27 Apr 2023
Stories Talk | Presentation Skills and Effective Storytelling
By Christina Katsantoni
George Koumentakis, the Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera is one of the most gifted and multidimensional Greek composers with wide international acclaim.
In addition to the numerous works of symphonic and chamber music, much of his artistic career has been devoted to composing music for the performing arts (theater, cinema, dance, opera, installations).
He has composed and presented four operas, with the leading two-act opera "The Murderess" (I Fonissa) combining the Greek musical tradition with the modern European identity of the genre.
His major accolades date back to 1985, when György Ligeti selected him and commissioned him to compose Sympolpa 5. In 1987, he collaborated for the first time with the famous French band “Ensemble InterContemporain” and began an upward trajectory of international recognition leading, in 1992, in the honorary scholarship Prix de Rome.
In 1992, he started a collaboration with choreographer and director Dimitris Papaioannou and the “Ground Team”, which reached its peak in 2004, with the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympic Games, where he served as music director, composer and creator of the music script.
His works have been presented all over the world, in important concert halls and lyric theaters. From 2015 to February 2017, he worked as artistic director of the Alternative Stage of the National Opera. Since then he has been at the helm of the Greek National Opera as artistic director.
In his Leaders Talk, George Koumentakis explains why music is a natural phenomenon, talks about success and rejection, spiritual luxury, the power of nature and tradition, inspiration and the significance of constant pursuit. He describes the creative process and explains why in music there are neither hidden treasures, nor hidden talents, which can’t be discovered...
#HisStory
Category
