PANAYOTI KAROUSOS, composer
Greek-Canadian composer/singer Panayoti Karousos was born in the Greek Ionian island of Cephalonia, and started studying classical singing and piano in Athens. He came to Canada in 1990 and pursued his musical studies at the McGill University and Université de Montreal, where he studied, among others, composition with Barry Crago and Michel Gonville, also taking master classes with Pierre Boulez.
He started his career as a baritone accompanied by renowned pianist of the Opéra de Montréal, Claudette Denys. The composer even impressed Patriarch Bartholomew with his performance in his 1998’s Canadian farewell dinner at Palace, Montreal. As a singer and composer he collaborated with the Archbishop of Toronto Canada, Sotirios, in a 3-CD box named Greek Orthodox Catechism. His album Grèce Pays d’Amour got the award for Best Classical Recording in 2002/03 from the Toronto Radio Awards.
Although he had been composing even before the end of his university studies, and composition was important to him all along, in later years, he gradually put singing on second place and concentrated more and more on his composing work.
He structures his works around Pythagorean mathematical forms and infuses them with modern styles of minimalism and dodecaphonic atonality with a thick Wagnerian orchestration.
OPERAS and ORATORIOS
The opera Prometheus (1994), premiered in 1994 at Place des Arts in Montreal, in concert version, again in 1996 in theatrical version, at the same venue, and was performed twice again in 2008, in concert version, in New York with the Astoria Symphony and in Washington DC with the District of Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Grant Gilman.
The oratorio The Song of the Nations (2003) premiered, in concert version, at the Basilique de Notre Dame of Montreal, in a concert also including the Olympic Symphony with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and St-Eustache Choir under the direction of maestros André Gauthier and Pierre Turcotte.
The Olympic Flame (2005), premiered, in concert version, at the Basilique de Notre Dame of Montreal with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Opera de Montreal under the direction of maestro André Gauthier. The opera represented in New York with the Astoria Symphony and soloists from the Met opera conducted by Grant Gilman. The chorus part from the opera was presented among other works with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Gunst wat'n Kunst at Hague, Holland, with maestro Rafael Pylarinos.
His grandiose opera Alexander the Great (2007) was premiered sung in French, at the Montreal Notre Dame Basilica with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Opera de Montreal under the direction of maestro André Gauthier. This epic opera was presented again, in English this time, in 2008, in Chicago Illinois by the American Symphony Orchestra of Chicago and soloists from the conducted by David Stech.
In 2009 Alexander the Great represented in Greensboro, North Carolina with the East Coast Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman, in Toronto Canada with the Toronto University Symphony Orchestra and soloists under the direction of maestro Victor Cheng, in Bristol Connecticut with the MidWest Symphony Orchestra and soloists conducted by Madeline Tsai and in New York with the Astoria Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Metropolitan opera conducted by Grant Gilman.
The opera The Light of Christianity (2009) last part of the monumental Hellenic Tetralogy World Premiered in Montreal with the Montreal University Students Symphony Orchestra and soloists conducted by Philippe Menard.
SYMPHONIC WORK
The cascading sound of his work, The Spirit of Liberty (2000) caused some critics to acclaim it as a second national anthem of Greece. It was presented in Canada and New York with great success.
The Piano Concerto for Peace (2000) was presented with pianist Nathalie Joncas under UNESCOs auspices. This piece was highlighted by the Montreal Popular Concerts series in Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena to an audience of 5000 people. The Piano Concerto became the soundtrack to filmmaker Jenna Constantine's movie If Aphrodite Had Arms, and featured in the Vassilios Chrissochos’ action-adventure-comedy film Attila Attacks!
The Suite Montréalaise (2000) was commended from the City of Montreal to mark the Millennium and was successfully presented in a celebration concert on October 1st, 2000
The symphonic poems Eternal Parthenon (2000), Time Melody (2000), and Democracy’s Feast (2003), were performed by the Astoria Symphony, the FACE Symphony Orchestra, the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and the Monteregie Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestros André Gauthier, Theodora Stathopoulos, Luc Chaput and Silas Nathaniel Huff.
The Olympic Symphony (2003), comprised of 12 Homeric Hymns dedicated to the Gods of Olympus is sung in Ancient Greek.
The Violin Concerto and Bouzouki Concerto (2007) were presented at the Concert for Religious Freedom hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies in New York, under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman.
CHAMBER MUSIC
Panayoti Karousos chamber music is different from the romanticism of his operas and symphonic works. The Piano Trios (1997) and the Violin and Cello Sonatas (1997) presented in Beverly Hills City Hall and around Montreal surprised the public with their melancholy nature and strong harmonic complexity. In 2008 they were recorded in the CD “Karoussos – Chamber music”
Panayoti Karousos is a recipient of honors from the Federal Canadian Government, the Quebec Provincial Government and the City of Montreal.
