Thessaloniki City Symphony Orchestra

The TCSO was founded in 1987 under its original name of ‘’Municipal Orchestra’’ and its first Artistic Director was Kosmas Galileas.  It consists of acclaimed musicians and is actively involved in the city’s musical events.  Besides performing their own regularly scheduled concerts the orchestra also puts on educational concerts,  it appears in co-productions with  renowned  artists, it has performances with other orchestras, it participates in festivals and international competitions, and it has performed concerts all over Greece and abroad, as well.  From 1993-1998 the Artistic Direction was undertaken by conductor Dimitris Agrafiotis and from 1999-2005 by conductor Byron Fidetzis. Starting in 2013 the artistic coordinator of the orchestra was cellist Christos Gribas.  From 2001 and through today the position of permanent conductor is held by Haris Iliadis.  The role of artistic coordinator for the orchestra has been taken over by conductor Liza Xanthopoulou as of April 2018.
Throughout the years of its existence, the TCSO has had the pleasure and honor to host great soloists and conductors such as  D. Sgouros, G. Demertzis, L. Kavakos, M. Tirimos, G. Vakarelis, G. Lazaridis, S. Katsaris, V. Repin, F.J. Sellheim, L.L. Galati, R. Moog, L. Oistrach, R. Syracuse, V. Trethiakov, K. Kelly, G. Schuller, C. Struder, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Vanessa Mae, among others.  For many years the orchestra has performed the opening concert (and subsequent concerts) in the ‘’Dimitria Festival’’ which is an annual weeks-long extravaganza of cultural events and activities in Thessaloniki. 
The TCSO has also collaborated with G. Dalaras, F. Pliatsikas, E. Reboutsika, Glykeria, Th. Mikroutsikos, D. Savvolpoulos, E. Karaindrou, K.  Makedonas, M. Farantouri, E. Arvanitaki,  and G. Gakis and the Troublemakers. The orchestra has appeared at the Athens Concert Hall, the Lycabettus Theater, as well as in numerous cities throughout Greece (Veria, Larisa, Naoussa, Mesolongi, Drama, Igoumenitsa,  Kavala, Serres, Volos, Preveza, Kastoria, and Corfu, to name a few) and outside of Greece at the Ancient Theater of Ephesus and in Cyprus.  It has made recordings of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ with soloist L. Kavakos and maestro Kosmas Galileas and Haydn’s ‘The Creation under the direction of  Byron Fidetzis in the year 2000.  The TCSO has also performed many operas including The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Abduction from the Seraglio (Mozart), Il Campanello Di Notte  (Donizetti), ’The Medium (Menotti), Gianni Schicchi and Turandot (Puccini), Momo (Alkis Baltas), Il Trovatore ’and La Traviata (Verdi), Salome (R. Strauss), Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss), Carmen (Bizet), Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach). In February 2016 the TCSO performed for the first time in Greece the opera The Puritans by V. Bellini. In addition to its work in opera the orchestra has also performed the ballet Sleeping Beauty (Tchaikovsky) and the major oratorios The Passion of St. Matthew ( Bach) and Missa Solemnis (Beethoven).
Finally, in recognition of TCSO’s valuable contributions towards the promotion of Greek composers’ works, internationally famous composer and Boston University professor, Th. Antoniou, dedicated his 1st Symphony to the orchestra which had its world premiere on January 19, 2003.  The Thessaloniki City Symphony Orchestra supports established as well as newly emerging Greek  musicians  and contributes substantially to  the cultural life of Greece.

