Concert with the award winners of the 5th Panhellenic Piano Competition of the Thessaloniki Piano Festival

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Alternative Stage sponsor: PPC (Public Power Company)

The Thessaloniki Piano Festival will present a concert with the three winners of the 5^th Panhellenic Piano Competition at the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage in the SNFCC on Friday 7 June 2024 at 20.30. Admission will be free for the public. The concert will feature the talented pianists Apostolos Konstantakis (1^st Prize), Nikolas Pappas (2^nd Prize), and Ektoras Karatzios-Papaioannou (3^rd Prize).

Apostolos Konstantakis will perform Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Nikolas Pappas will perform the pieces “Danseuses de Delphes" (Dancers from Delphi) and “Minstrels” from Debussy’s Preludes, Book I, and Rachmaninov’s Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36, while Ektoras Karatzios-Papaioannou will perform  Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 870 from Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, Beethoven’s Sonata in A Major, Op. 2, No. 2 (First part – Allegro vivace), Chopin’s Scherzo no. 3 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 39, and “Trepak” from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker in Mikhail Pletnev’s transcription. 

A few words about the Panhellenic Piano Competition

The Thessaloniki Piano Festival, supported by the Thessaloniki State Conservatory, showcases talented Greek pianists through the Panhellenic Piano Competition. The competition takes place every two years and is open to young pianists up to 27 years old. It is organized in three rounds. In the first two rounds, contestants perform solo recitals with their chosen works. In the third round, which takes place at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, the shortlisted finalists perform concertos selected by the organizers accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the Thessaloniki State Conservatory. Apart from cash prizes, the winners also have the opportunity to perform in concerts at prestigious venues in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other locations in Greece. The three winners of the competitions were singled out among 38 contestants. In this concert, they will present a captivating programme featuring Mussorgsky’s vivid Pictures at an Exhibition and Rachmaninov’s masterly Second Sonata, along with other pieces. The next competition has been scheduled for spring 2025.

APOSTOLOS KONSTANTAKIS (1^st Prize)

The 23-year-old native of Rhodes, Apostolos Angelos Konstantakis, is a pianist who has been honored with many awards in Greece, Europe, and the USA. His accomplishments include winning the 1st Prize at the 5th Panhellenic Piano Competition of the Thessaloniki Piano Festival, along with receiving prizes in international competitions. In 2023, he won the Concerto Competition of the Bowling Green State University (USA). Through this opportunity, he had the chance to work with the BG Philharmonic Οrchestra and perform Franz Liszt’s Concerto No 2 under the baton of Dr Emily Freeman Brown. He also performed the same Concerto with the Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Athens Conservatoire, under Pavlos Stergiou. Moreover, Konstantakis has given concerts in venues such as the Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls, and the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, as well as in numerous cities including Xanthi, Corfu, Florina, and other places in the USA. He has been invited to perform at music festivals such as the Rhodes International Piano Forum, the Rhodes International Festival, and the Symi International Festival. He has participated in piano seminars with Hideyo Harada, Claudio Curro Dossi, and Solungga Liu, as well as in piano accompaniment seminars with Andreas Reibenspies. In 2023 he was awarded a tuition scholarship and the Patricia Smith Scholarship from the Bowling Green State University, where he’s currently pursuing postgraduate studies in piano performance, under Dr Solungga Liu. He started piano lessons at the age of five and graduated from the Music Art School of the Dodecanese, receiving a piano diploma with honours and a 1^st Prize. He also graduated from the Ionian University in piano performance and musical interpretation (in the class of Lambis Vassiliadis).

NIKOLAS PAPPAS (2^nd Prize)

Born in 2000. He took his first piano and music theory lessons at the age of nine. He has won numerous prizes at national piano competitions. In 2020 and 2021 he won the 1^st Prize at the UNESCO competition, in the adult category, while in March 2023 he was awarded the 2^nd Prize at the 5^th Panhellenic Piano Competition of the Thessaloniki Piano Festival. He has participated in many piano seminars in Greece and abroad with Dimitris Toufexis, Dmitri Alexeev, Robert Levin, and Michel Béroff.  In October 208 he started his studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg with Rolf Plagge. In June 2022 he completed his studies, graduating with honours, and was accepted for postgraduate studies in solo performance. He has performed with the Trikala Youth Symphony Orchestra, the “Ioanna Syngelaki” Symphony Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Conservatoire Student Symphony Orchestra, and the Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra.

EKTORAS  KARATZIOS-PAPAIOANNOU (3^rd Prize)

Born in Larissa in 2006. He was awarded a piano diploma with honours, 1^stprize, and a distinction for excellent performance (Municipal Conservatoire of Larissa, Class of Christos Lenoutsos, June 2022). Upon a unanimous decision of the Municipal Council, he won a scholarship from the Municipal Conservatoire of Larissa.  From the academic year 2022-2023 to this day he has been studying at the Preparatory Class of the University of Graz under Professor Aima Maria Labra-Makk. He has won first prizes at the Filona, HON, MCL, and Maria Herogiorgou-Sigara competitions, the Panhellenic Piano Competition for Children, and the 5^th Panhellenic Music Competition of the Club for UNESCO of Art, Literature, and Science. He has also received the 3^rd Prize at the 6^th International Jenö Takács Piano Competition in Austria (no 1^st and 2^nd prizes were awarded) and the 5^th Panhellenic Competition of the Thessaloniki Piano Festival.