The Greek renowned composer Nikos Xanthoulis, Artistic Director of the Music Ensembles at NERIT

The Greek renowned composer Nikos Xanthoulis did a fantastic work as Artistic Director of the Music Ensembles at NERIT. He contributes to the new era of Greek classical music and gave many opportunities to composers and conductors. Mr. Xanthoulis is a fine composer himself and pedagogue. 

Nikos Xanthoulis was born in Larissa, Greece in 1962. He studied trumpet with Anastasios Kypreos at the Athens Conservatory graduating with an “A” Certificate in 1983. He was also awarded the coveted “First Prize” at the conservatory for his achievement on performance examinations. During the same year, he became a member of the European youth Orchestra and played under conductors as Claudio Abbado and Yuri Simonof.

Dr. Xanthoulis also studied Advanced Theoritical Subjects and Composition in the Athens Conservatory with Menelaos Palandios, Diamantis Diamantopoulos and Pericles Koukos. He was awarded the degree Doctor of Music from the Music Academy of Sofia, Bulgaria with his dissertation on the “Polyphony of 1800”.He was a trumpeter. He also holds a degree in Political Science from the “Padion” University. He is the principal trumpet player in the Athens Opera for the last twenty-three years and performs as a soloist and member of numerous ensembles throughout Greece. He is also the professor of trumpet at the Athens Conservatory and serves as professor at the “Open University” Greece. He has also studied Harpsichord at the Vignanelli School of Athens (diploma) with Margarita Dalmati.

Many concerts featuring performances and compositions by N.Xanthoulis have been broadcast on Greek and Bulgarian radio programs. Two children’s operas were premiered by the Athens Opera (1998) and the Messinian Theatre (1999) to critical acclaim and commercial success. Dr. Xanthoulis has been invited by four American universities and the Music University of Tien Jin, China, in 2000 and 2001 for recitals and lectures on Greek music from the Antiquity till nowadays.

His investigation and translations on the theory of the ancient Greek music was presented in lecture at the Boston University in 2003 at the Concordia University (Montreal), and in Ottawa. He composed the music for the Aeschylian tragedy “Eumenides” which was presented in the frame of the EPIDAURUS FESTIVAL (August 2004). He has released three personal CDs and participated in two more CDs (published in Italy and Germany). The KEDROS edition published his symphonic tales “The selfish giant” (Oscar Wilde: book and CD recorded in Montreal) which it was a “best seller” between the children’s books in Greece till September 2005 and the "Happy Prince" (2007: book and CD). As a soloist he has performed with many Orchestras and in various Festivals (Ferenc Liszt Orchestra in the Athens Festival, International Festival of Sarajevo, Tashkent Symphony orchestra, Philharmony of Sofia, Tien Jin Symphony Orchestra in China, Thessalonica State Orchestra, Camerata Orchestra, National Symphony Radio Orchestra). The well-known Edition “Daedalus- Zacharopoulos” published his treatise on Ancient Greek Music in 2006. Kress Lecturer for 1012-2013 in USA and Canada by the Archaeological Institute of America.

His compositions includes: Concerto for trumpet and orchestra(1995, Editions ORPHEUS), Fantasia for trumpet and piano (Editions ORPHEUS, 2005), "The tear of the moon "children's opera (Greek National Opera, 1999), "The Selfish Giant" children's opera (Kalamata Municipal Theater, 2000), Fantasia preludio e fuga for piano and strings (Dimitris Papatheodorou (piano), Radio Orchestra of Modern music, Athens, 2002), "O Plythintikos Arithmos" on the poetry of Kiki Dimoula (Athens, 2002), Concerto for 2 guitars and string orchestra (Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stelios and Vassilis, Athens 2003), Eumenides of Aeschylus, incidental music (Epidaurus, Herodion, 2004), Concerto for 4 horns and symphony orchestra (Athens, 2005), "The Happy Prince" (2007) symphonic tale for symphony orchestra, soprano, baryton and narrator, "The Iliad" (2008), "The Magic Violin" Opera for "young ears" 2011 (premiere 7 May in the Greek National Opera), "L' enfant de la mer 2" French children's opera (2013). (wiki)