The digital repository was implemented with funding from the European Union’s Recovery Plan.

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Dear friends of the Athens State Orchestra,
It’s with a great pleasure that I welcome you to our new artistic season (2026-2027), once again under a motto that has defined us in recent years, reflecting the vitality, flourishing spirit, and freshness of our presence.in the field of music: “Spring all the year round”; a constant renewal-our own, lasting Spring, embraced by all of you, through your steady presence at our concerts.
At the beginning of my third mandate at the helm of the Athens State Orchestra, I would like to warmly thank the entire Orchestra family for their enduring trust and devotion to our mission; for all that we have been sharing for the last six years. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Culture and the Minister, Mrs. Lina Mendoni herself, for their unwavering moral and material support for our work, thanks to which this lasting spring was brought to life.
This year, we have designed a fascinating program with a broad symphonic repertoire, featuring conductors and soloists from all over the world; a program responding to all our audience’s preferences and at the same time appealing to new friends, as our aim has always been.
Among the season’s major productions, are Ludwig van Behetoven’s famous Symphony no. 9, performed on the 200th anniversary of the great composer’s death; Anton Bruckner’s Symphony no. 7, one of the absolute pinnacles of the repertoire; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s unsurpassed Requiem. Our hallmark, “Journeys to the centre of Music” shall keep responding to the audience’s enduring interest, expressed every year in crowded concert halls; in the same spirit, “Late Night with the Athens State Orchestra shall be held for the second consecutive year, with a different repertoire for our “night owl” friends. “Spectrum- The Orchestra and its Musicians” is a new music-theatre entry in our program, featuring new artists and dedicated to the musicians’ role across the centuries. Furthermore, in 2026-2027, the Athens State Orchestra returns of course to perform at the “Musical Promenades”, which for years have been bringing chamber music to key city museums -and not only.
We are also very proud to announce that, at the beginning of the season, our Orchestra performs at one of the most historic European concert halls, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. In addition, pursuant to our aim to bring music closer to all, within the artistic season the Athens State Orchestra shall travel throughout the country, presenting programs designed to gain old and new audiences.
“Spring all the year round”, spring every year. A spring enjoyed together with all of you, our audience, our friends, whom I warmly thank for everything you share with us.

With sincere appreciation and gratitude,

Lukas Karytinos

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At the heart of this visionary project is an international composition competition, which begins on 2 May 2026. The open call for entries is seeking works that artistically engage with the unique conditions of a distributed real-time performance, in which the participating ensembles are connected via a digital network. A large string orchestra will perform live in the concert hall, whilst all other sections will be present virtually on large LED screens.

Supporting European composers

An international jury will award a total of three composition commissions: two for orchestral works, and one for an orchestral work with choir. Composers from the 27 EU member states and other eligible countries may submit one 2-minute excerpt per category via www.europasinfonie.eu from 2 May until 31 July 2026. The three selected composers will have the opportunity to create a 15–20-minute work for the Europasinfonie concert. Each composition commission comes with a fee of €14,000.

A key priority of Europasinfonie is to support young artists. We therefore particularly encourage composers under the age of 35 to submit their proposals. At least one of the three commissions will be awarded to a representative of this age group, although there are no age restrictions.
The jury meeting will take place on 28 and 29 September 2026 in Dresden, Germany. The three selected composers will be announced at a press conference on 30 September 2026 at the Dresden Exhibition Centre.

Fact about Europasinfonie’s Composition Competition

Two categories:

One entry may be submitted in each of the two categories.
Entries may be submitted in one or both categories.

• Category 1: work for symphony orchestra
• Category 2: work for symphony orchestra and choir

Composition commission for winners:

• 3 works, 14,000 Euro gross each

Submission window:

• Start: 2 May 2026, 08:00 (CEST)
• End: 31 July 2026, 23:00 (CEST)

All entries must be submitted through Europasinfonie’s website, http://www.europasinfonie.eu, 
starting 2 May 2026.

Selection process, announcement and world premieres:

• Jury meeting: 28–29 September 2026 in Dresden, Germany
• Press conference: Announcement of the winners: 30 September 2026 in Dresden, Germany
• Concert: Summer 2027, Messe Dresden, Hall 1, Germany

Conditions of participation:

• The ensembles are connected via a high-performance network. Due to physical constraints, very long distances result in latency that affects synchronised ensemble playing. This call for entries is therefore expressly aimed at composers who are willing to incorporate this condition into their musical language.
• Eligibility is open to residents of European countries: the 27 EU member states, as well as, for example, Iceland, Albania or Ukraine, among others.
• Submitted works must not have been previously published or performed.
• In addition to the score of an excerpt of at least 2 minutes, a concept text must be submitted.

Submissions are welcome from all individuals, regardless of gender, origin, religion, disability, age or sexual identity.

