Composer & Conductor Short Biography
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Konstantia Gourzi – Composer & Conductor Short Biography Konstantia Gourzi studied composition and conducting in Athens and Berlin. She can frequently be seen in the double role of composer, and conductor of a concert. Her artistic and musical wish is to make connections – as a composer, between traditional and contemporary sound worlds; as a conductor with new conceptual emphases. Her work as a composer includes opera, film music, works for musical theatre, orchestra, numerous solo pieces, and chamber music. She has been commissioned by the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the Lucerne Festival, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Nils Mönkemeyer, François Leleux, and the Heath, Minguet und Signum Quartets. Always searching for new performance concepts for contemporary music, Konstantia Gourzi has initiated concert series, and has also followed the example of her mentor Claudio Abbado and founded various ensembles such as attacca berlin, ensemble echo, ensemble oktopus and opus21musikplus. Supporting young musicians is also very important to her, and her former students can be found in all important European contemporary music ensembles. Konstantia Gourzi’s recordings on NEOS, Sony and ECM, as composer and as a conductor, enjoy international acclaim. Konstantia Gourzi lives in Munich and has been Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München since 2002. In the 2017-18 season, she is also Artist in Residence at the International Artist House Villa Concordia in Bamberg. 28. Februar 2018 Konstantia Gourzi – Composer & Conductor Biography Konstantia Gourzi studied composition and conducting in Athens and Berlin. She can frequently be seen in the double role of composer, and conductor of a concert. Many artist friends have asked her to compose for them, and she is frequently involved in their world premiers. She collaborates particularly closely with Nils Mönkemeyer, François Leleux, William Youn, Claudio Bohórguez, Markus Stockhausen, and the Heath, Minguet und Signum Quartets. She also works with visual artists such as Alexander Polzin and Jannis Kounellis. Konstantia Gourzi’s artistic and musical wish is to make connections – as a composer, between traditional and contemporary sound worlds; as a conductor with new conceptual emphases. Her work as a composer includes opera, film music, works for musical theatre, orchestra, numerous solo pieces, and chamber music. A long list of commissions include from the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Ensemble Musica Nova Israel, the Athens State Orchestra, the Kasseler Musiktage, the Munich Staatsoper, the Lucerne Festival, and the Patrimonio Nacional in Spain. Her commissions and projects have often been patronised and splendidly supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation. Konstantia Gourzi has also been featured extensively in radio, television and livestream broadcasts. Her debut album on ECM, music for string quartet and piano (2014) enjoyed widespread international acclaim. Further recordings in her wide-ranging discography have been released on NEOS, NAXOS and Sony Classical. Always searching for new performance concepts for contemporary music, Konstantia Gourzi has initiated concert series, and has also followed the example of her mentor Claudio Abbado and founded various ensembles. The formation of the ensemble attacca berlin during her studies lead to her teaching post at the Hochschule Hanns Eisler, where she also founded the ensemble echo. In 2002 she was made Professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, and there also soon formed the ensemble oktopus für musik der moderne. Supporting young musicians is also very important to her, and her former students can be found in all important European contemporary music ensembles. In 2007, she created the ensemble and network opus21musikplus, with the aim of expanding new music over generic borders, with other art forms and musical directions. Konstantia Gourzi lives in Munich, and in Aegina in Greece. In the 2017-18 season, she is also Artist in Residence at the International Artist House Villa Concordia in Bamberg. 28. Februar 2018 .