W. Dwight Coleman, baritone is Professor of Voice and Coordinator of External Relations in the School of Music at Georgia State University. He is the Executive/Stage director of the nationally recognized Harrower Summer Opera Workshop in Atlanta, lead voice teacher and resident stage director for Lefkas Music July Festival in Lefkada, Greece and former resident stage director of the La Musica Lirica Summer Opera Festival in Italy. Maintaining an active performing career in opera, recital and oratorio, Mr. Coleman has performed in Italy, U.S.A, Austria, Greece, China, Taiwan, Brazil, the Bahamas, Germany and France. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1992 in Brahms' Ein Deutches Requiem and was later featured at Avery Fischer Hall in Lincoln Center as baritone soloist in Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams. Other performances include Ravel's Chanson Madecasses with the Musica da Camera in Atlanta; Eight Songs on text by Walt Whitman by Ned Rorem and "I remember long ago" from the Great Gatsby by John Harbison, with the composers in attendance; Elijah with the Pensacola Symphony and Choral Society; premiere performances of Waltzing Through the Endtime with the Atlanta Chamber Players, acclaimed as one of the top three classical performances in Atlanta 2005; and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his numerous collegiate operatic productions as a stage director, Mr. Coleman's professional credits include original language productions of: La bohème, Le nozze di Figaro, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Don Pasquale, L'Elisir d'amore, Die Fledermaus, Die Zauberflöte, Highway I U.S.A., The Impresario, Rigoletto, Suor Angelica, Falstaff, La traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Don Giovanni, L’incoronazione di Poppea and others. He has directed premiere performances of five contemporary operas.His numerous awards include Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in Chicago, Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year; Finalist in the Bel Canto Foundation competition in Italian Opera; winner of the National Opera Association's Opera Production Competition as stage director for his production of The Saint of Bleecker Street, winner of the Pro Mozart Society competition to study at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria with Grace Bumbry and Kerstin Meyer, and a Bel Canto grant to study in Busseto, Italy with Carlo Bergonzi, Renata Tebaldi and Piero Cappuccilli. At Georgia State University he received the 2000 Torch of Peace Award for promotion of racial harmony, the 2005 Sparks Award for dedication to service at Georgia State University and the 2007 College of Arts and Science Outstanding Teacher Award. As a recitalist, Derrick Henry, critic for the Atlanta Journal Constitution stated: "He grabbed one's attention immediately with his imposing, resonate voice and his theatrical manner. What made his recital special was the ability to make a listener identify with the texts' protagonists, to feel their joys and sorrows."

Siranous Tsalikian

Soprano SIRANOUS TSALIKIAN has enjoyed a rich career in Greece and abroad. As a soloist of the Dessau Opera (Germany), she participated in international tours and appeared at the Vienna Volksoper. She has also collaborated repeatedly with the Greek National Opera, the Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls, and the Opera of Thessaloniki. A graduate of the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki (class of Varvara Tsambali), she completed her studies at the Vienna Music Academy Opera School, studying with Helene Karusso, Edith Mathis and Curt Malm. She has participated in masterclasses with Daphne Evangelatos, Kostas Paskalis, Nicola Zaccaria and Inge Borkh. She has performed as a soloist with the State and City Symphony Orchestras of Thessaloniki, and has appeared at the “DIMITRIA” Festival and the Patmos Religious Music Festival. Graduates from her class have been accepted on scholarships at major academies and universities abroad: Royal Academy of Music (London), Georgia State University (Atlanta), Berklee College of Music (Boston), Conservatori Superior de Musica del Liceu (Barcelona). She teaches Vocal Technique & Interpretation at the New Conservatory of Thessaloniki and the Kavala Municipal Conservatory.