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The Athens State Orchestra, together with the Dresden Symphony Orchestra, is delighted to announce the significant funding received by the “Europasinfonie” project from the European Commission’s “Creative Europe” program.

Twelve countries. One orchestra.

The Europasinfonie project, funded by the European Union’s Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), shall make musical history in Dresden and the participating countries in the Summer 2027: twelve leading European orchestras and choirs, coordinated by the Dresdner Sinfoniker, join forces to form a virtual orchestra.
For the first time, musicians from twelve European countries shall have a simultaneous, real time performance, although being up to 2,200 kilometers far apart.

This is made possible by a specially developed low-latency audio transmission technology, which is essential for modern online musical collaboration.

Directed by the Italian conductor Andrea Molino, three new works, tailor-made for the Europasinfonie concert, shall be presented in a world premiere.
This follows a European composition competition, the results of which will be announced in early October 2026 by a prestigious international jury. Submissions are accepted from early May through the end of July 2026 via the Europasinfonie and Athens State Orchestra websites.

In collaboration with European television and radio stations, the Europasinfonie concert will be broadcast live, reaching millions of viewers and listeners worldwide.

A European network for knowledge transfer and collaboration

Europasinfonie is not just a single concert. The project aims to create a network of music academies across Europe, equipped with special low-latency audio studios. Music students, orchestras and composers will be able to connect virtually across national borders for joint performances and recordings.
This initiative enables innovative international artistic projects while helping to reduce air travel and the music industry’s carbon footprint.
The Europasinfonie project is a demonstration of European cooperation in action and aims to serve as a permanent invitation to dialogue among all European citizens, beyond the boundaries of artistic creation.

Artistic partners:
Dresdner Sinfoniker (Germany) – String orchestra
Athens State Orchestra (Greece) – Clarinets
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (UK) – Piano/Celesta & Harp
Brussels Philharmonic (Belgium) – Timpani & Percussions
Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno (Czech Republic) – Choir
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (Estonia) – Tuba & Trombones
Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) – Choir
No Borders Orchestra (Serbia) – Trumpets
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano (Italy) – Flutes
Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid (Spain) – Bassoons
Pannon Philharmonic (Hungary) – French Horns
Sinfonia Varsovia (Poland) – Oboes

Technical Development & Cooperation:
Hochschule Anhalt, Köthen

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Alexander Carôt

PxB Studios GmbH, Berlin Fraunhofer-Institut für Nachrichtentechnik (HHI), Berlin

Composition Competition:
Call announcement: Early May 2026

Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2026

Jury meeting & announcement of winners: Early October 2026

Prize money: 3 x 14,000 euros

Schedule:
2026: European composition competition, technical tests

Summer 2027:  Concert in Dresden, satellite events throughout Europe, worldwide live broadcast

2027-28: Documentation, knowledge transfer, long-term partnerships with European music academies, establishment of low-latency studios

The Europasinfonie project is co-funded by the European Union.

The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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Position for Musician Tutti in 2nd violins:
a) The first movement with cadenza of one of the following concerti: Wieniavvsky’s violin concerto no. 2, Mendelssohn’s violin concerto or Bruch’s violin concerto
b) The first movement with cadenza of one of the following Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s concerti: violin concerto No. 3 in G major or violin concerto no. 4 in D major or violin concerto No. 5 in A major
c) Orchestral excerpts. The orchestral excerpts are available to download here. A hard copy is also available in our offices.

Position for Musician Tutti in double basses:
a) Two movements (slow and fast) of the concerti composed by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Serge Koussevitzky and Giovanni Bottesini
b) Orchestral excerpts. The orchestral excerpts are available to download here. A hard copy is also available in our offices.

Position for Musician Tutti in cellos:
a) One of the cello concerti composed by Édouard Lalo or Camille Saint-Saëns, the 1st movement
b) The first movement with cadenza of Franz Joseph Haydn’s cello concerto
c) Orchestral excerpts. The orchestral excerpts are available to download here. A hard copy is also available in our offices.

Candidates living in Greece should assure the presence of their own piano accompanist. The Athens State Orchestra will provide a pianist to accompany permanent residents of abroad. Residents of abroad are kindly requested to contact us (+30 210 7257601, 602 and 603, papostolidis@koa.gr) to schedule their travel to Athens and to purchase in time their tickets.

The orchestral excerpts will be available shortly at the Athens State Orchestra’s offices and on this website.

In case a candidate applies for two (2) positions, the examination for the second one concerns only the parts of the examination programme that differ.

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The three (3) vacancies of permanent artistic personnel are the following:

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Listen to the CD, available at Genuin Classics website.

