The beginning of the 2022/23 artistic season of the Alternative Stage is marked by the memorable synergy of two historic organisations, the Greek National Opera and the Greek Composers’ Union, working together for the first time in their long history in the aftermath of a triple anniversary: the bicentennial of the Greek War of Independence, the 80th anniversary of the GNO and the 90th anniversary of the GCU.

The collaboration of the two institutions, with their special and proven sensitivity to the cause of Greek music, historical as well as contemporary, focuses on the jointly announced operatic vocal music composition competition on the theme of 1821, Greek War of Independence and Poetry Set to Music.

The diverse, prize-winning works of composers Euripides Bekos, Christos Dovas, Theodoros Gougousoudis, Ismini Gyftaki-Beck, Xenia Konstantinidou and Giorgos Vavoulas, based on poetry by Victor Hugo, Andreas Kalvos, Angelos Sikelianos, Aristotelis Valaoritis and Kostas Varnalis on the theme of the Greek War of Independence, will be presented in a concert combining the strengths of a distinguished team of soloists as well as the GNO Orchestra under the baton of Nicolas Vassiliou, a conductor prized for his exceptional skills in contemporary music and all its kaleidoscopic nuances.

This production, part of a tribute to the 2021 bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org].