Hedda Gabler

The GNO Alternative Stage and The Medium Project musical theatre company co-produce the new chamber opera of the composer and pianist Giorgos Dousis, on a libretto by Eri Kyrgia based on Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece Hedda Gabler.

BIOGRAPHIES

George Dousis Music

George Dousis is a composer and a pianist. On a scholarship from the Greek State Scholarships Foundation he completed his Master of Arts degree in the UK and graduated with distinction. He studied composition with T. Antoniou and M. Lapidakis and has attended composition seminars with W. Rihm, B. Ferneyhough and M. Stroppa, I. Fedele and S. Sciarrino. He has written works for various ensembles, many of which have been performed abroad (England, USA, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, etc). His artistic output includes a series of works for symphonic orchestra, five string quartets, a concert for piano, and four operas. As an orchestrator he has collaborated with important orchestras (Boston Pops, Cannes Symphony Orchestra, National Broadcasting Corporation Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Colours, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Armonia Atenea – The Friends of Music Orchestra, etc). As a founding member of the Momo trio, he has recorded three vinyl albums with his own original compositions. In 2011 he was awarded a doctorate in composition by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and since 2015 he has been a member of the Greek Composers’ Association.

Eri Kyrgia Libretto, surtitles translation

Eri Kyrgia graduated from the Theatre Studies Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (holder of the A. Papadaki scholarship). She was also granted a scholarship and graduated with honours from the interdisciplinary postgraduate programme of the Theatre Studies Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the Music Studies Department of the Ionian University. She has been working as a theatre practitioner since 1997 (assistant director, programme editor, dramatist, translator of plays, dramaturge) and has collaborated with the directors Y. Houvardas, S. Livathinos, M. Marmarinos, D. Tarlow, K. Bogomolov, O. Korsunovas, C. Graužinis, D. Karantzas, K. Evangelatos, G. Kalavrianos, A. Danezi-Knutsen, G. Karadinaki and S. Liouliou; the choreographers K. Rigos, A. Foniadakis and Y. Mantafounis; National Theatre of Greece, Greek National Opera, Onassis Cultural Center, Cyprus Theatre Organization, Art Theatre of Karolos Koun, Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, Poreia Theatre, the Russian collective of artists Chto Delat, etc. She has translated from the original works of H. Ibsen, J. Fosse, A. Strindberg, A. Chekhov, S. Beckett, S. Stephens, R. Schimmelpfennig, D. Hair, T. Ostermeier, etc. As a librettist, she has collaborated with the composers George Dousis and Panagiotis Liaropoulos.

Andreas Tselikas Conductor

Born in Athens, he studied violin, advanced music theory and conducting with Nancy Bargerstock and Theodore Antoniou. He continued post-graduate studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (orchestra conducting with Leopold Hager and composition with Herbert Lauermann). He received the first prize at the Jean Sibelius International Conducting Competition (Helsinki, Finland, 2005). Since then, he has been conducting all Greek as well as foreign orchestras in Portugal, Denmark, Finland, Ukraine, Romania, Albania, Germany, Cyprus, USA, etc. During 2005/10 he was associate conductor of the Greek National Opera, where he conducted such productions as Giselle, Eugene Onegin, Puss in Boots, I want to see the Pope!. Since 1999 he has been resident conductor of the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra. His works have been presented in Greece and abroad. He teaches at the Athens Conservatory.

Raia Tsakiridi Director

Born in Athens, she holds a diploma in singing from the Dimitris Mitropoulos Conservatory and a diploma in acting from the Fotiadis Drama School. She completed her studies in counseling at the Academy ΨΧ-Westbrook University receiving a degree and master’s degree in art and drama therapy. She works at the GNO and has worked as an assistant director to renowned directors. As an actress she has appeared on stage and for the movies, with directors such as Y. Houvardas, B. Elton, K. Tsakiris. She has directed productions for the theatres Chora, Roes, Odou Kefallinias, Lefteris Vogiatzis, as well as for the Athens Concert Hall, the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, the Telloglion Institute of Arts, with great success and receiving enthusiastic reviews. Since 2013 she has been directing contemporary operas with The Medium Project opera group. In 2015 she debuted in the USA, where she directed in Boston for the international contemporary music ensemble ALEA III, while in 2017 she made her debut in Cyprus with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.