Nevart-Veron Galileas

Greek-Armenian flutist Nevart-Veron Galileas is an artist enjoying an international career as soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and pedagogue. Having performed in countries such as Austria, Armenia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Rumania, Japan, and the USA reviews have emphasized on her «musicality, lyricism and tone quality».
Dr. Galileas has performed and given master classes at international music festivals and institutions such as : «Renaissance» International Festival (Gyumri-Armenia 2014), West Texas A & M University (Canyon-Texas 2013), International Chamber Music Festival of the T.C.H. Organisation (Greece, 2013), Odysseia Symposium (Atlanta-Georgia 2010, 2011, 2012), 13th International Festival of Kavala «Y.A. Papaioannou» (Greece 2012), Georgia State University (Atlanta 2010, 2011, 2012), Etchings Festival of Contemporary Music (France 2011), Rutgers University (New Jersey 2010), Kutztown University (Pennsylvania 2010), Dimitria Festival (Greece 1999, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014), Nafplion Festival (Greece 2009), Rhodes Festival (Greece 2009) and the Summer Music Academy in Athitos (Greece 2007, 2008).She has appeared as soloist with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic (Czech Republic), the Brasov Symphony Orchestra (Rumania), the Ploesti Philharmonic Orchestra (Rumania), the Orchestra Citta di Grosetto (Italy), the Symphony of the Americas (Florida, USA), the Amarillo Virtuosi Chamber Players (Amarillo, Texas), the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki and the City Orchestra of Thessaloniki (Greece). She has also appeared as guest artist with the Cadence Ensemble (Armenia), the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble (Atlanta, USA) and the ECCE (East Coast Contemporary Ensemble, USA). Throughout her career Nevart-Veron has collaborated with distinguished artists such as: Thomas Robertello, Michael Palmer, Christos Galileas, Timothy Hester, Ilarion Ionescu Galati, James Brooks-Bruzzese, Maria Asteriadou, Brandt Fredriksen, Byron Fidetzis and Yiannis Tsitselikis. She has recorded for EBU (European Broadcast Union), Euroradio and her performances have been broadcasted on BBC and PBS. She has also recorded with the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble on Albany Records a CD featuring the works of Theodore Antoniou, Nickitas Demos, George Tsontakis and Christos Samaras. In 2013 and 2014 Dr. Galileas served as a member of the woodwind jury committee of the «Renaissance» International Festival in Gyumri (Armenia) and in the 2014-2015 season she was a juror for the apexart art organization of New York. She is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with the renowned flutist Michel Debost and Kathleen Chastain receiving the Bachelor of Music degree in 2001. She continued at Indiana University-Bloomington where she studied with Kathryn Lukas receiving the Master of Music degree in 2004 and was appointed the teaching assistant of flute position. In 2006 she received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook where she studied with Carol Wincenc. Nevart-Veron plays on a 14-carat gold flute built for her by David Straubinger.

Thomas Robertello

Internationally acclaimed for his musical imagination and virtuosity,flutist Thomas Robertello enjoys a multifaceted career as a soloist with orchestra, recitalist, chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher. He has been a member of several elite American orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Symphony Washington, D.C. Many orchestral tours with the world's leading conductors have taken him to the music centers and festivals of the U.S., Europe, South America and the Middle and Far East. As one of the leading flute professors in the world, Mr. Robertello is currently on the faculty of Indiana University School of Music. He has also served on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Carnegie Mellon University. He regularly presents recitals and masterclasses throughout the US and Japan and has made solo appearances at Pacific Music Festival, Nara Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, Brevard Music Center and numerous other venues. He has also presented recitals in South America and South Korea and has given masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatory in China. He has performed chamber music concerts with members of the Vienna Philharmonic and Empire Brass at the Pacific Music Festival and is a regular performer at the Sarasota Festival each summer. Robertello was the first featured flute soloist at the Kirishima Festival in Japan in 2003. He has appeared as soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Londrina Festival Orchestra Brazil as well as on Bartok Radio Hungary. A versatile solo performer with an extremely varied repertoire, Robertello is also a leader in the effort to expand the flute's solo literature and the role of the flute in new music. He has commissioned and championed the works of several young composers including Martin Kennedy, David Dzubay, Mischa Zupko and Matthew Van Brink. Solo recordings include Gypsy Wheel on Crystal Records - music by Griffes, Bizet/Borne, Taffanel as well as three new commissions with pianist Winston Choi. Other solo recordings include Souvenir - Music by Faure and Martin Kennedy with the composer at the piano for RIAX and Thomas Robertello Flute Recital recorded live during Mr. Robertello's Japan debut tour in 1996.

