Andreas Skouras (born 1972 in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

) is a Greek-German pianist and

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

ist.

Life

Skouras attended the Odeon in Thessaloniki and studied at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater München The University of Music and Theatre Munich (), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts music school, conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former ''Führerbau'' of the NSDAP, locate ...

with Hedwig Bilgram,

Ketil Haugsand Ketil Are Haugsand (born 13 June 1947) is a Norwegian harpsichordist and conductor. He was born in Oslo. Biography Haugsand started his musical studies in Trondheim and Oslo, and later studied in Prague and Haarlem. In 1973, he earned his solo ...

, and

Lars Ulrik Mortensen Lars Ulrik Mortensen (born 9 November 1955) is a Danish harpsichordist and conductor, mainly of Baroque solo music, chamber music and early music repertory. He was a professor in Munich in 1996–99 and has since then been artistic director of ...

. As a pianist and harpsichordist, he has performed solo, in song duets and with orchestra] in concert halls and festivals worldwide. He has played with the Ensemble intercontemporain, the ASKO Ensemble and the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. With a limited performance size, the orchestra spe ...

, among others. In addition, he has been involved in CD, radio and television productions. Skouras' repertoire includes

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, classical and

Romantic music Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—the ...

pieces. He is also particularly interested in works by Greek composers, for example ''Khoai'' by

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; , ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde composer, music theorist, architect, performance director and enginee ...

, one of the most demanding pieces for harpsichord. Numerous

Neue Musik Neue Musik (English ''new music'', French ''nouvelle musique'') is the collective term for a wealth of different currents in composed Western art music from around 1910 to the present. Its focus is on compositions of 20th century music. It is char ...

composers wrote pieces for him, including Dieter Acker,

Frank Corcoran Frank Corcoran ( ; born 1 May 1944) is an Irish composer. His output includes chamber, symphonic, choral and electro-acoustic music, through which he often explores Irish mythology and history. Life ''"I came late to art music; childhood soundsca ...

Bertold Hummel Bertold Hummel (27 November 1925 – 9 August 2002) was a German composer of modern classical music. Life Bertold Hummel was born in Hüfingen, Baden. He studied at the Academy of Music in Freiburg from 1947 to 1954, taking composition with H ...

, Peter Kiesewetter and . Skouras taught harpsichord at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich and gave

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es at the

Tbilisi State Conservatoire Tbilisi State Conservatoire ( ka, თბილისის სახელმწიფო კონსერვატორია, ''Tbilisis Saxelmc̣ipo Ḳonservaṭoria'') is the State Conservatoire of Georgia, located in the capital Tbilisi. ...

Awards

* 2003:

Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis Bayerischer Kunstförderpreis is a Bavarian arts and literary prize. Selected winners Source: 2002 :Performing arts * Stefanie Dietrich (actress) * Barbara Schöller (actress) * Christian Hettkamp (actor) * Marc Oliver Schulze (actor) ...

. * 2007: Stipendium für Musik der Landeshauptstadt München.

Recordings

* 2005: ''Sonaten und Sonatinen'' by

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

and Fredrik Schwenk (Cavalli) * 2009: ''Fragmenta Missarum pro Defunctis'' by (Neos) * 2016: ''Complete Works For Piano Solo'' by

Bernd Alois Zimmermann Bernd Alois Zimmermann (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera ''Die Soldaten'', which is regarded as one of the most important German operas of the 20th century, after those of Berg. Hi ...

(Neos) * 2016: ''Chamber Music For Violin, Piano And Harpsichord'' by

Charles Wuorinen Charles Peter Wuorinen (, ; June 9, 1938 – March 11, 2020) was an American composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. He also performed as a pianist and conductor. Wuorinen composed more than 270 works: orchestral music, c ...

with Anne Skouras (Neos) * 2016: ''Ins Offene – Klaviermusik Der Moderne'' (Neos) * 2017: ''Piano Works'' by

Kalevi Aho Kalevi Ensio Aho (born 9 March 1949) is a Finnish composer. Early years Aho began his interest in music at the age of ten, when he discovered a mandolin in his home and began to teach himself how to play it. He soon was taken under the tutela ...

(Neos) * 2017: ''Complete Works For Piano & Harpsichord'' by

Anders Eliasson Anders Erik Birger Eliasson (3 April 1947 – 20 May 2013) was a Swedish composer. Life Eliasson was born in Borlänge. His "earliest musical experiences originated from within myself: they were my own singing, and familiar tunes I heard on ...

(Neos) * 2018: ''Wolfgang Jacobi 125 – Live @ Megève Festival Savoy Truffle'' (Neos) * 2018: ''Domenico Scarlatti And The Modern Era Of The Harpsichord'' (Neos)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skouras, Andreas German classical pianists Classical accompanists German harpsichordists 1972 births Living people Musicians from Thessaloniki