Katerina Ktona (harpsichord) and Effi Minakoulis (mezzo soprano, thiorbo, lute) performed works from the Renaissance and the baroque era, written by William Byrd, John Dowland, Antonio Cabezòn, François Couperin and others.
According to the texts concerning the four human humors written by Hippocrates, Galen, St. John of Damascus and John of Milano, the two artists selected works which represent the deep human feelings and their fluctuations. Those changes are due to the subtle balance between the four humors and the four seasons.
Katerina Ktona was born in Athens. She received a piano diploma (1st Prize) from the Athens Conservatory. With a scholarship from the German government, DAAD, she specialized in harpsichord and clavichord with Hedwig Bilgram at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Munich, where she graduated in 1976 with the highest dinstiction. She has also attended seminars with Kenneth Gilberd in Belgium and Ton Koopman in Scotland. In 1977 she started her professional career in Greece. She has collaborated with several international artists such as Marcel St-Cyr, Roberto Fabbriciani, Carlo Denti, and Nicolas Kynaston with whom she has presented works for organ and harpsichord. She is a founding member of the Greek baroque ensemble SINFONIA, which quite often collaborates with soloists such as Nancy Argenta, Greta de Reyghere, and with conductors such as Eric van Nevel and Paul Dombrecht. SINFONIA has also appeared together with the British ensemble His Majesties Sugbutts and Cornets.
Katerina Ktona has performed as a soloist with the Orchestra of the Greek Radio and Television, the Athens State Orchestra, and the Greek chamber orchestra Kamerata, with which she collaborated in the first Greek performance of the Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings by Nicolas Gorecki. She has also given the first Greek performance of works for solo harpsichord based on Byzantine themes by the Greek composer Dion Aryvas. Katerina Ktona is harpsichord professor at the Nakas Conservatory.
Effi Minakoulis was born in Athens. She studied French Literature, classical guitar and classical singing and completed her studies with distinction and first prize. With a scholarship from the British Council and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama she furthered her studies at the Early Music Department of the Guildhall School, studying renaissance lute, theorbo, and singing with some of the foremost professionals of the Early Music scene. As a member of various Renaissance and Baroque groups she has performed in all major venues in Greece and abroad and has collaborated with artists such as Michael Chance, Nancy Argenta, His Majesties Sagbutts and Cornets and Eric van Nevel. In December 2004 she participated in a recording of 17th century vocal and instrumental music with the ensemble Sinfonia in collaboration with the American College of Greece. As a lute player she has collaborated with most Greek Orchestras and has participated in many performances of Baroque Operas such as L’Incoronazione di Poppea” – “Il Ballo dell’ Ingrate” (C. Monteverdi), “Euridice” (J. Peri), “Xerxe” (G.F. Handel), Orlando Furioso (A. Vivaldi) and Alcina (G.F. Handel). She has also participated in the performance and the first worldwide recordings of Handel’s “Oreste” with “Camerata Stuttgart” and “Arianna in Creta” “Tamerlano” and “Giulio Cesare” with the Patras Orchestra for the German company MDG , the CD “Nativita di Christo” containing Italian 17th century music and the CD Lovely Echoes with medieval and 21st century music. As a singer she is active in the Early Music scene promoting the vocal music of the 16th and 17th centuries. She has also collaborated with the Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens and the Orchestra of the American College of Athens in the performance of J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Magnificat, A. Vivaldi’ s Gloria, and W. A. Mozart’s Requiem. She has collaborated with Megaron Moussikis in the presentation of Sunday Morning Concerts. She teaches at the Music Department of the American College of Greece, Deree College.
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