E V A N G E L I A M I T S O P O U L O U
B i o g r a p h y
Evangelia Mitsopoulou gave piano recitals and performed with orchestras in USA, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. During the 75th Anniversary of the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2000-2001), she was invited to give piano recital at its Concert Hall Alexandros Papadiamantis at the award ceremony of the honorary Doctor’s degree to Michel Butor (French writer), John E. Papaconstantinos (Professor of Genetics, USA) and Carolos Tsizek (poet, writer, painter).
In June 2006, invited by the famous Greek pianist Janis Vakarelis, she performed at the NAFPLION FESTIVAL in the celebration of Gina Bachauer’s 30th anniversary from her death. In 2011 the Franz Liszt year celebration from his birth, Evangelia Mitsopoulou performed Carl Tausig piano transcription of Liszt’s Dante Symphony, along with a multimedia show of the G. B. Genelli illustrations Liszt commissioned but could never use in North Amercican Premiere at Radford University (US) and in Theocharakis Foundation (Athens, GR).
As a member of the Aristotle University Orchestra (1999-2001), Evangelia Mitsopoulou interpreted works of Mikis Theodorakis under his direction. She has also given premiere performances of Greek composers'works by Menelaos Pallantios, Christos Samaras, Yorgos Sisilianos etc· the most recent is the first worldwide performance (April 10, 2010) in Delft, the Netherlands of Aspasia Nasopoulou’s Nanourisma for flute and piano. Her repertoire includes works for solo piano from Baroque to Contemporary Greek and foreign composers. She has collaborated with lyric singers and perfomed all the basic repertoire for chamber music.
Since 2010, Evangelia Mitsopoulou is invited to present papers at international musicological conferences in the Netherlands, Canada, Greece, Hungary, Italy, UK. She has published articles for Pendragon Press, Musikproduction Höflich, DIA-KEIMENA/INTER-TEXTS, ATINER, Quaderni dell'Istituto Liszt, Music in Art. She is a member of the American Liszt Society.
Evangelia Mitsopoulou is piano teacher at Music School of Thessaloniki. She studied Musicology (BA) and Italian Language and Literature (BA) at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. In 2010 she received her PhD under scholarship and grants from the University Macedonia of Thessaloniki, Department of Music Science and Art. Her dissertation research concluded with the performance in world premiere of the manuscript transcription for piano by Carl Tausig of Franz Liszt's Dante Symphony. In 2010-2011 she continued her post-doctoral studies as a Fulbright Artist Scholar with Professor Michael Saffle at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, USA.
She graduated summa cum laude in piano from the State Conservatory of Music in Thessaloniki where she also earned highest marks in Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, and Orchestration. In May 2004, she won the Prize Gina Bachauer at Megaron (Athens Concert Hall), a two-year scholarship granted by Mundo en Armonia in Madrid (awarded in person by President Princess Irene) in order to continue her studies in Vienna with the worldwide acclaimed pianist and pedagogue Paul Badura-Skoda.
'...Ms. Mitsopoulou is a gifted pianist, highly intelligent and experienced as a performer of a wide repertoire...' Paul Badura-Skoda, 2007
Born in Thessaloniki, Evangelia Mitsopoulou began playing the piano at the age of eight. Her first recording at the age of eleven of Bach's Piano Concerto in A major BWV 1055 accompanied on piano by her Finnish teacher Reima Raijas was broadcast on ERT3 (National Greek radio).
She has attended piano master classes offered by Luiz de Moura Castro, Bernard Ringeissen, Martino Tirimo, and Marie-Françoise Bucquet.
'...Especially liked her immediate absorption of exotic rhythms and character of a composer like Villa-Lobos. She has a very curious mind and is not afraid of probing into difficult areas. I was fascinated by her work on Tausig’s interpretation of Liszt’s 'Dante Symphony'...'
Luiz de Moura Castro, September 7, 2008
First prize winner of the Panhellenic-Cipriot Piano Competition Gold Muse for performances of Greek composers’works, she won in 2002 the Eleni Tim. Mykoniou Prize given by the Academy of Athens, the highest distinction bestowed in Greece on young musicians. Throughout her studies she was granted with scholarships from the Research Committee (University Macedonia of Thessaloniki), Department of Music (University of Durham, UK), FAATH, Mundo en Armonia, Fulbright Foundation of Athens. In May 2014, she was the First Prize Winner at the Brandshaw & Buono International Piano Competition and gave piano recital at the prestigious Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall in New York.