"My Dear Stefanos,
I know how difficult and rare it is, yet, at the same time, how noble and magnanimous, for someone as renown and special artist of your caliber, to recognise a colleague such as I.
For this reason I am deeply moved by your appreciation and love for my work.
I think that when love and talent come together, the result becomes staggering, since there is still that sound, musical culture that drives us to a fuller understanding of the musical work, the result of which, is a revelation of its quintessence.
I am certain that in your person, my music will find an ideal performer and ambassador towards the Hellenic and the international audience.
I wish you every success.
Athens 23rd of August 2013"
Mikis Theodorakis
In May 2015, the album of Stefanos, entitled “SINANTISI/THE MEETING” was released in Greece and Cyprus. In this double CD, for the first time Stefanos, as a piano soloist, touches pieces from all over the musical spectrum of the great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, such as, preludes for piano, adaptations/arrangements of orchestral pieces for piano and of course, lyrical songs, which were interpreted by the talented young singer Sophia Manousaki.
From the first days of the release, the double CD received excellent reviews and on October 17th 2015, the award ceremony of the gold disc, took place at the Athens Concert Hall, with the presence of Mikis Theodorakis, who, after the ceremony and concert, and while the audience was giving Stefanos a standing ovation, said: What happened today means a new beginning for my music, I owe this new beginning to Stefanos Korkolis, who is, first of all, an important and great composer and it is a heavy responsibility for a composer to recognize the value of another composer. This never happens! Only Liszt did this and he was the only one. Stefanos shows his love and devotion to my music not only through words but also through his acts. When he plays the piano, he combines Apollo and Dionysus. From one moment to another, he can become Apollo or Dionysus. This is very difficult. He makes you feel the light!”. Already this concert entitled "SINANTISI" has traveled in twenty cities across Greece, achieving a huge success. All the concerts were sold out and in some cities the concerts were repeated because of the excessive attendance of the world. Everywhere the reviews were dithyrambic. Many people consider the tour "SINANTISI" by Mikis Theodorakis, Stefanos Korkolis and Sophia Manousaki as THE success of that year's winter
Also, the song "Thes" from the album entitled "Pes mou t' alithina sou'' in lyrics of Rebecca Roussi and music of Stefanos Korkolis, which was sung in an unique way by Dimitris Mitropanos, thanks to a tasteful tv spot, came back to the news scoring a great success 11 years, after it was released, so it gained the hearts of all Greek people and conquered the first positions even in the international charts.
This double CD, also, received excellent reviews and on January 16th, 2017, the award ceremony of the gold disc, took place at the bookstore “IANOS”.
Also, Stefanos is officially the ambassador of Mikis Theodorakis' music in Greece and abroad. In May 2017, at the request of Mikis Theodorakis, he presented symphonic works of the latter, in Cologne, in the presence of the composer himself, and on September 1, 2017, Stefanos once again appeared at the Herodes Atticus theatre, in the framework of a charity concert to support the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer "ELPIDA", next to Maria Farantouri and Sofia Manousaki, where Stefanos performed his adaptations of Mikis Theodorakis’s works, in the presence of the latter and accepted the applaudissement of the 5,000 viewers.
At the moment, Stefanos continues his concerts all over Greece and abroad, with more recent concerts, on April 19, 2018, at Aula Magna, in Bucharest and on April 23, 2018, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, while in April 2018 he released his new album, titled “I should like to relate this memory” performed by Sofia Manousaki. This is a double CD that contains melodic and symphonic works, inspired by the poems of KP Cavafy.
Stefanos was born in Athens and it didn’t take him much time to reveal his musical talent. At the age of 4 years old, although unaware of musical notation, he had the ability of memorizing with great ease pieces of classical music and reproducing them on the piano almost intact.
He began his studies at the Conservatory of Athens under the guidance of late Marika Papaioannou and under the instruction of Phoebe Vallinda, where after he had received his diploma in piano, he immediately travelled to Paris to continue his studies - thanks to a fellowship from the French government - next to internationally renowned pianist Yvonne Lefébure.
In Paris, Stefanos attended simultaneously courses in composition, orchestration, conducting and cinema music. Ηe also had the pleasure and honour of attending classes by Pierre Bulez, Astor Piazzolla and other acclaimed music masters.
While in Paris Stefanos became acquainted with famous Argentinian pianist, Martha Argerich and were joined by ties of friendship and mutual artistic appreciation. It was thanks to Martha that Stefanos had a big dream of his come true: to meet the great Vladimir Horowitz. In his short apprenticeship with Horowitz, Stefanos learned about the true value of music as well as techniques that only a master of that caliber could transfuse.
By that time, Stefanos completed his studies at the Conservatoire de Paris and the Εcole Normale de Musique de Paris and achieved the first prize for modern ballet composition at the Val-de-Marne International Music Festival.
