Piano;Piano
Born in Heraklion, Crete, Greece, Konstantinos Papadakis has performed in recitals and has collaborated with chamber ensembles and orchestras in the world’s major concert halls and famous artistic centers, such as Wigmore Hall, Jordan Hall, the Athens Megaron Concert Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall and St. Petersburg’s Grand Concert Hall, where he performed the world premieres of works by Greek and Russian contemporary composers. The Boston Globe says of his playing: “Papadakis gave a stunning performance displaying great variety of attack, poetic lyricism, and wrists of carbon steel."
A versatile performer, Papadakis has recorded several works especially written for him by contemporary composers, many of which have been broadcast on radio and television. His distinctions include the prestigious Yannis Vardinoyannis Award, the Esther & Albert Kahn Award, as well as awards at international piano competitions. Equally at home performing Bach’s English Suites or Ligeti’s Etudes for Piano, Papadakis possesses an unusually broad repertory, including some 70 concertos and over 300 works for solo piano, in addition to numerous chamber works.
In 2006 Papadakis was appointed the Samuel Barber Artist in Residence at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 2011. He also holds the prestigious Motoko and Gordon Deane Principal Chair as pianist for the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Boston.
Boston University School for the Arts, Artist Diploma; Moscow Conservatory, MM with honors, Gold Medal; Hellenic Conservatory of Music, Athens, Artist Diploma, Gold Medal for Excellence; Hellenic Conservatory of Music, Heraklion-Crete, Teaching Diploma with honors.
2011-09-02
GEORGE GERSHWIN