Piano Recital Featuring Works by Contemporary Greek Composers

On Friday, December 19, a few days before Christmas, composer Panagiotis Papoutis will collaborate with composer and pianist Thanos Margetis, collaborator of the ERT Choir, as well as with award-winning young soloist Grigoris Ioannou for a piano recital of works by contemporary Greek composers at the Foundation's Amphitheatre.

In the first part of the recital, Thanos Margetis will perform his own compositions, specifically Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Seven Sketches, and Wandering Variations.

In the second part, Grigoris Ioannou will interpret works by composer and professor of Compulsory and Advanced Theory at the Athens Conservatoire, Panagiotis Papoutis: Prelude in B-flat minor, Poem, Fantasy, Obsession, Shadows, and Toccata.

Thanos Margetis

Pianist and composer Thanos Margetis is a graduate of the National Conservatory of Athens and the Munich Academy of Music, where he studied on a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). His works have been presented at the Modern Gallery of Munich, the Siemens Auditorium, the University of Cincinnati, Cologne Radio, the Third Programme of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), as well as at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron) by the Athens State Orchestra. He has given piano recitals at the Athens Concert Hall, the Concert Hall of the Athens Conservatory, and the Athenaeum, and has appeared as a soloist with the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra and the Athens State Orchestra. He is a regular collaborator of the ERT Choir, the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra, and the Athens State Orchestra. He has taken part in numerous recordings and broadcasts with the ERT Choir and the Athens State Orchestra, as well as chamber music and vocal ensemble recordings for the Third Programme of ERT.

Panagiotis Papoutis

Panagiotis Papoutis holds a Diploma in Composition from the Athens Conservatoire, graduating with Distinction and First Prize (unanimously). He was admitted to the Conservatory under the guidance and encouragement of Maria Chairoyiorgou-Sigara. He completed advanced theoretical studies (Harmony, Counterpoint, and Fugue) with Distinction and Honours (unanimously) on a scholarship, and studied Composition under Periklis Koukos, as well as Piano with Aris Garoufalis. He currently teaches Compulsory and Advanced Theory at the Athens Conservatory. He has composed works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, choir, and solo instruments, among others. His works have been performed at the Alternative Stage of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the “Lilian Voudouri” Music Library Concert Hall at the Athens Concert Hall, the “Aris Garoufalis” Hall of the Athens Conservatoire, the Parnassos Literary Society, the Philippos Nakas Hall, and the “La Divina” Hall of the Athenaeum International Cultural Center, among others.

Grigoris Ioannou

Grigoris Ioannou has been awarded prizes in several international piano competitions, most notably Third Prize at the “Franz Liszt” Competition in Weimar and a special distinction from the Mozarteum University, which led to a performance at the Salzburg Festival. He has also won First Prize at the Thessaloniki Piano Festival Competition and the Mykoniou Prize from the Academy of Athens. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Anton Bruckner University in Austria under Michael Korstick, as a scholar of the association “Kosmos en Armonia”. He studied at the Royal College of Music in London with Ian Jones and Peter Jablonski on a full ABRSM scholarship, and was also a student of Aquiles Delle Vigne. Earlier, he studied at the Hellenic Conservatory with Agathi Leimoni and at the Music School of Ilion with Eirini Laliotou. He has appeared as a soloist with the Weimar State Orchestra and the Athens State Orchestra. In Greece, he has performed at major venues including the Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and Parnassos Hall. He has participated in the Athens Festival and has recorded for the Third Programme of ERT.