music by Billy Chrissochos

Original lyrics by Billy Chrissochos and George Tsalikis

Book by George Tsalikis

Director: George Tsalikis

Choreographer: Dena Stevens

Makes its Off Broadway debut for a three day limited run on

Friday, May 13th at 8:00PM

Saturday, May 14th at 8:00PM

Sunday, May 15th at 2:00PM 

Exclusively at:

The Players Theatre

115 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012

(212) 475-1449

Presale tickets $35

At the door $45

All Ages Show

Tickets and more info will be available by next week. So save the date and spread the word!

Brought to you by Porphyra Corp. and The Hellenic American Center For the Arts.

We made history last May by making us the first ever Rock Opera to succesfully debut at Carnegie Hall. The current show will be the concert version of Porphyra the Musical.

Investors are welcomed. 

You can find more information atwww.Porphyrarockopera.com

https://www.facebook.com/events/1051647251524756/

UNESCO Opera Director Panagiotis Karousos attended a Mass at Notre Dame in Paris

In February 2016 UNESCO Opera Director Panagiotis Karousos attended a Mass at Notre Dame in Paris.
The ceremony at the Paris Cathedral of Notre Dame was devout with local priests and catholic authorities.
Notre-Dame de Paris (French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and it is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture.

As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Paris, Notre-Dame is the parish that contains the cathedra, or official chair, of the Archbishop of Paris, currently Cardinal André Vingt-Trois. The cathedral treasury is notable for its reliquary which houses some of Catholicism's most important first-class relics including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails.

The Notre-Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress. The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave but after the construction began, the thinner walls grew ever higher and stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern.

The coronation of Napoleon I on 2 December 1804 at Notre-Dame in an 1807 painting by Jacques-Louis David

UNESCO Opera Director Panagiotis Karousos attended a Mass at Notre Dame in Paris

THE OPERA "PROMETHEUS BOUND" BY PANAGIOTIS KAROUSOS AT LA SORBONNE PARIS (Amphithéâtre Richelieu)

UNESCO CLUB OF PIRAEUS & ISLANDS

Paris-Sorbonne University 

Théâtre Démodocos, Service culturel de l'université Paris-Sorbonne, Festival des Dionysies

PROMETHEUS BOUND BY AESCHYLUS

Music by PANAGIOTIS KAROUSOS

Directed by VASILIS ASIMAKOPOULOS

“The Masterpiece Tragedy of Aeschylus Comes to Paris”

Dedicated to the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to the New Acropolis Museum in Athens

MONDAY 4 APRIL 2016

Amphithéâtre Richelieu (Sorbonne)

17 Rue de la Sorbonne, 75005 Paris, France 

By Invitation Only / Time 8:30pm 

Prometheus: Vasilis Asimakopoulos, bass 
Io: Irene Konsta, soprano

Ocean/Hermes: Philip Modinos, tenor 
Via/Oceanide/Athena: Kassandra Dimopoulou, mezzo

Victoria Kiazimi, piano 

Presentation: Ioannis Maronitis, president of UNESCO Club of Pireaus & Islands

Panagiotis Karousos is a renowned Greek-Canadian composer who brings to his music the

Prometheus: Vasilis Asimakopoulos

philosophy and spiritualism of the Greek classics. He did many concerts in Canada and USA with his Symphony No.1 “Liberty”, and Symphony No.2 “Olympic” with Astoria Symphony, the FACE Symphony Orchestra, the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and the Monteregie Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestros Silas Nathaniel Huff, Andre Gauthier, Theodora Stathopoulos and Luc Chaput. The Piano Concerto was presented with pianist Nathalie Joncas under UNESCO auspices in the Montreal Popular Concerts series in Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena to an audience of 5000 people. The Olympic Flame choir was presented with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Gunst wat'n Kunst at Hague, Holland, with maestro R. Pylarinos. The opera Alexander the Great presented in Montreal at the Montreal Notre Dame Basilica, in Chicago Illinois conducted by David Stech, in North Carolina Theatre under the direction of Grant Gilman, and in Toronto at P.C. Ho Theater Cultural Center of Toronto with the Sneak Peak Symphony Orchestra of Toronto University and soloists under the direction of maestro Victor Cheng. The opera Prometheus represented in Los Angeles, New York, and Washington DC. From 2013 he did major presentations of Prometheus in Ancient Greek Theaters (Epidaurus, Messina, Ancient Agora), and the National Archeological Meseum of Greece. In 2014 Prometheus presented with bass Vasilis Asimakopoulos in the United Nations and in Mamie Fay auditorium of New York under the auspices of UNESCO. His Symphony No.4 “Earth” premiered with City of Athens Symphony Orchestra with maestro Eleftherios Kalkanis. 