Programme:

Yorgo Sicilianos (1920–2005)
Daimon. Symphonic Fantasy, Op. 50
I. Lento assai
II. Piu mosso
III. Allegro vivo
IV. Tempo del inizio
V. Alla breve
VI. Allegro molto, con furia
VII. Adagio

Yorgo Sicilianos
Symphony No. 2 , Op. 58 “To the memory of Dimitri Mitropoulos”
I. Allegro deciso
II. Intermezzo Allegretto
III. Adagio
IV. Finale Allegro vivace

Yorgo Sicilianos
Antiphona for Brass, Timpani and Strings, Op. 40
I.
II.
III.

The disc was recorded at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall under the artistic direction of Holger Busse and is available in physical format (CD), as well as on all digital streaming platforms. By this release, the Athens State Orchestra continues its collaboration with GENUIN classics based in Leipzig, one of the most renowned independent labels in the field of classical music.
This collaboration is particularly important to the promotion of the Greek symphonic repertoire internationally, as it introduces the work of Greek composers to a worldwide distribution, critical assessment and artistic discussion network. Thus, Greek classical music becomes strongly present within the international discography, reinforcing its position in the contemporary musical field and contributing to the formation of an extrovertive, dynamic cultural identity.
The recording repertoire comprises three among the composer’s key symphonic works: Daimon symphonic Fantasy (op. 50) was concluded in 1985 and inspired by Thomas Mann’s famous novel Dr. Faustus. Symphony no. 2 (op. 58), to the memory of Dimitri Mitropoulos was composed in Spring 1997 and comprises four extent, contrastive moves. Antiphona is the oldest among the three works, composed in 1976 for an original combination of brass, timpani and strings. It was performed for the first time by the Athens State orchestra and by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig in 1984, conducted by Kurt Masur.

Listen to the album, already available at Genuin Classics.

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It is a great pleasure for the Athens State Orchestra to present its new recording within the framework of 2025- the Greek Ministry of Culture Year Dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis, thus completing the cycle of events for the 100-year anniversary of the composer’s birth.
This new production comprises selected symphonic Theordorakis’s works, highlighting the unique connection of Greekness with global music language. Conducted by Kornilios Michailidis and featuring Stathis Karapanos (flute), Titos Gouvelis (piano), Orestis Kalampalikis (guitar) and Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin (violoncello), the Athens State Orchestra offers a new performing approach to the great composer’s work, shedding light to the broadness and the emotional power of his music. The three works presented reflect both Mikis Theodorakis’s lyrical aspect and his deep relation with Greek history and tradition.
The new CD presents the first world recording of the Sinfonietta for Flute, piano and string orchestra, composed in 1948 and premiered in 1995 by the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the composer himself. It also includes the Rhapsody for guitar and symphony orchestra and the Rhapsody for violoncello and symphony orchestra. Rhapsody for guitar (1995) is the second version of a 1983 musical work, initially also vocalist and based on the song cycle Romancero Gitano, while Rhapsody for violoncello is the composer’s last symphonic work.
The CD was recorded at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall, under the artistic direction of Johannes Endl. The CD will be soon available in physical and digital format, thus inviting the audience to meet again with Theodorakis’s music, in a fresh interpretation of scarcely performed works. Its release by GENUIN classics assures the work’s presence in an international distribution circuit and on all digital streaming platforms.
GENUIN classics, based in Leipzig, features among the most renowned independent companies in the field of classical music. By this collaboration, the Athens State Orchestra integrates Theodorakis’s voice into a broad international audience, honoring his timeless contribution to the universal music creation.
Listen to the album that is already available at Genuin Classics.

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President

Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos

Vice-President

Venetia Vildiridis

Members

Alexandre Harkiolakis
Stavros Bakatselos
Christina Poulitsi

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The Athens State Orchestra stages the ninth “MusiKos” Festival, a music festival in the Dodecanese, in collaboration with ANAX, a not-for-profit organization and “P-art of the solution”.
The Orchestra began the MusiKos Festival in order to provide high-quality artistic events, to promote a wide-ranging collaboration between local authorities and musical and educational institutions, to aid development in the Greek provinces, to reach out to socially sensitive groups, and to make culture available to society as a whole. It includes free concerts for the public, along with educational activities for students on the islands.
The repertoire performed is extremely wide-ranging, extending from classical music to operetta and film music, and is performed by prominent ASO ensembles.
In 2024, activities were held in Rhodes, Kos, Leros, Nisyros, Kasos, Karpathos, Patmos, Lipsi, Agathonisi and Halki, and attended by over 4,000 students.
The Festival could not have become a reality without the full support and patronage of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the General Secretariat of the Aegean and Island Policy, the South Aegean Region, the Chamber of Commerce of the Dodecanese, and the local municipalities involved.
Our especial thanks, too, to the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese for its cooperation, which was excellent as always.

Artistic coordination: Nikos Haliassas

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