Pavlos Thanopoulos Sets, costumes

Costume and set designer, born in Athens. He studied History of Art at La Mirail, University of Toulouse, and costume-set design in London, at the Wimbledon College of Arts (degree in costume design) and at the Central Saint Martin’s School of Arts and Design (master’s in set design). He worked at the costumes department of the Royal Opera House, London (Covent Garden) and at the Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse. He was Sophia Kokosalakis’ assistant for the costumes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympic Games (2004). He has collaborated in theatre, dance and opera productions, with directors such as Mastorakis, Chioti-Vasistas, Mavragani, Gyparaki, Oikonomou, Tsakiridi, Mexis and Maganari, and has curated many exhibitions at the Benaki Museum, the Jewish Museum and the Telloglion Institute of Arts. From 2009 to 2012 he has worked with Angelos Delivorrias for the implementation of the re-exhibition on painter Nikos Hatzikyriakos-Ghikas at the National Gallery and of the exhibition on the Interwar Period Generation. He taught costume design at the Vakalo College (2009/13).

Marina Mergou Dramaturgy

She holds a degree in Theatre Studies by the University of North London, as well as a master’s degree in Performance Theory and Practice by the Queen Mary University of London and a MFA in Theatre Direction by the Middlesex University with a university scholarship. She holds a PhD by the Panteion University and is currently working on her post-doctoral at the Theatre Department of the University of Athens. She works in Greece and abroad as a theatrologist, director and dramaturge. She worked at the Greek National Opera from 2012 until 2016 as assistant director. She taught at the Department of Theatre Studies of the University of the Peloponnese, at the Department of Music and Arts of the University of Macedonia and at the Theatre Department of the University of Athens. Since November 2018 she has been the artistic director of the Chalkida Theatre and the BioΜechanical Festival.

Korina Kokkali Movement

With a scholarship by the Onassis Foundation, she studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, obtaining a master’s degree in Movement Direction and Teaching. Graduate of the Department of Theatre Studies (NKUA) and of the Niki Kontaxaki Professional School of Dance. She has participated in dance festivals and performances (Athens Video Dance Project, PK Dance Festival, among others) and is a member of the group for the Olympic Flame Relay. She teaches classical ballet, contemporary dance and Βarre Αstié at the Elisavet Georgoudi School of Ballet. She was in charge of the movement and choreography for various performances and has collaborated with Dimitris Tarlow, Raia Tsakiridi, Gina Fotinopoulou, Anna Poole, Polly Graham, Simona Gonella, etc.

Christos Tziogkas Lighting

He was born in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, where he started working professionally as a photographer and lighting designer in theatre for dance and music performances. He has collaborated with numerous artists.

Julia Rutigliano Hedda Gabler

Half-Italian mezzo-soprano, she studied with Daphne Evangelatos at the Academy of Music and Theatre Munich and the Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding. She was a permanent member of the Nürnberg, Bonn and Braunschweig Opera Ensembles. She sang to great acclaim Venus in Tannhäuser and Carmen in a production of renowned director Volker Schlöndorff. Additional roles include: Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier), Leonora (La Favorite), Siegrune (Die Walküre), Wellgunde (Der Ring des Nibelungen), etc. She has collaborated with the most prominent contemporary conductors, such as Zubin Mehta, Kirill Petrenko, Christian Thielemann, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev, Marek Janowski. She has sung at the Palau des les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia), Tel Aviv, Bayreuth Festival, Semperoper Dresden, State Opera Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Concert Hall in Dortmund and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Furthermore she led a co-production with the Salzburg Easterfestival as Grimgerde (Die Walküre) to Beijing.
www.juliarutigliano.com

Irena Athanasiou Hedda Gabler

Greek mezzo-soprano, she was born in Athens. She studied singing (diploma) and graduated from the Sociology Department of Panteion University. She also studied piano and advanced music theory at the Apollonio Conservatory, Athens, and attended seminars on drama and cinema direction at the Theatre of Changes and Kostas Kazakos’ Theatre School. She has been cooperating with the Greek National Opera since 2009 in productions for children (The tsar Saltan, the beautiful Tsarevna and the enchanted swan, Die Fledermaus, Puss in Boots). Since 2011 she has been a permanent member of the Greek National Opera Chorus. As a soloist she has performed Flora Bervoix (La traviata), Yelena Popova (The Bear), Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti), Rita (I want to see the Pope!), Dina (Nikos Hadjiapostolou’s The first love), Giovanna (Ernani), etc. She has also represented GNO in artistic events and concerts. She cooperates with the opera ensemble “The Medium Project” and has sung in concerts in collaboration with the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Onassis Cultural Centre, Gialino UpStage, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, etc.