Christos Galileas

 Hailed by many critics as a «genuine virtuoso», «an incredible mixture of dazzling virtuosity and immaculate musicianship», «an artist of rare originality and utmost integrity», Christos Galileas has enjoyed an international career as a concert violinist, chamber musician, and teacher. Christos Galileas was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He took his first violin lessons at the age of four with his father Kosmas Galileas, the distinguished Greek violinist and conductor, and continued studying with Professor Stelios Kafantaris. He was awarded first prize and the gold metal for his outstanding musical abilities upon graduating from the Conservatory of Athens in 1994. While still a student he began an active career with international solo appearances and individual recitals. His first public appearance at age sixteen was with the Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki with an impressive performance of the Paganini violin concerto no 1. From 1994 to 1995, he studied with Zachar Bron in Lubeck Germany. He continued his studies with the renowned professors Roland and Almita Vamos at the Oberlin Conservatory where he received the «Dean’ s Talent Award» and got his B.M. degree. In 1995 he won the first prize at the «National Competition for Scholarships» of Greece, and two years later he was awarded the «Alexandra Triandi» scholarship of the «Megaron» of Athens. Since then he has appeared as soloist with many orchestras including the Berlin Symphony, the Bohuslav Martinu Orchestra, the State Orchestra of Athens, the National Radio Orchestra of Greece, the Prague Symphony, the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia, the Canadian Chamber Orchestra of Toronto, the Symphony of the Americas (Fort Lauderdale Florida), the Ploesti and Baccau Symphony Orchestras (Romania), the «Prague Virtuosi», the Orchestra Citta di Grosseto (Italy), the Symphony Orchestra of Sofia (Bulgaria), the Lisbon Chamber Orchestra (Portugal), the Latvian National Orchestra, the «Camerata Stuttgart» (Germany), and the Gustav Mahler Orchestra (Prague). He has made appearances at the International Festivals of «Nafplio» (1993, 2001), «Dimitria» (1994, 1998, 2003, 2004), the Music Festival of Armenia (1994), the Festival «Kypria» of Cyprus (1995), «The Festival of Patra» (1998), «Heraklion Summer Art Festival» (1999), the Festival of Classical Music of Larnaca», Cyprus (2001), the festival of Catania in Sicily (2001), and the «Festival Lago di Como», Italy. He has also appeared as soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Music Academy of Vienna, as well as the «Camerata» Orchestra of «Megaron» of Athens for the opening of the International Festival in Patra. In 1997, Christos Galileas won the first prize at the Greek National Competition for violin, held by the Cultural Association «TECHNI», in collaboration with the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki and the Cultural Capital of Europe «Thessaloniki 1997». Of special significance was his collaboration with acclaimed pianist Dimitri Sgouros with whom he has played extensively since 2000. In May 2001 he received the Master’ s Degree at the Juilliard School where he studied with the distinguished Professors of violin Dorothy Delay and Naoko Tanaka. In March 2001 he had the honor of receiving the first prize in the «Kate Neal Kinley Memorial fellowship» competition of the University of Illinois.In 2002, he founded the «Hellenic Camerata», a chamber orchestra with 22 members, and had an extensive tour in North, Central and South America in many countries such as: USA, El-Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay and gave more than 35 concerts in 7 weeks. In December 2005 he received his Doctorate Degree in Violin Performance (Doctor of Musical Arts) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Galileas has been invited to teach violin and chamber music extensively in renowned institutions such as:: The Juilliard School, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Illinois, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina, New York University, Penn State University, University of Houston, The State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, The Athens Conservatory among others. Dr. Galileas has held important administrative positions which include: Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Series at the «Dimitria» International Festival of Thessaloniki (2003-2010), Board of Directors of the State Conservatory of Greece and State Orchestra of Thessaloniki (2014-present). Highlighted appearances included the performance of the Brahms Double Concerto with Mischa Maisky, and the collaboration with the Borodin Quartet and the George Enescu Philharmonic of Bucharest (Romania). He has appeared as a soloist at some of the world’ s most prestigious concert venues such as the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Musikverein (Vienna), Gasteig (Munich), Smetana Hall (Prague), Athenaeum (Bucharest). In 2007 Christos Galileas joined the faculty at Georgia State University in Atlanta (USA). Dr. Galileas plays on a 1705 Joseph Guarneri violin.

