Nature in the Soul

The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra collaborates with two distinguished artists for the next concert series with title “Nature in the Soul”: conductor Ayis Ioannides and soprano Margarita Elia. The programme includes the works Of early dawn (world premiere) by A. Ioannides, Six songs on poems by T. S. Eliot by J. Christou and during the second half we will have the opportunity to enjoy Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2.

The artists:
Through his long international activity Ayis Ioannides has conducted a wide spectrum of musical genres and has universally received high critical acclaim both as conductor and composer. For ten years he was conductor at German opera houses. He has been Chief Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra in Finland and the first Artistic Director of the Cyprus State Orchestras. In the period 2005 -2012 he was Artistic Director of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. He initiated the establishment of the orchestra’s International Summer Academy. In 2011 he was elected to the board of management of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras, an organization funded by the E.U. He has been guest conductor in many European countries as well as in Egypt, Australia and the US and has collaborated with many distinguished soloists of high international standing. As Artistic Director and conductor of many concert and opera productions he participated frequently in the Kypria international Festival. Ayis Ioannides studied music in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Opera Studio, after he had completed with a doctorate degree initial studies in neurophysiology. He participated in master classes for conducting in Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. Especially important was the experience he gained under the maestros George Hurst, Vilem Tausky, Helmut Rilling and Sergiu Celibidache. His compositional activity developed especially in the late 90's and works of his have been performed in Cyprus, Egypt, Austria, France (International Pablo Casals Festival), Germany, Finland, Sweden and the US.

Moscow-born Cypriot soprano Margarita Elia studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Debrecen, Hungary. Upon her graduation, she received a MMus degree in Vocal Performance and Education. She continued her studies in London with New York City Opera soloist Arlene Randazzo. Margarita has performed with a number of renowned orchestras, such as the Szolnok Philharmonic and Failoni Orchestra in Hungary, the Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Kibbutz Orchestra and New Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel, the Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. She has also given numerous concerts throughout the world, has participated in festivals of chamber music in P. R. Korea, Hungary and Cyprus and has repeatedly appeared in recordings for the radio and television in Cyprus, Greece and Hungary.

Her performances embrace music of a great variety of styles, including opera, art song and oratorio, ranging from medieval to contemporary. A finalist at La Voce International Lied Competition 2005 in Bayreuth, Germany, Margarita Elia excels in the concert platform and frequently appears in piano and voice recitals, most recently in Moscow and Madeira. She has also performed demanding opera roles such as the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Fire and Nightingale in Ravel’s L’ enfant et les sortileges and the title role of Donizetti’s Caterina Cornaro to much acclaim. Margarita Elia is also a keen supporter of contemporary music and has given many world premiere performances, including the leading solo part in Aphroditi Kyprogenia by Cypriot composer Fedros Kavallaris in Paris and the soprano part in Requiem Domesticus by Carlos Alberto Vasquez in Puerto Rico. Recently, she made a guest appearance at the Alfred Schnittke International Symposium in London, where she performed several world premieres of works by the composer, and participated in the First International Contemporary Music Festival of the Pharos Arts Foundation, the 6th LMS Chamber Music Festival and the Avaton Contemporary Music Festival in several premieres. Later, she participated in the 11th International Pharos Chamber Music Festival in three separate recitals, accompanied by two renowned pianists, Ashley Wass and Vahan Mardirossian.

€12 and €7 (18- 26 years old and pensioners)
Free entrance for children and students under 18 years old