Greek-Canadian composer/singer Panayoti Karousos was born in the Greek Ionian island of Cephalonia, and started studying classical singing and piano in Athens. He came to Canada in 1990 and pursued his musical studies at the McGill University and Université de Montreal, where he studied, among others, composition with Barry Crago and Michel Gonville, also taking master classes with Pierre Boulez.
He started his career as a baritone accompanied by renowned pianist of the Opéra de Montréal, Claudette Denys. The composer even impressed Patriarch Bartholomew with his performance in his 1998’s Canadian farewell dinner at Palace, Montreal. As a singer and composer he collaborated with the Archbishop of Toronto Canada, Sotirios, in a 3-CD box named Greek Orthodox Catechism. His album Grèce Pays d’Amour got the award for Best Classical Recording in 2002/03 from the Toronto Radio Awards.
Although he had been composing even before the end of his university studies, and composition was important to him all along, in later years, he gradually put singing on second place and concentrated more and more on his composing work.
He structures his works around Pythagorean mathematical forms and infuses them with modern styles of minimalism and dodecaphonic atonality with a thick Wagnerian orchestration.
OPERAS and ORATORIOS
The opera Prometheus (1994), premiered in 1994 at Place des Arts in Montreal, in concert version, again in 1996 in theatrical version, at the same venue, and was performed twice again in 2008, in concert version, in New York with the Astoria Symphony and in Washington DC with the District of Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Grant Gilman.
The oratorio The Song of the Nations (2003) premiered, in concert version, at the Basilique de Notre Dame of Montreal, in a concert also including the Olympic Symphony with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and St-Eustache Choir under the direction of maestros André Gauthier and Pierre Turcotte.
The Olympic Flame (2005), premiered, in concert version, at the Basilique de Notre Dame of Montreal with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Opera de Montreal under the direction of maestro André Gauthier. The opera represented in New York with the Astoria Symphony and soloists from the Met opera conducted by Grant Gilman. The chorus part from the opera was presented among other works with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Gunst wat'n Kunst at Hague, Holland, with maestro Rafael Pylarinos.
His grandiose opera Alexander the Great (2007) was premiered sung in French, at the Montreal Notre Dame Basilica with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Opera de Montreal under the direction of maestro André Gauthier. This epic opera was presented again, in English this time, in 2008, in Chicago Illinois by the American Symphony Orchestra of Chicago and soloists from the conducted by David Stech.
In 2009 Alexander the Great represented in Greensboro, North Carolina with the East Coast Philharmonic Orchestra and soloists under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman, in Toronto Canada with the Toronto University Symphony Orchestra and soloists under the direction of maestro Victor Cheng, in Bristol Connecticut with the MidWest Symphony Orchestra and soloists conducted by Madeline Tsai and in New York with the Astoria Symphony Orchestra and soloists from the Metropolitan opera conducted by Grant Gilman.
The opera The Light of Christianity (2009) last part of the monumental Hellenic Tetralogy World Premiered in Montreal with the Montreal University Students Symphony Orchestra and soloists conducted by Philippe Menard.
SYMPHONIC WORK
The cascading sound of his work, The Spirit of Liberty (2000) caused some critics to acclaim it as a second national anthem of Greece. It was presented in Canada and New York with great success.
The Piano Concerto for Peace (2000) was presented with pianist Nathalie Joncas under UNESCOs auspices. This piece was highlighted by the Montreal Popular Concerts series in Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena to an audience of 5000 people. The Piano Concerto became the soundtrack to filmmaker Jenna Constantine's movie If Aphrodite Had Arms, and featured in the Vassilios Chrissochos’ action-adventure-comedy film Attila Attacks!
The Suite Montréalaise (2000) was commended from the City of Montreal to mark the Millennium and was successfully presented in a celebration concert on October 1st, 2000
The symphonic poems Eternal Parthenon (2000), Time Melody (2000), and Democracy’s Feast (2003), were performed by the Astoria Symphony, the FACE Symphony Orchestra, the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and the Monteregie Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestros André Gauthier, Theodora Stathopoulos, Luc Chaput and Silas Nathaniel Huff.
The Olympic Symphony (2003), comprised of 12 Homeric Hymns dedicated to the Gods of Olympus is sung in Ancient Greek.
The Violin Concerto and Bouzouki Concerto (2007) were presented at the Concert for Religious Freedom hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies in New York, under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman.
CHAMBER MUSIC
Panayoti Karousos chamber music is different from the romanticism of his operas and symphonic works. The Piano Trios (1997) and the Violin and Cello Sonatas (1997) presented in Beverly Hills City Hall and around Montreal surprised the public with their melancholy nature and strong harmonic complexity. In 2008 they were recorded in the CD “Karoussos – Chamber music”
Panayoti Karousos is a recipient of honors from the Federal Canadian Government, the Quebec Provincial Government and the City of Montreal.
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