 Brendan Shea 

Brendan Shea is a sought after soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. By the age of 11, he was performing with orchestras and had performed at Carnegie Hall. He continues to perform regularly with Orchestras and in recitals nationally and internationally, and has competed in many major international competitions including Queen Elisabeth, Carl Nielsen, Sendai, Sibelius, Isang-Yun, and Seoul. His awards span three continents and include Bronze Medal at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Gold Medal and Audience Award at the Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition, Grand Prize at the Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and 1st place with Honors in the Glazunov International Competition in Paris. Brendan has performed across the world in collaboration with many world class ensembles and as a soloist. He premiered Frederic Rzewski’s Night, Death, and Devil with the Emmy Award winning 8th Blackbird. As a founding member of the award winning Wasmuth Quartet(now Verona) he performed across the United States, Germany, and Japan. His solo career has taken him across the globe as well, with performances in major venues in Europe and Asia, and across North America. He is also present at prestigious festivals and residencies across the globe, including the peerless Encore Chamber Music Festival. In 2014 he partnered with his wife Yerin Kim to form the violin and piano Shea-Kim Duo, which has competed internationally and performed recitals in Asia, Europe and North America. Their performances have been broadcasted by Klara Continuo in Belgium, PBC in South Korea, and WUFT Classic in Florida. Their first CD was released by Ark Studio in Seoul, South Korea. Their first studio recording was released in the Fall of 2021 by Blue Griffin Record and the recording has garnered critical reviews as having “rock star fire” (Midwest Record) and “the deeply musical, expressive character and spiritual fusion of the Shea-Kim duo” (Classical Music Sentinel). Their latest recording, “All Roads”, was released in June 2023 and has been reviewed as “impressive performance” (Gramophone Magazine), “Shea and Kim work exquisitely as a team, overlapping their lines so seamlessly they venom inseparable..overall comes across as more than merely notes, more like real life” (Strings Magazine). Brendan also served as the Concertmaster at the South Bend Symphony under Alastair Willis as Concertmaster from 2018 to 2021. He currently serves as the Concertmaster of Boise Philharmonic under music director and conductor, Eric Garcia. In addition to his performance career, Brendan is also a sought-after violin teacher and chamber musician. He has taught at several prestigious summer festivals, including the Encore Chamber Music Festival and Credo Music Festival. He has been a guest faculty at Oberlin Conservatory, Visiting Professor of the Practice of Violin and Viola at the University of Notre Dame, and was on the faculty of Indiana University, South Bend. He currently is the Violin Professor and Langroise Trio Artist in Resident at the College of Idaho.

