Friday, 19 December 2025 16:54

Change in Tosca’s cast

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Greek set and costume designer, she studied at the School of Drama (Faculty of Fine Arts) of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specialising in scenography and costume design. She holds a master’s degree in Digital Communication Media and Interactive Environments (NKUA), with a specialisation in virtual reality application design. Additionally, she holds a diploma in violin from the Conservatory of Northern Greece. In 2022, she was selected as a residency artist at the “A Turma” Performing Arts Research Centre in Portugal. Since 2016 she has collaborated as a set and costume designer with Onassis Foundation, Graz National Theatre, Baden State Theatre Karlsruhe, Munich Kammerspiele, Grips Theatre in Berlin, National Theatre of Northern Greece, Teatro Due in Parma, Athens Epidaurus Festival, National Theatre of Greece, etc. She has worked with renowned directors such as Daniel Wetzel (Rimini Protokoll), Konstantinos Rigos, Anestis Azas, Prodromos Tsinikoris, Sjoerd Wagenaar, Eleni Efthymiou, Konstantinos Aspiotis, Maria Magkanari, Polina Kremasta, Anastasia Valsamaki. She also designed the visual identity for the GNO Learning & Participation for the 2022/23 artistic season.

Βorn in Zaragoza (Spain), she trained with María de Ávila and graduated with highest honours as a professional dancer from the Real Conservatorio de Danza in Madrid. She has earned international awards and performed classical repertoire and contemporary works at the Leipzig Opera and the Wiesbaden Theater. She holds a diploma in dance pedagogy from the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. She teaches at the Estudio de Danza María de Ávila, Professional Conservatory of Dance of Riba-roja de Túria (Valencia) and in Spanish conservatories. She has served as ballet master and répétiteur for the Ballet in Zaragoza and the Theatres of the Generalitat Valenciana, and has been invited by the Koblenz Theatre, Mainz State Theatre, Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company and the Compañía Nacional de Danza. Since 2013 she has been ballet master, répétiteur and choreographer at the Pfalztheater (Kaiserslautern, Germany) becoming interim director in 2016 and dance company director in 2023. Since then she has been working as a guest artist for various institutions.

Born in Bilbao, Spain, she began her ballet training in her hometown and earned a scholarship at Dancestudio. She joined the Young Ballet of Bilbao in 1989, soon performing solo roles, and in 1991, she became Principal Dancer at the Basque Country Ballet. Her repertoire included leading roles such as Giselle and Myrtha (Giselle), Kitri (Don Quixote), Paquita. In 1994, she joined the Hessian State Ballet as a Soloist, dancing classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works under Ben van Cauwenbergh and later Stephan Thoss. A career highlight was her dual role as Odette / Odile in Swan Lake, coached by Maya Plisetskaya. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in dance education with distinction from the Mannheim State University of Music and Performing Arts. In 2013, she became ballet mistress and rehearsal director at the State Theatre Karlsruhe under the directionship of Prof. Birgit Keil. Since 2019 she has held the same position at Eisenach and Meiningen State Theatres, whilst teaching internationally including the Greek National Opera Ballet as well as in Japan.

Featured as a Classic FM 2025 Rising Star and currently a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2025/26), José Salazar is a dynamic young conductor celebrated for his versatility and flair in concert programming. From 2023–2025 he was a Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Opera House, working extensively with the Royal Ballet and the ROH Orchestra. He returned there in November 2025 to conduct the ballet La Fille mal gardée. Previously, as Artistic and Music Director of El Sistema Greece (2018–2023), he curated and conducted concerts at leading venues in Greece while appearing internationally as a guest conductor. Recent highlights include his USΑ debut with the YOLA National Festival Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall (July 2024), his debut with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra in Caracas (April 2025), and his return to Birmingham Royal Ballet in The Nutcracker (December 2025). This season marks his first collaboration with the Greek National Opera and Ballet.

Born in Korea, he began his training at the Korea National University of Arts before joining the Dutch National Ballet in 2011. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2016. Throughout his career, he has performed leading roles in both classical and contemporary repertoire, including Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère as well as works by Hans van Manen, William Forsythe and David Dawson. Ηe is widely recognised for his refined artistry, musical sensitivity and powerful stage presence. In addition to his performing career, he is currently exploring the integration of the Alexander technique into ballet training, deepening his understanding of movement, awareness and expression.

British-Belarusian ballet dancer, international guest Principal Ballerina. She began her training at the Belarusian State Ballet College and continued at English National Ballet School after receiving a Prix de Lausanne scholarship. She started her professional career with English National Ballet, where at the age of twenty she danced her first Giselle and was nominated for the English National Ballet’s Emerging dancer award. In 2012, she created the title role in George Williamson’s Firebird, for which she received the UK National Dance Award. She was later nominated for the Prix Benois de la danse (2013), won the Dance Open award (2018) and the Premio Eccellenze della Danza (2023). Since 2016 she has been Principal Dancer with Berlin State Ballet, performing leading roles in classical and contemporary repertoire and creating roles with such choreographers as Nacho Duato, Alexander Ekman, Alexei Ratmansky, Liam Scarlett, Sol León. In 2019/20 she also performed as permanent guest Principal Dancer with Polish National Ballet. She first collaborated with the GNO Ballet in Don Quixote (2024).

Russian ballet dancer, she graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy (St Petersburg). In 2018, she won the Bolshoi Ballet’s Best Ballerina Nomination Project, and in 2019, the Soul of Dance Award. That same year, she was appointed Prima Ballerina at the Stanislavsky Theatre. In December 2023, she joined the Bavarian State Ballet as a First Soloist and was promoted to Prima Ballerina in 2024. Her repertoire includes such roles as Sylphide, Tatiana (Onegin), Nikiya / Gamzatti (La Bayadère), Odette / Odile (Swan Lake), Manon, Kitri (Don Quixote), Giselle and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet). She has also performed demanding roles in works by renowned choreographers including Roland Petit, Yuri Possokhov, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, and Alexei Ratmansky.