Kyros Patsalides (baritone)
Vivianna Giannaki (soprano)
David Aronson (piano))
Friday 30 April 2010, 8.30pm
Pallas Theatre, Nicosia
Under the Auspices of the Mayor of Nicosia, Mrs Eleni Mavrou
As part of its Cyprus Artists Series, the Pharos Arts Foundation presents a
unique concert with the internationally-acclaimed baritone Kyros Patsalides,
the highly-talented Cypriot soprano Vivianna Giannaki and Vienna State
Opera's pianist, David Aronson. The concert will take place on 30 April
2010, at Pallas Theatre, Nicosia, 8.30pm and will include arias and duets by
Gluck, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Kurt Weill and Manos
Hadjidakis. The concert is organized under the auspices of the Mayor of
Nicosia, Mrs. Eleni Mavrou.
Kyros Patsalides (baritone)
One of the most internationally-acclaimed Cypriot artists, baritone Kyros
Patsalides studied music and classical singing at the Athens Conservatoire,
from which he was awarded a Soloist Diploma with distinction. He continued
his studies in Vienna under the guidance of the world-renowned baritones
Walter Berry and Gottfried Hornik on a scholarship by the “The Music and
Fine Arts Foundation” of Cyprus. He also studied Lied and Oratorio at the
Music Academy of Vienna and participated in various singing seminars given
by Kostas Paschalis, Ileana Cotrubas, Janette Pilou and Luici Alva.
Patsalides completed his studies in Milan studying operatic repertoire next
to Adalberdo Tonini and singing technique next to Arrigo Pola and Simone
Badi.
In 1995, Kyros Patsalides won first prizes in the International Song
Competition of the Arena di Verona and the International Competition of
Budapest Opera, with the world-renowned soprano Dame Joan Sutherland being
President of the jury. Shortly after, he embarked on a highly-successful
international career singing the principal roles of G. Germont (La Traviata)
and Belcore (L`Elisir d´Amore) in Vienna and Verona respectively. Patsalides
has appeared in a number of opera houses throughout the world, including the
Vienna State Opera, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Teatro Comunale di
Spoleto, Teatro Jovellanos di Gijon, Chemnitz Staatstheater, the National
Opera of Maribor, the National Opera of Greece, as well as various concert
halls such as Musikverein Wien, Konzerthaus Wien, Konzerthaus Berlin,
Konzerthaus München, Athens and Thessaloniki Megarons. He has also appeared
in international Festivals such as the Wiener Festwochen, Due Mondi in
Spoleto, St. Margariten Opera Festival in Austria, Kuhmo International
Chamber Music Festival, and Athens International Festival in Herodion
Atticus. As a soloist he has collaborated with a number of orchestras
including the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg KammerPhilarmonie,
Orchestra Dell´Arena di Verona, Vienna Mozart Orchestra, European Union
Youth Orchestra, Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra, and Moscow Virtuosi
under the batons of legendary conductors such as Sir Rechard Bonynge, Geza
Oberfrank, Andrea Licata, Vladimir Ponkin, Adalberto Tonini, Vladimir
Askenazy, Niels Muus, Marianno Rivas, Skip Sempe and Tsou Hui.
Patsalides' repertoire comprises the principal baritone roles in Verdi's
Macbeth, Rigoletto, Un ballo in Maschera, and Il Trovatore, Donizetti's L’
Elisir d’Amore and Lucia di Lammermoor, Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte and Le Nozze
di Figaro, Puccini's La Bohéme, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Bizet's
Carmen. He has also sung the roles Donner in Wagner's Das Reingold and
Jupiter in Orpheus in the Underworld, as well as in the Greek contemporary
operas Kariotakis by Mikis Theodorakis, Alexander the Great by N. Astrinides,
and Konstantinos Paleologos by of M. Kalomiris, amongst others. Kyros
Patsalides has sung the role of Omar in the international production of
Rossini´s L´Assedio di Corinto next to Luciana Serra, at the archaeological
site of Corinthos as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2004 celebration events.
He also represented Cyprus in concerts organized for the Cyprus accession to
the European Union earning the greatest and most enthusiastic praise by
international critics.