Yannis Tsitselikis

Yannis Tsitselikis was born in Thessaloniki and graduated from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki in 1990. His first important cello teacher was Manolis Kazabakas. He completed his studies (with scholarships from the British Council, the Onassis Foundation, and the Foundation of State Scholarships) at the Royal College of Music in London with William Pleeth, at the Eastman School of Music in the United States with Steven Doan, and at Indiana University with Janos Starker, where he earned his master of music degree in 1998. Tsitselikis gave signs of talent early in life. His career started at the age of 14, with solo recitals in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other Greek cities, as well as with recordings for the Third Program of the Greek Radio and Television. At the age of 16, he was honoured with first prize at the competition of the Graduate Association of Thessaloniki Conservatories and gave recitals organized by the Athens and Thessaloniki state orchestras. In 1989, he represented Greece in Venice in a concert organized and televised by Italian Radio Television.Tsitselikis has performed recitals in Athens, Belgrade, London, Oxford, and Houston, among other cities. He has appeared as a soloist with important orchestras in Greece as well as abroad, such as: Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Vladimir Spivakov; Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra of Vienna, under the direction of Philippe Entremont; Youth Orchestra Rhineland-Palatinate, with which he toured many cities in Germany; and the Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Hobart Earle.Tsitselikis is a member of the World Orchestra for Peace as one of its principal cellists and took part in the orchestra’s tours in Europe (2003), Russia (2005), and China (2007), under the direction of Valery Gergiev. In October 2004, he toured to Budapest, Singapore, and India as concertino cellist of the Maggio Musicale of Florence, under the direction of Zubin Mehta.Since November 2000, Tsitselikis has been solo cellist at the State Orchestra of Athens.In 2015 he was the assistant of Chris Rex at Georgia State University and was invited twice by J.T.Dodson to give solo performances with the Adrian symphony orchestra in Adrian and the BBSO in Detroit.He plays a 1900 Leon Bernadel cello and uses a Voirin bow bequeathed to him by the English cellist Amaryllis Fleming.

Tina Chong

Hailed as “… a deity of elegance” by the New Brunswick Beacon, Dr. Tina Chong is an international award-winning pianist and teaching artist. A native of Banff, Canada, Tina has been described as, “…mature and yet fresh, imbued with tradition and yet inhabited by individuality, the marks of an artist” (The Herald Times).  She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music at San Diego State University and performs regularly with the San Diego Symphony as principal keyboardist. Tina’s recital career has brought her to such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and Sala Chopin in Mexico City. She has been featured in La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, the Portland International Summer Festival, and the WFMT Series of Chicago. Under the management of Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, Tina has gone on extensive concert tours throughout Canada. She is the prizewinner of several international competitions, including the Montreal International Musical Competition and the Jacques Klein Piano Competition in Brazil. An artist of great versatility, Tina performs in a wide range of genres such as classical, pop, Broadway, and film music in orchestra and chamber ensembles, as well as dance collaborations. Her prowess on piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, celesta, synthesizer, and harmonium have led to projects with artists such as Rachel Barton Pine, Inon Barnaton, Anthony McGill, Stefan Jackiw, and Tyler Duncan. This breadth of creative activity continues to inspire Tina’s engagement and cross-pollination with a wide community of musicians and audiences.Tina is a passionate advocate of alternatively-sized keyboards and is responsible for the acquisition of two reduced-sized piano keyboards at San Diego State University, the first of its kind in a university on the west coast of North America. She is also an active clinician throughout North America, giving frequent guest lectures, masterclasses, and adjudications. Tina earned her Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music with a major in piano performance and minors in music education and historical performance practice. Her mentors were Arnaldo Cohen, Peter Miksza, and Elisabeth Wright. Tina is also a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she studied with Angela Cheng. She has worked closely with artist-teachers Robert McDonald, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Julian Martin, Arie Vardi, and Menahem Pressler at numerous international summer festivals.

