B i o g r a p h y
Lisa Xanthopoulou was born in Thessaloniki, where she studied piano, advanced music theory and choral conducting at the State Conservatory and the Music College of Thessaloniki. In 1992, she completed her studies at the Department of Music of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.
In 1993, she was accepted at the Universtität der Künste Berlin, where she studied orchestral conducting with maestros H. M. Rabenstein, H. D. Baum, I. Jackson and M. Husmann. During the course of her studies, she was selected by the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat) to participate in their support program for young conductors Dirigentenforum, where she had the opportunity to work with distinguished maestros such as: K. Masur, K. Sanderling, M. Soustrot, D. Kitajenko, Cl. P. Flor, P. Gülke, B. Kontarsky, J. Kalitzke, and others.
In 1998 - 1999, she was invited to record works by J. Sibelius with the Greek Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra and to conduct the Greek Radio and Television Orchestra of Modern Music.
In 2002, she was chosen to participate in the Maestros von Morgen program of Dirigentenforum (Tomorrow's Maestros). In May of 2002, she conducted Bizet's Carmen at the Mainfranken Theater of Würzburg, and in September of the same year, she collaborated with Thessaloniki Concert Hall on a production of G. Verdi's opera Rigoletto. In 2004, Greek National Opera invited her to conduct performances of J. Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne, and in May of the same year she conducted Puccini’s Tosca at Osnabruck Theater.
In 2005, she conducted a cycle of performances for children with Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie. In April of 2005, she conducted the production of J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus at the Greek National Opera in Athens and in November 2005 Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte at Ulm Theater.
She has conducted significant German orchestras such as: Berliner Symphoniker, Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart, Munich Symphony Orchestra, Beethovenhalle Orchestra, Prussian Chamber Orchestra, Landeskapelle Eisenach, Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra, the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, Nürnberg Symphony Orchestra, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Plauen-Zwickau Theater Philharmonic Orchestra, Cologne Sinfonietta, Heilbronn Chamber Orchestra, Folkwang Chamber Orchestra of Essen, Philharmonic Orchestra of the City of Reutlingen / Württemberg and Rheinische Philharmonie State Orchestra of Koblenz, Brandenburg State Orchestra of Frankfurt/Οder, among others. As the assistant of Maestro Mario Venzago, she conducted the German Youth Orchestra. She also toured with the Saarland Youth Symphony.
She has also conducted the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra on the occasion of six concerts in Sicily, the Philarmonia Hungarica and the Women's Chamber Orchestra of Austria. She has collaborated repeatedly with Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Athens State Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens, the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Orchestra of the Greek National Opera.
She has received awards at international conducting competitions, such as 1st prize at the 2002 Bad Homburg Conductors' Contest and 2nd prize at the 5th A. Pedrotti Conductors' Contest in Trento, Italy in 1997 (no first prize was awarded that year). She was one of the three finalists in the 5th Conductors' Contest in Cadaques, Spain.
In September 2005, she was appointed Artistic Director of Thessaloniki Opera, the first time this position was introduced. During her administration, in addition to the artistic and administrative development of Thessaloniki Opera, she also established an educational program named Pais Opera (Say ‘’Opera’’). This pioneering program has familiarized thousands of children and young people with opera as a form of art. She introduced the "Pais Opera" Festival, which, for two years, was the final event of the educational program. The idea of the Festival was based on an all-day presentation - by and for children - of a multitude of music-theatrical events, interactive games, competitions and other events related to opera. She also had the innovative idea of designing digital material, comprising an opera guide and an electronic game for children. Furthermore, she organized the very first competition for opera composers in Greece, in which 50 young Greek composers took part. The six finalists had the opportunity to watch, in world premiere, a fully staged performance of their work.
In 2007, she conducted the production of R. Strauss' opera Ariadne auf Naxos at the Seongnam Arts Center in South Korea. In 2008, the Municipality of Thessaloniki presented her with an award for her contribution to the city's cultural life. In June, she was asked to conduct the Orchestra of Cairo Opera at a Gala event including the famous pianist Cyprien Katsaris as a soloist.
In March 2011 she conducted for the first time in Turkey the State Symphony Orchestra of Izmir, interpreting works of Turkish and Greek composers.
During the season 2013 – 2014, she had the opportunity to include in her repertoire two rarely performed opera works such Albert Herring of B. Britten having the music direction of a production by Thessaloniki Concert Hall and Le Villi of G. Puccini in collaboration with the Municipality of Thessaloniki. From this season begins the collaboration us a conductor with the chamber music ensemble Orpheus Soloists and Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. The close cooperation with the Thessaloniki Megaron continues with the musical direction of Bizet's Carmen production and the direction of rehearsals and seminars for the Megaron Youth Orchestra ‘’MOYSA’’.
In the season 2016 - 2017 she conducted a performance of Fra Diavolo by D. Auber and two symphony concerts as part of the Impuls Festival Saxony-Anhalt in the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater.
In April 2018 she became Artistic Director of Thessaloniki City Symphony Orchestra.
She has received enthusiastic reviews ever since her very first appearances, both in Greece and abroad.
Lisa Xanthopoulou was born in Thessaloniki, were she studied piano, advanced music theory and choral conducting at the State Conservatory and the Music College of Thessaloniki. In 1992, she completed her studies at the Department of Music of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki.
In 1998, she graduated from the Universtität der Künste in Berlin, where she studied orchestral conducting with maestros H.M. Rabenstein, H.D. Baum, I. Jackson and M. Husmann. During the course of her studies, she was selected by the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat) to participate in their support program for young conductors (Dirigentenforum), where she had the opportunity to work with distinguished maestros such as: K. Sanderling, M. Soustrot, D. Kitajenko, K. Masur, Cl. P. Flor, P. Gulke, B. Kontarsky, J. Kalitzke, and others. In 2002, she was chosen to participate in the Maestros von Morgen program (Tomorrow's Maestros).
She has conducted performances and concerts in Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, S. Korea and Egypt. Also, she regularly collaborates with all cultural organizations in Greece.
She has received awards at international conducting competitions such as 1st prize at the 2002 Bad Homburg Conductors' Contest and 2nd prize at the 5th A. Pedrotti Conductors' Contest in Trento, Italy, in 1997 (no first prize was awarded that year). She was one of the three finalists in the 5th Conductors' Contest in Cadaques, Spain.
In September 2005, she was appointed Artistic Director of Thessaloniki Opera, the first time this position was introduced. During her administration, in addition to the artistic and administrative development of Thessaloniki Opera, she also established an educational program named "Pes Opera". This pioneering program has familiarized thousands of children and young people with opera as an art form. She introduced the "Pes Opera" Festival, which for two years was the final event of the educational program.
In April 2018 she became Artistic Director of Thessaloniki City Symphony Orchestra.
S h o r t B i o g r a p h y
