Takis Kapogiannis
Takis Kapogiannis is the Principal double bass of the Athens State Orchestra since 2000.
He was born in Athens in 1963. He studied double bass in the Orfeio Conservatory of Athens with Panagiotis Kontos, and in the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria with Johannes Auersperg.
After his studies he became a member of the Greek National Opera Orchestra as well as of the Orchestra of Colours with Manos Hadjidakis. He was the Principal double bass of the Camerata Orchestra - Friends of Music Society from its foundation until 2000.
Within his chamber music activities Takis Kapogiannis has collaborated with important musicians from Greece and abroad. As a soloist he has repeatedly performed with the Camerata Orchestra - Friends of Music Society and with the Athens State Orchestra
From 1989 to 2009 he was double bass professor at the Philippos Nakas Concervatory. Since 2009 he teaches at the Athens Conservatory and at the Orpheion Concervatory.
Vania Papadimitriou
Vania Papadimitriou was born in Athens. She is a permanent member of the family of cellos in the Athens State Orchestra. She studied at the Athens Conservatory with Eleftherios Papastavros and earned her diploma in 1992 with honors. She was received for a master course at the Royal College of Music in London with A. Fleming.
She collaborated with the Orchestra of Colours, the ensembles of the Hellenic Radio Television, the Third Programme of the Hellenic Radio as member of the quartet “arco”, as Giorgos Tsagaris’s collaborator in live broadcasting of concerts in Greece and abroad, as well as with the ensemble “Athens Strings”. She has collaborated as soloist with the orchestra of the Athens Conservatory, the orchestra of the National Technical University of Athens and the orchestra of the Third Programme of the Hellenic Radio in Herodeion, performing Giorgos Tsagaris’s compositions. She gave recitals in KonzertHaus in Vienna, Austria, in Graz, Florence, Athens, in the state television and in various municipalities and cities in Greece. She served as Principal A in the family of cellos in the Piraeus Symphonic Orchestra and in the orchestra of the National Technical University of Athens. She has collaborated with the dearly departed pianist Maria Irinaiou. She taught in the Athens Conservatory from 1992 to 2012. She is teaching cello in the Attica Conservatory and in the Filippos Nakas Conservatory. She is a member of the trio “Diapason” with piano, as well as the quintet “Quintarco” of the Athens State Orchestra.
Marina Haralambides
Born in Athens. She studied violin at the Athens Conservatory and at the Royal Academy of Music in London, from which she received the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) in 1993 and graduated with the Professional Certificate (soloist diploma) the following year. During her studies in London she had the opportunity to give many recitals at the Academy and to participate in the String Orchestra, the Sinfonia Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra and the Manson Ensemble. She also attended violin master classes with famous soloists. In 1993 she was assistant violin teacher at the Junior Academy of Music. After her studies she gave several recitals in Athens, Piraeus and other Greek cities.
Marina has been a member of the Athens State Orchestra since 1996. She has also been a member of the National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Colours, “Enarmonia” Orchestra, the Athens Chamber Orchestra, the Marsyas String Ensemble and other chamber music ensembles. She also served as a professor of violin and chamber music at the "F. Nakas" Conservatory. She has appeared on the Greek television (as presenter of "The World of Music" and "News and Notes") and has collaborated on recordings. She is a member of the piano trio "Callisto", the string trio "Morfes" of Athens State Orchestra, and string quintet “Quintarco” with which she has appeared in many schools and foundations, participating in the Orchestra's educational program titled "Right to Music".