Brandt Fredriksen

Pianist Brandt Fredriksen has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. His debut recitals were held in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City and Gasteig Cultural Center in Munich, Germany. He has collaborated with members of the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera and the American String Quartet. CD recordings include the complete violin and piano sonatas of Johannes Brahms with violinist, Anton Miller, Odysseia: New Music from Greek and Greek-American composers, Vocal collaborations include The Repertoire of Paul Robeson and Jazz Hymns with operatic Bass, Kevin Maynor, and Lieder by Mozart, Schubert and Strauss with mezzo soprano Lara Nie. Additional recordings include solo piano music of Scriabin, Glinka, Ravel, Satie, Chopin, and Prokofiev for the soundtrack of the award winning film documentary “Sonia”, produced by Lucy Kostelanetz. He has served as ensemble coach for the New York International Piano Competition sponsored by The Stecher and Horowitz Foundation, which has been featured on PBS. Brandt Fredriksen holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and a Bachelor of Music from Indiana University. He has also studied in Freiburg, Germany and the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. His numerous awards included the Munz Award (The Juilliard School), Irene Tintner International Competition (MI), Artists International (NY), and Lima Concerto Competition (OH). His major teachers were Mischa Kottler, Flavio Varani, Nadia Reisenberg, James Tocco, Gyorgy Sebok, Martin Canin and Ferenc Rados.

Yerin Kim

Praised by the International Piano Magazine as a “pianist of beautiful finesse and golden tone”, and “powerful and engaging, poetic and expressive with some truly original interpretive insights, all performed with a great technique” by Phoenix Classical, pianist Yerin Kim is a recitalist, chamber musician, and educator. She has given concerts in various festivals and recitals in major venues internationally, including The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Carnegie Hall in New York, and Place Flagey in Brussels. Her solo debut album "First and Last Words" can be heard on Sheva Label and her duo album “The Sound and the Fury” and “All Roads” with violinist Brendan Shea by the Blue Griffin records. Her duo is managed by the Parker Artist Management and has been praised by major magazines and critics such as Strings Magazine, the BBC Music Magazine, the Calgary Herald, and Gramophone Magazine. Kim is also passionate about outreach and education and she is the founder and director of Sensory Friendly Music and Autism Concert Series, Co-artistic Director of Chamber Music in the Bend, as well as Pianofest at CWU and Music & Autism concert series. Kim is currently the Director of Keyboard Studies at Central Washington University where she teaches piano and chamber music. Prior to CWU, she taught at the University of Notre Dame as Adjunct Assistant Teaching Professor and has taught at pre-college programs at Indiana University Bloomington and Stony Brook University. Kim holds a Double Degree in Piano Performance and Psychology from Oberlin Conservatory and College, a Master of Music from Indiana University Bloomington, and Doctor of Musical Arts from Stony Brook University.
For more information on Yerin : www.yerinkim.com www.Shea-kimduo.com

George Konstantinidis

The pianist Georgios Konstantinidis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. After graduating with honors from the Thessaloniki State Conservatory, he entered the National Conservatory in Paris in the class of Bernard Ringeissen and Jacques Rouvier (Prix d’ Excellence, Prix de Perfectionement). He also attended master classes with Paul Badura Skoda and Bruno Leonardo Gelber. In 1993 he won the first prize in the National Chamber music competition and in 1998 he won the second prize in the National Piano Competition. He has made many appearances as soloist as well as chamber music player in USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Romania and Egypt playing among others with the famous pianist Cyprien Katsaris and the Enesco Quartet, and with such orchestras as the Philharmonia of Greensboro, the Westchester Univerisity Orchestra, the Symphonia Bucharest Orchestra and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. He has given master classes at the Univerisity of Catania in Italy. Konstantinidis appeared in several International Festivals where his performance was highly praised by the press. Recently he found great interest in the repertory for the left hand. In April 2006, April 2008 and April 2010, he organized in collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Institute of Music Physiology and Musicians’ Medicine in Hanover, the First and Second and third International Musicians’ Medicine Congresses in Greece. Up until 2010, he was director of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, the only one in Greece. He is currently President of the Thessaloniki Conservatories Board of Alumni, Vice President of the Friends of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and Vice President of the Hellenic Association for the Medicine and Sciences of Dance and the Performing Arts. He holds a degree and a master’s diploma in law.

