Elena Patsalidou
Dionysis Pantis
Elena Patsalidou
soprano
The soprano Elena Patsalidou comes from Nicosia (Cyprus). She earned a bachelor's degree in vocal performance / opera from the Ionian University of Corfu and a master's degree in opera singing from the “Carl Maria von Weber” Academy of Music in Dresden.
Elena Patsalidou won 1st prize at the Kyrenia Opera Vocal Competition 2019 and 3rd prize at the Giulio Perotti International Singing Competition 2013. She was also a semi-finalist at the prestigious international singing competition Competizione dell 'Opera 2019 in Sochi.
Elena already gained a lot of stage experience during her studies. She appeared in various opera productions, including Frasquita in Bizet's “Carmen” (Opera Classica Europa / Opernwerkstatt am Rhein), Clorinda in Rossini's “La Cenerentola” (Cologne Chamber Opera), Barbarina in Mozart's “Le Nozze di Figaro” (Central Saxon Theater ), Echo in Strauss “Ariadne auf Naxos” (Landesbühnen Sachsen), Sand- / Taumännchen in Humperdinck's “Hänsel und Gretel” (Central Saxon Theater), Diana in Offenbach's “Orpheus in der Unterwelt” (State Operetta Dresden Orchestra) and the title role in Purcells "Dido and Aeneas" under the musical direction of the Australian baroque specialist Stanley Ritchie.
As a concert singer she performed various works as a soloist, including Mozart's “Coronation Mass in C major”, Monteverdi's “Vespro della Beata Vergine”, Pergolesi's “Stabat Mater” and Fauré's “Requiem”. She also helped 12th Festival of Sacred Music in Patmos, as well as in various concerts of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Symphony Orchestra and the Rhein-Main Philharmonic Orchestra.
At the 2015 Salzburg Easter Festival she sang in “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci” with the Saxon State Opera Choir Dresden alongside Jonas Kaufmann and under the direction of Christian Thielemann. As a member of the Bavarian ensemble "I Virtuosi Ambulanti", she sang as a soloist in the exclusive project "Belcanto in Bavaria" in Munich in 2020. At the International Kypria Festival 2020 she made her debut with the role of Serpina in “La Serva Padrona” (JB Pergolesi) directed by Lev Pugliese. Concert tours have taken her to Italy (Basilica San Marco, Venice), Austria (Villach Congress Center), Armenia (Yerevan Opera Theater) and Serbia (Belgrade Yugoslav Drama Theater).
She worked with various conductors such as Jan Michael Horstmann, Raoul Grüneis, Alkis Baltas, Jens Georg Bachmann and Peter Seymour. As part of several master classes, she had the opportunity to work with renowned artists such as Christophe Rousset (workshop on Claudio Monteverdi's operas “L'incoronazione di Poppea” and “Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria”), Walter Moore, Barbara Bonney and Helga Wagner. She also had private singing lessons from Professors KS Matthias Henneberg and Janet Williams.
Dionysis Pantis
Conductor, pianist
Dionysios Pantis was born in Thessaloniki. In 2006 he was admitted to the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki and in 2014 he graduated with honors. He received second prize and a special prize for excellent interpretation (in Annie Chatzissymeonidou's class).
In 2010 he began his studies in the music department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and also became a member of the "Mixed Choir of Thessaloniki".
He attended classes with Victor Merzhanov and seminars with George Thymis, Charalambos Angelopoulos, etc.
He was awarded first prize in the CH.ON music competition (2009) and came second in the “Philonas” music competition (2011). From 2012 to 2015 he attended orchestral conducting lessons with Vladimir Symeonidis and in 2015 he conducted courses and accompaniment with Jean Christophe Charron.
In 2018 he was selected after a hearing and gave piano recitals in the alternative scene Stavros Niarchos Foundation (Athens) as part of the 2018 Piano Festival.
Since 2016 he has been studying orchestral conducting with Georg Christoph Sandmann at the "Carl Maria von Weber" University of Music in Dresden. During his studies he conducted orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, Sinfonietta Dresden, Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen, Εrzgebirgische Philharmonie, Philharmonisches Orchestra Plauen Zwickau, Robert Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz and the North Bohemian Philharmonic Teplice at rehearsals and concerts.
In April 2019 he conducted the Orchestra of the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki in the final concert of the 4th Pan-Hellenic Piano Competition in the Concert Hall of Thessaloniki. In September 2019 Prof. Ekkehard Klemm assisted and conducted the musical “November in the Blues” by Karsten Gundermann.
In November 2020, the world premiere of the piece by Jadwiga Frej conducted “As long as it blows outside” with Sinfonietta Dresden.
Since May 2019 he has been leading the wind ensemble of the State Theater of Saxony.
In March 2021 he took part in the master class of the famous conductor Christian Thielemann with the Staatskapelle Dresden at the Semperoper Dresden.