Vasilis Asimakopoulos, Irene Konsta

Few words about the opera “Prometheus Bound” by Panagiotis Karousos. 

Io: Irene Konsta

Based on Aeschylus tragedy “Prometheus Bound” by Panagiotis Karousos first premiered in Montreal, Canada in 1994 and played until 2000 in French in the translation of Professor Jacques Bouchard Director of Modern Greek Literature and Neohellenic Studies of the University Center of Montreal. In 1998 the work presented in Los Angeles at Beverly Hills City Hall. In 2008 represented in New York and Washington in English under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman, and American soloists from the opera of New York. The opera impressed with its high lyricism. In Greece “Prometheus Bound” presented at the Municipal Theatres of Athens, Salamina, Argostoli, Lixouri, Ithaca, Cholargos, Chalkis, Corynth, at the Concert Hall of the Greek Writers, in “Parnassos” Concert Hall, in the Old Parliament House, at the Theatre Veakeio, and the Theatre “Jenny Karezi”. In 2013 bass Vasilis Asimakopoulos did unforgettable presentations of the opera as a director and leading role at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, the Ancient Theatre Ekklesiasterion (Odeon) in Ancient Messene, the Ancient Agora at the Ancient Site of Acropolis, and the National Archeological Museum of Greece, and performed the main arias of the opera at “Parnassos” Concert Hall conducted by E. Kalkanis. Recently the opera Prometheus Bound represented in New York, Queens and United Nations Headquarters, Manhattan under the auspices of UNESCO Club of Pireaus and Island.

UNESCO Opera Director Panagiotis Karousos attended Verdi's La Traviata at Royal Opera House in London

Verdi’s tragic opera of a Parisian courtesan who sacrifices all for love is vividly told in Richard Eyre’s production, with three world-class casts led by Venera Gimadieva, Maria Agresta and Nicole Cabell.

The presentation was marvelous at the traditional form with frew modern interferances, that remained the production at the calssical forms.

Panagiotis Karousos, opera director of UNESCO at Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Especially I liked the Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu at the role of Alfredo and the direction of Maestro Abel. 

Costumes where and setting where glamorous as well as the direction of Richard Eyre. 

La traviata: Tuesday 19 January 2016, 7pm

Music

Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto

Francesco Maria Piave

Director

Richard Eyre

Designer

Bob Crowley

Lighting designer

Jean Kalman

Movement director

Jane Gibson

Performers

Conductor

Yves Abel

Violetta Valéry

Venera Gimadieva

Alfredo Germont

Saimir Pirgu

Giorgio Germont

Luca Salsi

Flora Bervoix

Andrea Hill

Gastone de Letorières

Luis Gomes

Annina

Sarah Pring

Baron Douphol

Yuriy Yurchuk

Doctor Grenvil

James Platt

Marquis D'Obigny

Jeremy White

Giuseppe

Neil Gillespie

Messenger

John Bernays

Servant

Michael Lessiter

Chorus

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

www.roh.org.uk

http://www.roh.org.uk/events/8v3n8

UNESCO Opera Director Panagiotis Karousos attended Daniel Barenboim's concert in London

Panagiotis Karousos, Daniel Barenboim

A MAGICAL PERFORMANCE OF DANIEL BARENBOIM IN LONDON TO CELEBRATES THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEBUT CONCERT AT ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

London 17th January 2016. One of the biggest musical personalities in the world Daniel Barenboim performed Brahms piano concertos in a sold out concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
At this special concert featuring conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the vigorous Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in a record crowd at Royal Festival Hall.
Barenboim - a mentor to Dudamel - celebrated the 60th anniversary of his debut concert at Royal Festival Hall in 1956 when he performed aged just 13. This evening he performed marvelously both of Brahms' piano concertos.
Daniel Barenboim said: “It is a great joy for me to return to the Royal Festival Hall on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of my first performance there. I first performed at the Royal Festival Hall when the venue was just five years old and over the past 60 years, I have made thousands of wonderful memories there.”
Composer Panagiotis Karousos, director of Opera and Classical Music of UNESCO Club of Piraeus and Islands attended the concert and congratulated the great pianist and conductor Mr. Daniel Barenboim.

Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel

Daniel Barenboim is an Argentine pianist and conductor. Currently, he is general music director of the Berlin State Opera, and the Staatskapelle Berlin; he previously served as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and La Scala in Milan. Barenboim is also known for his work with the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Seville-based orchestra of young Arab and Israeli musicians, and as a resolute critic of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Barenboim has received many awards and prizes, including an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, France's Légion d'honneur both as a Commander and Grand Officier, the German Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz and Willy Brandt Award, and, together with the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Award. He has won seven Grammy awards for his work and discography. Barenboim is a polyglot, fluent in Spanish, Hebrew, English, French, Italian, and German. (wiki)

Gustavo Adolfo DudamelRamírez is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist. He is the music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dudamel began to study conducting in 1995, first with Rodolfo Saglimbeni, then later with José Antonio Abreu. In 1999, he was appointed music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, the national youth orchestra of Venezuela, and toured several countries. He attended Charles Dutoit's master class in Buenos Aires in 2002, and worked as assistant for Simon Rattle in Berlin and Salzburg in 2003. (wiki)
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897) was a German composer and pianist. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria. In his lifetime, Brahms's popularity and influence were considerable. He is sometimes grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven as one of the "Three Bs", a comment originally made by the nineteenth-century conductor Hans von Bülow. (wiki)

Program 

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1

Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2

Performers

Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela

Gustavo Dudamel conductor

Daniel Barenboim piano

Royal Festival Hall

Composer Panagiotis Karousos at the Royal Festival Hall

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/daniel-barenboim-simón-bolív-89628?dt=2016-01-17

www.southbankcentre.co.uk

http://danielbarenboim.com

www.gustavodudamel.com

www.simonbolivarorchestra.com

UNESCO AWARD "DIMITRIS MITROPOULOS" TO MAESTRO ELEFTHERIOS KALKANIS

THE CLUB FOR UNESCO OF PIRAEUS & ISLANDS

Presented the award "DIMITRIS MITROPOULOS" 

to maestro conductor and composer ELEFTHERIOS KALKANIS

at the OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF GREECE 

WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2016 12pm

Maestro Eleftherios Kalkanis conducted his works Adagio & Cantata "For the Lost Species"
and highlights from the operas "Prometheus Bound" and Olympic Flame by Panagiotis Karousos.
The presentation featuring excellent soloists of the opera with amazing voices in high level performances: Vanessa Kalkanis, soprano - Vassilis Asimakopoulos, bass - Irene Konsta, soprano.

THE HELLENIC ORCHESTRA AND SOLOIST CONDUCTED BY MAESTRO ELEFTHERIOS KALKANIS
It was a concert full of beauty and harmony at the National Historical Museum of Greece with fascinating masterpiece works.
Greetings were given by Ioannis Maronitis, President of the Club for UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands and Member of the Executive Board of the World Federation of Societies Clubs and Centres UNESCO (WFUCA).

The presentation was made by Panagiotis Karousos, Director of the Department of Opera and Classical Music for UNESCO of Piraeus & Islands.
The event was honored by the presence of Mr. Maniatakis, President of Foundation Maniatakis and Former general director of Public Power Corporation S.A, the Deputy Mayor of Korydallos, Mr. Vidalis and representative of the Union of Centrists who brought the message of the leader of the political party Mr. Leventis.

Program:

Eleftherios Kalkanis: «Adagio»

Eleftherios Kalkanis: Cantata «For the Lost Species»

Aria "Glow": Vanessa Kalkanis, soprano

Aria of the bird: Irene Konsta, soprano

Duet "Sea": Vanessa Kalkanis, soprano - Irene Konsta, soprano

Panagiotis Karousos "Prometheus Bound"

Aria of Oceanid "Koufovronta the Sea': Vanessa Kalkanis, soprano

Aria of Prometheus "And now alone' Vassilis Asimakopoulos, bass 

Aria of Io 'Often at night" Irene Konsta, soprano

Duet, Prometheus and Io "Many will go through sufferings' 

Vassilis Asimakopoulos, bass, Irene Konsta

Duet, Hyllus & Makaria from the Olympic Flame by Panagiotis Karousos.

Vassilis Asimakopoulos, bass, Vanessa Kalkanis, soprano

THE MUSICIANS OF WHICH SOME FROM THE STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF ATHENS MUNICIPALITY:

First Violins: Efi Christodoulou, Brunilda-Eugenia Malo, Theodore Agoras

Second Violins: Bledar Skenderi, Menti Stavroula, Spyros Panagos, Monica Damo

Violas: Helen Liggri, Rania Zetta.

Cellos: Mirela Ruci, Catherine Konstantinou 

Double bass: Aslanidis Dimitris

The Club for UNESCO of Piraeus & Islands and President of the Group for UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands and Member of the Executive Board of the World Federation of Clubs and Centres UNESCO (WFUCA), John Maronitis, warmly thanked the conductor and all the artists for their contribution to UNESCO in this excellent concert, dedicated to volunteering and the return of the Parthenon sculptures.

OLD PARLIAMENT HOUSE OF GREECE 

WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2016 12pm