One of Greece’s leading artists, the internationally acclaimed piano soloist Alexandra Papastefanou, will perform in Thessaloniki as a guest of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki. She will present a piano recital featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, her own transcriptions, and an avant-premiere of her composition titled “Bach-Beatles: ‘Bach in the Sky with Diamonds’”.
About the Artist:
Alexandra Papastefanou was born in Trikala, Thessaly, into a musical family. Her mother, Terpsichore Papastefanou, director of the then-famous Trikala Choir, gave her her first piano lessons. She graduated from the Athens Conservatory (class of A. Vatikiotis) and continued her studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow under Olga Zukova, then at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest with Peter Solymos. Later, she studied in Bloomington, Indiana, on an "Alexander Onassis" Foundation scholarship under the distinguished pianist and teacher Gyorgy Sebok, who profoundly influenced her career. She also studied with Alfred Brendel.
She was a finalist in the international Bach competitions in Toronto, Canada, and the Clara Haskil competition in Switzerland. She received distinctions in the Geneva International Piano Competition, earning the Liebstockl and Fazioli Prizes. During her piano studies, she also delved into music theory and composition from a young age under Υ. A. Papaioannou, and with Frederic Fox in the U.S..
Papastefanou has performed with orchestras, in chamber music ensembles, and solo recitals across Europe (Germany, France, the U.K., the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, the Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Hungary), North America, and Canada, always receiving enthusiastic reviews.
Her recordings with the British label First Hand Records include The Well-Tempered Clavier, the French Suites, and the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, the double album Schumann 1839, and her latest release, Tears of Babylon, featuring her piano arrangements of cantatas and chorale preludes by Bach. Her Bach recordings have garnered rave reviews from British and international media. The BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone ranked them among the best recordings of these works. The Union of Greek Theater and Music Critics awarded her the "2018 Greek Interest Recording Prize" for The Well-Tempered Clavier. She has also been honored with the "Motsenigos" Prize by the Academy of Athens.
She has frequently performed works by Greek composers. As a composer, her works include 12 Minerals for Solo Piano and 12+1 Shells and Shadows (both published by F. Nakas Editions), as well as Pasiphae, featuring songs set to the poetry of Miltos Sachtouris (Polyphoniki Records).
Additionally, Papastefanou has published two books: J.S. Bach, the Musician of Infinity and Short Letters to Young Musicians, both available from Papagrigoriou-Nakas Editions.
Reservations are required at 2313 310 201 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM)
Priority will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
