Internationally renowned Greek musicians Vassilis Tsabropoulos and Nektaria Karantzi are coming to Melbourne for a one-night-only live performance combining Western musical culture and Eastern tradition.
The virtuoso pianist, composer and conductor will be joining forces with the acclaimed vocalist immersing their Melbourne audience in the sacredness of ecclesiastical music at the Hellenic Museum on Saturday, 1 April.
Off the back of a successful European tour, the duo will travel from Greece for an intimate live show to be held in the museum’s courtyard supported by the Holy Trinity Brunswick – Serbian Orthodox Choir.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
-Vassilis Tsabropoulos has shared the stage as a concert pianist with several of Europe’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Royal Concert Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Chamber Orchestrate and the Sofia Philharmonic & Italy Radio Orchestra. He has performed under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, in piano concertos of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff with the London Philharmonic and Czech Philharmonic Orchestras.
In October 2019, he performed two of the most demanding piano concertos – Beethoven’s famous Emperor piano concerto and Mozart’s concerto No. 20 – appearing as both a soloist and conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London.
Tsabropoulos is also the Honorary President of the Sergei Rachmaninov Greek Society, and the Music Director and Principal Conductor of Athens’ Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
-Nektaria Karantzi is one of the most influential female voices in Byzantine ecclesiastical music, and wider musical traditions of the Mediterranean.
Karantzi has practised traditional chanting since age 9, and first recorded at 14. In these recordings, she accompanied Saint Porphyrios the Kapsokalyvite, a contemporary saint who encouraged her to commence studies in Byzantine Music.
Since then she has performed across Europe and built a substantial discography, spanning Byzantine chant, the Mediterranean medieval musical tradition, and sacred religious music in Greek, Romanian, Arabic, Russian, Italian, French and Aramaic.
She is devoted to promoting the art of female chanting and the revival of the ancient Greek term for female chanters – psaltria. To this end, she is the founder of the Worldwide Association of Women in Byzantine Music. Karantzi is an established Professor of Byzantine Music and has taught at some of Europe’s most renowned educational and musical centres.
When: Saturday, 1 April, 7pm-9pm
Where: Hellenic Museum, 280 William St, Melbourne, VIC
Bookings: www.hellenic.org.au/event-details/between-east-and-west-live-performance
