PIANO CITY ATHENS 2024 presents a concert where Jazz, Funk, Ragtime, Blues, Classic, Fusion, Latin intersect in an unprecedented sonic feast.
An exuberant musical journey without limits with two pianos, drums and double bass, under the spring Attic moon.
Two distinct pianists, Christos Papageorgiou and Anastasios Pappas meet on the occasion of their love for music of many different styles. The line-up is completed by two accomplished musicians, Takis Capogiannis on double bass and Seraphim Bellos on drums.
A crossover program, which combines the classical style with improvisation and with other popular music genres, such as Jazz, Funk, Fusion etc.
Biographies
Christos Papageorgiou – piano
Christos Papageorgiou is a composer, pianist, teacher and producer of the radio and television shows “Looking for the Lady with Strychnine”, “OMMA in the Arts”, “Station Megaro” of ERA3 and ET1.
He has been honored with many first international prizes for piano and composition, among which in 1999 the 1st prize of the International Composition Competition “2 Agosto” in Bologna, Italy (& Award of the President of the Italian Republic), in 1998 with the prize of the “Union of Greek Critics, of Theater and Music” and the 2013 ASCAP Award received by the Buffalo NY Philharmonic for the American premiere of the work of Pyrrhios.
He has performed to date in many music centers of the world, such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie (Weil) Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Barbican Hall, St James Palace, Kioi Hall Tokyo and Rudolfinum Dvorak Hall. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Philharmonia, the Orchester Symphonique du Capitole de Toulouse, the Odessa Philharmonic Symphony of Munich, the Malaga Symphony Orchestra, the State Orchestra of Athens, the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, the National Symphony Orchestra of the E.R.T., the N.H.K. of the Japanese Radio and Television, the Orchestra Sinfonica del Emiglia Romagna “Arturo Toscanini” and the State Orchestra of Istanbul. He has recorded for international TV and radio channels such as the BBC, Berlin Radio 3, Swiss Radio, RAI and ARD. His works have been performed by internationally renowned artists, such as the New York Philharmonic Chamber Soloists, Theodoros Kerkezos, Oscar Giglia and Maria Faradouri.
He was Director of the Third Program and Special Advisor of ERT.
Anastasios Pappas – piano
Anastasios Pappas began his musical studies at the age of 5 with his mother. She continued and graduated from the class of Maria Hairiorgou-Sigara, receiving her piano diploma with honors and first prize.
He completed his postgraduate studies as a scholarship holder of the “Gina Bachauer” Foundation and the British Council, at the Royal Academy of Music in London, with the diploma of postgraduate studies in piano with distinction.
He participated and was awarded in international competitions in Italy, England and America.
Appearances in countries such as America, England, Spain, Romania, Italy, Portugal, Holland, Kazakhstan and Armenia followed. Having played in major concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Southbank Center, Phillips Zaal, he received excellent reviews.
He has collaborated with all Greek orchestras, as well as with the London Sinfonietta, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Moldavia Philharmonic Cluj, George Enescu Philharmonic and Budapest Festival Orchestra. Among the conductors he has collaborated with are Ivan Fischer, John Georgiades, Diego Masson, Alexandru Lascae, Emil Simon, Alexandros Myrat, Miltos Logiadis, Theodoros Antoniou, Giorgos Petrou. Theodoros Antoniou and Kyriakos Sfetsas have composed and dedicated piano concertos to him.
He has recorded for the Third Program of the Hellenic Radio, as well as for the radio stations WQXR (New York), Classical FM (London) and Radio Romania Musical (Bucharest).
Takis Kapogiannis – Double Bass
He studied double bass at the Orpheus Conservatory with Panagiotis Kontos and at the Academy of Music and Fine Arts in Graz with Johannes Auersperg.
After the end of his studies he became a member of the Orchestra of the National Opera and the Orchestra of Colors under Manos Hadjidakis. From the founding of Camerata – Orchestra of the Friends of Music until 2000, he held the position of Principal in the double basses.
As part of his involvement in chamber music, he has collaborated with important Greek and foreign musicians. As a soloist, he has repeatedly appeared with Camerata – Friends of Music Orchestra and with K.O.A.
From 1989 to 2009 he was a professor at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory and since then he has been teaching at the Athens Conservatory and the Orpheus Conservatory.
Seraphim Bellos – drums
He started playing drums at 16 with amateur rock bands.
Since 1991 he has been involved in Jazz. He initially studied at the Athens percussion workshop of Nikos Touliatos
