Performing works by young Greek composers

The Cypriot composer and pianist Sophia Serghi, now a resident of the USA, has an oeuvre consisting of stage, orchestral, chamber, vocal and multimedia works, that has been performed live in Europe and the US and recorded by leading ensembles. The work "Pleiades" was commissioned by the Relâche Ensemble following a competition. The ensemble asked the composer for a piece that would be relevant to her Greek-Cypriot background, and she created musical portraits for the six brightest stars in the Pleiades constellation; in Greek mythology, these stars represent nymphs.

Thanasis Deligiannis studied composition at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. He has lived in Amsterdam since 2007, where he teaches at the city’s Conservatorium and collaborates with various ensembles. "Yriaeas" was written after years of research into Greek traditional music. “It’s a work that demands intensity. The music strives to articulate the phrasal qualities of speech, with solos, duets and trios battling it out for dominance on stage. In essence, the work is a dysfunctional reconstruction of a deconstructed episode”.

Orestis Goumenos studied French horn, harmony, counterpoint and fugue, and lives in Utrecht in the Netherlands. His music combines acoustic and electronic sounds, and betrays Greek traditional influences. "Black Waters"’ core is a depiction of waves which start out calm but gradually grow darker and stormier, acquiring an increasingly intense rhythmic element along the way. "Inverted Tonsils" was written for a project centered on the relationship between music and architecture; its structure is based on the floor plan of the Utrecht conservatory.

Lina Tonia studied composition at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki before moving to Edinburgh for her Ph.D. She has written some 70 orchestral works as well as chamber music and three operas.