Dimitris Kountouras

He was born in where he started his recorder and studies. He studied recorder, baroque flute and historical performance practice at the Utrecht School of the Arts and at the Music Academy of Milan, on a Marco Fodella Scholarship. He later studied historical flute instruments at the Vienna Conservatoire and got a Masters degree on Medieval and Renaissance music from the Trossingen School of Music. He holds a PhD on historical musicology and was a post-doc scholar for the Centre of Humanistic Studies in Athens in 2016. He is the founder and the artistic director of Ex Silentio ensemble of early music and collaborated with Harmony of Nations Baroque Orchestra, Armonia Atenea and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Ph. Jordan). He performed in many festivals and venues in Europe, in the Middle and the Far East such as the Sala Verdi in Milan, the Pablo Casals Hall in Tokyo, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Megaron in Athens etc. He is interested in the history and the interpretation of music up to the 18th century and writes essays and articles on related topics. He is teaching historical and early music performance practice at the Athens Conservatoire and the University of Macedonia. He has given masterclasses, seminars and lectures at the Haute Ecole de Musique (as a guest since 2017), at the Kings College of London, at the Music Village of Pelion etc. He is part of the artistic committee of the EEEmerging Early Music in Ambronay, France.

Artistic and research interests:

- Historical performance practice - Recorder and traverso repertoire and performance - Late and poetry - and the crusades - Renaissance humanism and music - French

Discography – CDs:

Ex Silentio

CD «Lethe: The Courts of the Orient», Ex Silentio, works by Cantemir, Raimbaut, Codex Torino J.II.9, Carpe Diem Records Berlin, 2020. https://exsilentio.bandcamp.com/album/lethe

CD/Book «The music of the Troubadours in the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica after 1204», Ex Silentio, works by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, Elias Cairel, (En/Gr), Nefeli/Fairead, 2017. https://store.fairead.net/nefeli/kountouras-troubadours

CD «Mneme: Medieval music from the Mediterranean, Ex Silentio, from from Codex Rossi, Libre Vermell, Carpe Diem Records Berlin, 2015. http://www.carpediem-records.de/de/mneme Reviews: https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=CD-16306&languageid=EN

CD «Nell’ autunno di Bisanzio - Guillaume Dufay zwischen Okzident und Orient», Ex Silentio, works by Guillaume Dufay, Beltram Feragut, Magister Zacharias, Talanton Records, 2010. http://www.asinamusic.com/shop-152-nell-autunno-di-bisanzio.html

Duo Goliardi

CD «Polifonia in due», Duo Goliardi: Dimitris Kountouras, recorder – Konstantinos Raptis, accordion Works by J.S.Bach, J.Walther, P.Liakakis, G.Kyriakakis, ARKYS, 2006.

Publications:

Books: «Ουμανισμός και Μουσική στην ιταλική Αναγέννηση», [Humanism and Music in Renaissance Italy] Fagottobooks, Athens, 2020.

«Εισαγωγή στην ερμηνεία της μουσικής Μπαρόκ», [Introduction on the interpretation of Baroque Music] Edition Orpheus, Αθήνα, 2020.

Articles: «Western music and poetry at the Kingdom of Thessalonica - Music and historiography of the 4th crusade», Article in Volume Cross-Cultural Encounters in Medieval after 1204. The Evidence of Art and Material Culture Σειρά: Byzantioς. Byzantine Studies in Byzantine History and Civilization, Brepols Editions, Belgium, 2020.

«Ο Κώδικας του Τορίνο Ms J.II.9 ή Κώδικας της Κύπρου», [Codex Torino J.II.9 or the Codex of ] article for the catalogue of the exhibition “: the birth and the development of a capital ” Levendis Municipal Museum and Levendis Foundation, 2020.

2016 Post-doc research “Music and poetry of the Troubadours at the Latin Kingdom of Thessalonica after 1204” https://www.rchumanities.gr/menelaos-dimitrios-kountouras/