Vivianna Giannaki (soprano)
Having been praised for her extraordinary vocal qualities as well as her
impressive stage capacity, young Cypriot soprano Vivianna Giannaki was
awarded a Diploma in Opera studies with First Prize and Honourable Mention
from the National Conservatory of Athens, as well as a Certificate in Opera
studies from the Greek Laboratory for Operatic studies (Dir: S. Evanghelatos).
She has actively participated in master-classes by such renowned artists as
Ghena Dimitrova, Franco Corelli, Margarita Lilova and Ileana Cotrubas. She
has also won a sponsorship from the Onassis Foundation for master-classes
and repertoire studies with N. Denize, Y. Sotin, R. Kettelsson and J. Reiss
in Paris. Giannaki is winner in a number of international opera competitions
including Giuseppe Di Stefano in Sicilia (2000) and the Eighth European
Opera competition “S. e G. Giacomantonio” (2000). In addition, she studied
theatrical studies at the Research Laboratory of Human Expression and has
participated as a performer and principal actress in various productions of
the theatrical group TOMEE, including Kafka: Human Testimonies, Euripides'
Medea, Sophocles' Antigone, and Y. Idris’ House of Flesh.
Giannaki has appeared in opera houses and concert halls throughout Europe
and in highly-acclaimed recitals in Greece, Italy and France. She has also
appeared on stage with the Dutch avant-garde group Mecano and recorded for
their albums Those Revolutionary Days and Luz Oscura. She performed at Salle
Rossini a voice and piano transcription of Ballads by Mikis Theodorakis and
M. Anagnostakis, which was presented for the first time in the French
language. She has also collaborated as a soloist with the Athens Megaron,
Opera di Barga, Opera di Trapani (in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi) and the
Greek National Opera in various operatic productions including Pergolesi’s
La serva padrona, Weill’s Die aufstieg und fall der stadt Mahagonny,
Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Marangopoulos’ The mask of the Red Death, Rota’s
Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze, Offenbach’s La vie Parisienne, and
Puccini’s La Bohème. Vivianna Giannaki has been trained in body theatre (J.
Grotowski method), and as a Master Reiki therapist (Usui Reiki Ryoho), and
worked as a trainer in motivating groups through music. She currently
resides in Paris.
David Aronson (piano)
Conductor and pianist David Aronson, a native of New York, holds degrees
from the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York and the Manhattan School
of Music. He began his career as a vocal coach and accompanist in New York
City, followed by engagements as assistant conductor with the opera
companies of Kansas City, Lake George and Miami. He moved to Zurich in 1978,
where he rapidly rose from coach at the International Opera Studio to
assistant chorus-master and conductor at the Zurich Opera House. In 1982,
Aronson began a nine-year appointment as Kapellmeister of the Municipal
Theater of Lucerne, where he conducted over forty operas, operettas, and
ballets. In addition to appearing as guest conductor in Darmstadt and
Stuttgart, he assisted Herbert von Karajan in his Salzburg Festival
production of Carmen.
David Aronson joined the music staff of the Vienna State Opera in 1991, and
has performed at the keyboard with the Opera both at home and on tour in
Tokyo, Jerusalem, and Ravenna. He has also served as guest conductor of the
Schönbrunner Schlossorchester in Vienna. In November, 2000, he made his
conducting debut with the Vienna State Opera. A renowned opera coach, David
Aronson has collaborated with many of the world's leading singers, including
Walter Berry, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Bryn Terfel, Renee
Fleming, Neil Shicoff, Elina Garanca and Anna Netrebko, to name a few. He
has assisted many of the world’s foremost conductors including Zubin Mehta,
Riccardo Muti and Seiji Ozawa. For over five years, he was the pianist for
Riccardo Muti's acclaimed productions of the Mozart-da Ponte operas, and in
this capacity participated in two Asian tours with Seiji Ozawa. An
accompanist of international stature, David Aronson has performed numerous
recitals throughout Europe, Israel, Canada and the United States. He also
teaches opera coaching and conducting at the Vienna Conservatory Private
University. He has held master-classes for over ten years at the University
of Miami’s summer music program in Salzburg, as well as the Musica Mallorca
Festival, the University of Michigan, Crane School of Music in Potsdam and
Manhattan School of Music.
Ticket Prices:
Adults: EUR20
Friends and Supporters of the Pharos Arts Foundation / Concessions: EUR15
Click here
to purchase your tickets online or telephone 7000 9304
