Maestro Yorgos Ziavras to conduct own orchestra at Cologne music festival
Greek maestro Yorgos Ziavras will conduct his own orchestra, ÉRMA Ensemble, at International Acht Brücken (Eight Bridges) Festival in Cologne, on April 30, 2023. The orchestra will perform a selection of contemporary works by Antonio La Spina, Po-Chien Liu, Luca Ricci, and Tom Belkind.
The works competing for the first prize, which will premiere during the April 30th concert include, the “Tre pezzi incoerenti“(Three Incoherent Pieces) by Royal Conservatoire The Hague, graduate Antonio La Spina, “In einem verlassenen Zimmer“ (In an abandoned room) by Taiwanese Folkwang University student Po-chien LIU, and “Quando il sole copre le nuvole vien buono“ (When the sun covers the clouds it gets dark) by award-winning Italian composer Luca Ricci.
“For ÉRMA and me personally, it is of great importance to continuously support the creation and performance of new music, and to do so at one of the most important contemporary music festivals of our time is a privilege and joy,” Ziavras says.
The performance will feature “I see green Hills spill into the valley (2022)” a contemporary work by Israeli composer Tom Belkind, the 2021 recipient of Bernd Alois Zimmermann Fellowship of the City of Cologne.
The concert is expected to be broadcasted live on Germany’s state-owned WDR broadcasting company.
Yorgos Ziavras, a Greek internationally acclaimed conductor, has led orchestras around the world and has a particular affinity for contemporary music.
The Internationaler Acht Brücken festival is a prominent contemporary music event held annually in Cologne, Germany, featuring renowned performers and world premieres of cutting-edge works.
The festival aims to bridge musical traditions, cultures, and genres while promoting new forms of artistic expression.
Athens-born Ziavras studied orchestra conducting at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, piano in Athens and Cologne with Elisabeth Kounalaki and Prof. Paulo Alvares and architecture design at the National Technical University (NTUA) in Athens.