Alex Peh

Alex Peh is a pianist, improviser and scholar who explores the piano in global classical, contemporary, and improvised practices. A 2021 Fulbright Global Scholar and 2019 Asian Cultural Council fellow, Peh explores contemporary piano repertoire, finding new approaches to tuning, pedagogy, notation and musical transmission. He has commissioned composers Anna Clyne, Susie Ibarra, Hafez Modirzadeh, Phyllis Chen, Ne Myo Aung, Nikos Ordoulidis, and Kyaw Kyaw Naing funded by National Endowment for the Arts, New Music USA, New York State Council of the Arts, Harvard FROMM, Arts Mid-Hudson, Asian Cultural Council and Fulbright. Peh is a member of Talking Gong, an improvising trio with percussionist, Susie Ibarra and flutist, Claire Chase. They released their debut album in 2019 entitled Talking Gong on New Focus Recordings available on all major streaming platforms and have performed in New York City at Carnegie Hall, BRIC, Public Theater, and Roulette Intermedium. Peh earned his doctorate in piano performance from Indiana University where he mentored with Arnaldo Cohen, Menahem Pressler and Evelyne Brancart. He pursued undergraduate studies at Northwestern University where he worked with Sylvia Wang. He attended the Banff, Aspen and Tanglewood music festivals where he studied with Emanuel Ax, Pamela Frank, Claude Frank, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and Peter Serkin. He is an associate professor of piano at SUNY New Paltz.

Lina Tonia

Lina Tonia, is a young award winning composer born in Greece, in 1985. Her work list include more than 100 compositions for orchestra, ensembles, operas and music for theatre that performed in Paris, Vienna, London, New York, Boston, Moscow, Weimar, Berlin, Edinburgh, Zagreb, Sofia, Plovdiv, Tirana, Athens and Thessaloniki. She has been awarded prizes in several national and international composition competitions for her works. Among others, she received the first prize at Jungerson International Composition Competition in Moscow (2007), the Baerenreiter Award at the 12th International Via Nova Composition Competition in Weimar (2010), the title of “New Young Artist of the Year” from the Union of Greek Critics for Music and Theatre in Athens (2010). She awarded from the Greek National Opera in Athens, for her chamber opera “The Expelled” (2012) and also at the same year from the Vienna University and Institute Kunsthaus of Muerz, for her work “Kivos” for 12 violoncellos (2012). Her solo work “Neuma” for viola awarded with the Sempre Piu Edition’s Prize in Paris (2014). Her chamber opera “Fear &(s) the Love” performed and awarded in Music Biennale of Zagreb (2015). Her 5th string quartet “ENNEA” took a premiered by the Arditti Quartet at the Konzerthaus in Mozart Saal in Wien Modern (2015) in Vienna. She has been invited as guest composer and jury member at Piano Campus International Competition and commissioned to write her piano concerto “Les Mondes Flottants” to be performed as a compulsory piece at the final round of piano competition in Cergy Pontoise (2016). Her orchestral piece “Squall” performed in Music Biennale of Zagreb by the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dian Tchobanov, and performed by pianist: Srebrenka Poljak (2017). Her orchestral piece “Butterfly Effect” recorded by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pierre Andre Valade in Paris (2017). She studied composition at the Department of Music in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2003 – 2008), with Professor Christos Samaras. She completed a PhD in Composition in Edinburgh University with distinction (2008 – 2012) under the supervision of the professor Nigel Osborne and Michael Edwards, where she was studying with a Greek National Scholarship from Union of Greek Composers (2008 – 2009) and IKY Foundation (2009 – 2011). She studied composition with Michael Jarrell at the Vienna University (2012 – 2013). She worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Music Theory & Composition with a fellowship of the Research Committee of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2013 - 2014). She participated in many international composition workshops in USA, UK, Germany, France. She selected to participate at Manifeste Academy for young composers at IRCAM with Toshio Hosokawa, in Paris (2017). She has been invited as guest composer and lecturer to Takefu International Music Festival in Japan (2018). She commissioned by the Appleton Boychoir to compose her piece “Morning Sea” for the 40th anniversary of the Appleton Boychoir which took place in Appleton (Wisconsin) under of direction of Kevin Meidl. Some of her works are published by Sconfinarte Editions, Sempre Piu, Aelfior Editions and Donemus Publishing House. She is founding member and artistic director of Meet the Art, artistic series of concerts and performances around Modern Art in Thessaloniki (2015 - 2016). She is teaching Composition at the University of Macedonia, Department of Music Art and Science, in Thessaloniki from September of 2016. She gives lectures and seminars around composition and contemporary music. She is a jury member at ENKOR International Music Competition from 2014.