Stefanos kept on performing around the world with a repertory consisting mainly of his own works as well as works by great Russian composers, such as Scriabin and Prokofiev. His performances were received with much enthusiasm and arose excellent critiques and this continues until today.
From that point on Stefanos turned his attention more to composition. He composed music for the play “Theodora”, directed by memorable Michael Cacoyannis (known for the movie Zorba, the Greek) and staring internationally acclaimed actress Irene Papas. He also wrote the music for the film of Michael Cacoyannis entitled "Up, down and sideways."
During a period of seven years, the period of his "musical adolescence" as Stefanos often refers to, without giving up the classical concerts, he included in his activities the modern Greek music, first as arranger - composer and then as a performer of his own compositions, winning multiple platinum albums and performing in front of packed stadiums in Greece, Cyprus and Italy.
Stefanos had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest singers, singing his own music. His worldwide collaborations include: Alfredo Kraus, Jose Carreras, Teresa Berganza, Dulce Pontes, Lucio Dalla, Luca Carboni, Vittorio Grigolo and others. During his collaboration with the famous Portuguese artist Dulce Pontes touring around the world since 2003 and being her permanent conductor, orchestrator and pianist, he also had the pleasure of working with Ennio Morricone and Horatio Ferrer Astor Piazzolla's poet.
Some of Stefanos important collaborations are with Vicky Leandros and Nana Mouschouri. He also collaborated with various important artists in Greece like Dimitra Galani, Alkistis Protopsalti, Marios Fragoulis, George Dalaras, Dimitris Mitropanos, Marinella, Antonis Remos, Sakis Rouvas, Maria Dimitriadi, George Perris etc.
He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Prague Philharmonic, the Sofia Radio Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Orchestra, the Camerata, the orchestra Amadeus and others.
Stefanos has performed under the baton of acclaimed conductors such as Vladimir Válek, Valeri Vatchev, Alexander Myrat, Dimitris Agrafiotis, Nick Tshouchlos, Simeon Cogan ant others.
He has performed in great theatres and auditoriums all around the world, such as Concertbaum (Netherlands), Opera de la Corunia, Centro Cultural de Belem (Portugal and Brazil), Carre Theatre of Amsterdam and of course Athens Concert Hall, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Odeon Herodus Atticus etc.
Stefanos was invited to perform at Jose Carreras’ gala in Leipzig. He also composed the Russian’s Air Force Anthem that he performed in Kremlin for the celebration of the 85th anniversary of the Russian civil aviation.
Stefanos was given permission by the Shostakovich family for the transcription for piano and orchestra of Shostakovich work, Concertino for two pianos.
He has composed the Special Olympics’ Anthem and also the song of the Union "Mazi gia to pedi - Together for the child", for the charity purposes of which Stefanos gave a concert in September 2012 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Athens Herodion). The concert had an enormous success and the revenues, which reached the amount of 153,000 euros, were distributed entirely to 10 clubs of the Union.
One of the last collaborations of Stefanos is with great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who asked from Stefanos to perform compositions from Mikis' symphonic repertoire.
Stefanos finished his last project in the abroad entitled «Bloody Faeries», a production of legendary producer from England Haydn Bendall and he continues to give concerts in Greece and worldwide as a soloist in recitals and in collaboration with famous orchestras. The most recent concert he gave was in Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, during January 2014, where Stefanos presented for the first time in front of a very demanding audience, his new “discovery” Sophia Manousaki, a 18 years old singer, winning rave reviews.
On August 27th, 2014, Stefanos and Sophia Manousaki launched the brand new institution "Αrt in the square» at the Cyprus Limassol Marina, in front of a large audience. Also, on September 5th, 2014, Stefanos participated, with huge success, in the charity concert "sing me an angel", which took place at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Athens Herodion), in collaboration with internationally renowned tenor Mario Frangoulis and Norwegian soprano Sissel, under the direction of conductor, Richard Balcombe. Finally, on September 13th, 2014, Stefanos participated in the Russian-Cypriot charity gala, which took place in the gardens of the Presidential Palace in Cyprus.
In November 2016, the project "SINANTISI" was presented in Paris, at the Alambra Theatre, where it received an enormous success from the French public. Immediately afterwards took place two sold out concerts at the bookstore “IANOS”, where Stefanos and Sophia Manousaki presented the new double CD entitled SYNANTISI II" which includes, at first nationwide release, the circle of songs entitled "A sea full of music" in poetry by Dimitra Manda, as well as the circle of songs entitled "Chairetismoi" in poetry of Giannis Theodorakis, Angeliki Eleftheriou and Mikis Theodorakis. These two circle of songs belong to the circle “'Betrayed Projects" by great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.
Last October, in the framework of the “Cavafy 2017” workshop, Stefanos presented his latest work, based on the poems of Cavafy, in the Cairo Opera House and the Library of Alexandria, where he received tremendous reviews from an audience that has studied deeply the poems of KP Cavafy. Catalytic was the phrase, which the audience exclaimed at the end of the event: "At last Cavafy can be sung".
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