Participations - Performances - Collaborations

GASPARE SPONTINI: LA VESTALE - Friday, 08 December 2023  
IN FORMAL COSTUME: ALKINOOS IOANNIDIS - Monday, 27 November 2023  
YORGOS KAZANTZIS: FOR A BIG ORCHESTRA - Friday, 03 November 2023  
TRIBUTE CONCERT TO NIKOS KYPOURGOS - Wednesday, 30 November 2022  
IT WAS JUST A WORD ...FREEDOM - Wednesday, 27 October 2021  
THE BEATLES MEET JAZZ - Wednesday, 03 June 2020  
EASTER CONCERT - Wednesday, 15 April 2020  
MUSICIANS OF TOMORROW - Monday, 06 April 2020  
60 YEARS OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS - Saturday, 21 March 2020  
GRIEG PASSION - Wednesday, 04 March 2020  
CROSSOVER IN RED - Monday, 30 December 2019  
LITTLE STARS IN CONCERT - Monday, 16 December 2019  
STAMATIS KRAOUNAKIS: ...IN OFFICIAL COSTUME! - Wednesday, 23 October 2019  
EUROPEAN MUSIC DAY - Friday, 21 June 2019  
THE FAMOUS ANDANTE - Wednesday, 05 June 2019  
MUSIC FROM CONTEMPORARY GREEK CINEMA - Wednesday, 08 May 2019  
FOUR GREAT GREEK COMPOSERS - Friday, 05 April 2019  
TCSO & MOYSA: THE VIDEO GAMES MUSIC - Saturday, 16 March 2019  
JUST BEETHOVEN - Wednesday, 20 February 2019  
IT'S SHOW TIME - Wednesday, 09 January 2019  
THE SYMPHONY OF... THE NEW YEAR - Sunday, 30 December 2018  
FREAKADELLA, THE WITCH THAT HATED CHRISTMAS CAROLS - Wednesday, 19 December 2018  
TUESDAY THE 13th! - Tuesday, 13 November 2018  
REWORKS AGORA 2018: THOSE, WHO DARE - Sunday, 16 September 2018  
ELAS LIBERATES THESSALONIKI - Wednesday, 25 October 2017  
VADIM REPIN - Sunday, 08 October 2017  
THE SOMT MEETS MOYSA - Wednesday, 07 June 2017  
THE SOMT AT THE CONCERT HALL - Wednesday, 10 May 2017  
THE SOMT AT THE CONCERT HALL - Wednesday, 26 April 2017  
THE SOMT AT THE CONCERT HALL - Tuesday, 07 March 2017  
THESSALONIKI STATE CONSERVATORY: SCENT OF MUSIC - Wednesday, 25 January 2017  
NEW YEAR'S EVE CONCERT - Friday, 30 December 2016  
THE CITY OF THESSALONIKI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - Wednesday, 21 December 2016  
“GIORGOS THYMIS” INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION - Wednesday, 23 November 2016  
26th October concert - Wednesday, 26 October 2016  
GIUSEPPE VERDI: AIDA - Saturday, 15 October 2016  
OPERA GALA WITH THEODORA BAKA - Wednesday, 28 September 2016  
A CONCERT FOR THE REFUGEES - SOMT MEETS MOYSA - Wednesday, 08 June 2016  
REWORKS FESTIVAL
MAX RICHTER: VIVALDI RECOMPOSED
- Wednesday, 17 September 2014  
THREE GREAT VIENNESE CLASSICS - Wednesday, 04 June 2014  
ΕΟΡΤΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΣΥΝΑΥΛΙΑ - Monday, 16 December 2013  
GIANCARLO DE LORENZO & BOHUSLAV MATOUŠEK - Friday, 01 November 2013  
R. ZANELLA - Ε. KARAINDROU:
VOYAGE TO ETERNITY
- Saturday, 28 September 2013  
AUTUMN TURN - Friday, 20 September 2013  
FRANCESCO LA VECCHIA PRESENTS... - Friday, 31 May 2013  
OPERA GALA - Friday, 17 May 2013  
IPHIGENIA'S PATH - Wednesday, 17 April 2013  
3S NETWORK - Wednesday, 03 April 2013  
CELEBRATING SIBELIUS - Wednesday, 20 March 2013  
FAMOUS SOLOISTS
MICHAEL GUTTMAN - Cancelled
- Wednesday, 19 December 2012  
SPYROS SAMARAS: CRETAN GIRL - Thursday, 22 November 2012  
DIMITRIS MARAGOPOULOS: SEARCHING FOR... SPACE-TIME - Wednesday, 24 October 2012  
MILCHO LEVIEV & FRIENDS - Monday, 15 October 2012  
DIMITRIA
OPENING CEREMONY
- Sunday, 16 September 2012  
THESSALONIKI STATE CONSERVATOIRE
A CENTURY OF OFFER
- Wednesday, 11 January 2012  
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