Concert with the Intercultural Orchestra of the Greek National Opera

The Intercultural Orchestra of the Greek National Opera bids 2023 farewell with a singular concert that will be held on Tuesday 19 December 2023 at 20.30 in the Parnassos Literary Society hall, with free admission for the public.

 In its first performance for this year, the Intercultural Orchestra takes a step forward and presents us with something totally new. Its members will perform a programme of their own original compositions, through which we will have the chance to enjoy a wide range of the Orchestra’s members’ musical traditions, styles and timbres, from its foundation to this date. We will listen to music pieces composed by May Angelaki, Lambrini Gioti, Sofia Zafiriou, Stavros Papakyritsi, Christos Syngelos, Melpo Chalkoutsaki, Manolis Christodoulou, Effie Psiachoulia, Cid Carmo and Seray Yalçın.

Featuring the musicians: Harris Lambrakis (ney, piano), Orestis Gargoulakis (flute), Simos Papaspyrou (ney), Christos Syngelos (oud, ney), Seray Yalcin (oud, singing), Stavros Papakyritsis (oud, mandolin), Giannis Christakopoulos (accordion), Effie Psiachoulia (African kora, percussion), Manolis Christodoulou (qanun), May Angelaki (Cretan lute), Rezarta Krougia (violin), Myrsini Pontikopoulou (violin), Sofia Zafiriou (violin, electronics), Cid Carmo (tarhu, violin), Savvas Koudounas (Constantinopolitan lyre, violin), Anastasia Papageorgiou (Constantinopolitan lyre), Lambrini Gioti (nyckelharpa, piano), Martha Papadogianni (cello), Alba Lymtsiouli (cello), Yannis Tikov (double bass, electric bass, guitar), Stathis Koutouzos (percussion), Alexandra Balandina (percussion), Mohammed Alabdali (percussion), Kristin Sofroniou (piano)

“This time the Orchestra attempts to shift towards a deeper exploration of its sound, express the richness of its diverse trends and timbres, and communicate on a deeper and more meaningful level with its own core, as well as with the audience. The new repertoire is but a small sample of the connections and collaborations developed among its members over the years, as well as of its potential, as an open and constantly evolving ensemble.”, notes Harris Lambrakis, the Intercultural Orchestra’s manager.

A few words about the GNO Intercultural Orchestra

 The Intercultural Orchestra was created in 2018 and now consists of 23 musicians from a variety of nationalities, with diverse musical backgrounds and experiences. Its repertoire is very wide. It ranges from world music traditions to contemporary music and free improvisation. The main concept upon which the Orchestra was established and evolved is music’s ability to serve as a common space for people to come together and interact on equal footing. Its goal is to introduce both its members and audiences to musical traditions, music genres and timbres from different countries and eras, as well as to promote musical co-creation through educational processes based on exchange and active participation. Harris Lambrakis has been the leader of the Intercultural Orchestra since its foundation.

To this date, the Intercultural Orchestra has successfully given numerous concerts in diverse locations, not limited to just music venues, within and outside the Greek National Opera, such as the GNO Alternative Stage, the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus and the courtyard of the Acropolis Museum as part of the 1^st GNO Sacred Music Festival, to name but a few. Moreover, it has taken part in various projects and productions of the Greek National Opera, such as the opera Inland with music by Angelos Triantafyllou and directed by Nikos Karathanos in the Stavros Niarchos Hall at the SNFCC (July 2022).

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