Gina Fotinopoulou Thea

Greek soprano, she holds a diploma in Greek Philology from the University of Athens. She studied classical singing at the Athens Conservatory (diploma in solo singing with honours, class of Kiki Morfoniou) and performing arts (music, acting, dance) in renowned universities of London. She has collaborated with symphonic orchestras and smaller music ensembles in theatres and venues in Greece and abroad. She has starred in many productions at the GNO, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall and the Athens Festival. In 2007 she interpreted Musetta (La bohème) in Perm (Russia), conducted by T. Currentzis, while in 2018 she starred at the GNO’s productions Z (opera by Borboudakis) and The princess and the pea (opera for children by Toch). She has interpreted the Special Olympics hymn at the opening ceremony (2004), she has participated in the first Olympic Games revival ceremony (Panathenaic Stadium, 2013) as well as in the historic concert “Greece for Mikis”, in the presence of Mikis Theodorakis, who conducted part of the concert (Panathenaic Stadium, June 2017). She founded the “Spot of study-knowledge-culture” in Nea Smyrni and the Evmeleia children’s chorus (2008).

Harris Andrianos Eilert

Greek baritone, he studied voice at the Athenaeum Conservatory, Athens, and chemistry at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He continued his studies in Barcelona and Milan (“Maria Callas” scholarship). He made his Greek National Opera debut at the age of twenty-three as Papageno (Die Zauberflöte) and ever since he has sung numerous leading roles in operas (Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola, L’italiana in Algeri, Don Pasquale, La bohème, Ariadne auf Naxos, Carmen, L’elisir d’amore, Così fan tutte, Příhody lišky Bystroušky), operettas (The Apaches of Athens, The love bacillus, Halima, Die lustige Witwe) as well as in such productions as La traviata and La bohème within the project “The Suitcase Opera”. Among others, he has performed at the Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls (Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Turandot, Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny), in Italy (Milan, Trapani, Pisa, Reggio Emilia, Sferisterio di Macerata), France (Opéra de Vichy), Japan (Tokyo) and Germany (Heidelberg, Schwetzingen). He was a permanent member of the Bonn Opera. In 2008 he worked for the Cologne Opera.

Michalis Psyrras Tesman

Greek baritone, born in Mytilini. He holds a degree from the Department of Music Studies of the AUTH, a harmony degree (Contemporary Conservatory of Thessaloniki) and a solo singing degree (State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, class of S. Voskidis). He has participated in singing and conducting seminars. He has appeared at the GNO, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, etc. He has sung opera, operetta, musical, music theatre and tango roles, in works such as: La bohème, Evita, Kiss me Kate, Un ballo in maschera, The telephone, Così fan tutte, Trouble in Tahiti, Die sieben Todsünde. He has collaborated with the music theatre groups Rafi and Youth Opera and is a member of the groups The Medium Project and t4Tango. He has collaborated with the conductors N. Vassiliou, Kh. Goyós, L. Kalkanis, M. Logiadis, M. Oikonomou, M. Papapetrou, G. Petrou, A. Priftis, A. Tselikas, E. Frezis, and with the directors P. Adam, A. Efklidis, N. Diamantis, K. Koutsolelos, P. Mexis, D. Malissovas, I. Sideris, R. Tsakiridi, K. Psomas, among others.

George Roupas Brack

Greek bass, he was born in Athens. He is a graduate of the Department of Mathematics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a diploma in singing. He has studied and attended seminars with Nikos Pagounis, Aris Christofellis, Dimitri Kavrakos, Hara Savino, etc. With the Greek National Opera he has cooperated in such productions as Un ballo in maschera, The magic violin, Die Zauberflöte, I vespri siciliani, Marathon-Salamis, as well as in productions of the project “The Suitcase Opera”.

The Medium Project

The Medium Project opera group was founded in 2013, after the initiative of director Raia Tsakiridi and conductor Andreas Tselikas. Its aim is to present operatic works of the 20th and 21st century. Through experimentalism, resourcefulness and creativity, the group’s purpose is to bring contemporary opera to a wider audience and to pinpoint its values in today’s world. The group has already mounted the following works: The Medium (Gian Carlo Menotti), for three consecutive seasons with great success, Bon Appetit! (Lee Hoiby), Hin und Zurück (Paul Hindemith, Boston, 2015, with the ensemble ALEA III), The Shell Game (opera by George Dousis and a libretto by Eri Kyrgia, 2015), Trouble in Tahiti (Leonard Bernstein) and Raven Revisited (Kostis Kritsotakis, 2018), all receiving dithyrambic reviews by the press and the audience.