Yiorgos Vassilandonakis

Yiorgos Vassilandonakis’ portfolio spans across a wide range of influences and styles, venturing into chamber, vocal, orchestral, opera, film, electronic & multimedia genres. Transcending stylistic boundaries, his works are emotionally engaging and cerebral, driven by a strong dramatic and formal sense, revealing a mastery of timbre, sonority and temporal space, and a deep interest in sound itself as a physical entity. Hailed by reviewers as “…a fascinating collection of sounds, inventive performance techniques, some of which first-time events…” (San Francisco Chronicle), “…an intimate, soft poetry that consumed the audience…” (Repeat Performances), “…lingering sonorities and delicacies…” (San Francisco Classical Voice), his music is frequently presented on both sides of the Atlantic, and has been commissioned and performed among others by Southern Exposure, the New York New Music Ensemble, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, the Juilliard Percussion Ensemble, ALEA III, the Del Sol String Quartet, Ensemble Cairn, Meridian Arts Ensemble, Ensemble In Extensio, Empyrean Ensemble, the Athens Camerata, and the Hellenic Contemporary Ensemble, and featured in the Aspen, Ernest Bloch, Domaine Forget, Wellesley and Patras International Festivals. Awards include the 2011 Aaron Copland Prize, 1st Prize at the Mediterranean Music Center 3rd International Composition Competition, the George Ladd Prix de Paris, the Henry Mancini Award, the Eisner Prize in Music, and the Nicola di Lorenzo Prize, as well as grants and additional support from Meet-the-Composer, the American Music Center and the Ministry of Culture of France. His one-act opera Chorevoume (Dance with Me), was commissioned and staged by the Experimental Stage of the National Opera of Greece in 2008. A progressive work combining non-linear narrative and film montage techniques with virtuosic vocal writing and intricate instrumental textures, Chorevoume was enthusiastically received by both audience and critics.Yiorgos holds advanced degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where his principal composition teachers were Edmund Campion, Richard Felciano, John Thow, Jorge Liderman and Cindy Cox. As the recipient of the George Ladd Prix de Paris, he spent two years in Paris, studying advanced composition, orchestration and electronic music with Philippe Leroux, at the École Nationale de Musique et de Danse, Erik Satie. He also studied composition with Paul Reale and Ian Krouse, as well as Film Music with the legendary Jerry Goldsmith, Paul Chihara & Don Ray. His conducting teachers were David Milnes and Jeffrey Schindler. A dedicated educator, Dr. Vassilandonakis has taught Composition and Music Theory at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia, as well as electronic music at the Centre de Création Musicale, Iannis Xenakis, in Paris, before joining the faculty at the College of Charleston in 2010, where he is now Associate Professor of Composition & Music Theory and Director of contemporary music activities, named Outstanding Faculty of the Year in 2013. He has penned essays and interviews published in the Computer Music Journal (MIT Press), and the College Reference Dictionary Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century (Salem Press), and has held composing residencies at Yaddo and at Cité Internationale Des Arts. He is featured in the prestigious New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Oxford University Press), and was named among the 50 most progressive people in Charleston in 2011. Also active as a conductor and proponent of contemporary music, Yiorgos is currently the curator and co-music director for the contemporary music series Magnetic South with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and Composer-In-Residence with the Worn Chamber Ensemble in San Francisco.