Theodora Papanikolaou
Violin
Theodora Papanikolaou has established herself as one of the most promising representatives of the new generation of Greek violinists, with a remarkable and steadily rising artistic career in Greece and abroad. She is pursuing her artistic development through postgraduate violin studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria, in the class of Maighréad McCrann, who holds the position of 1. Concertmaster of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (ORF). She has completed studies in Violin Performance at the University of Macedonia and the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, from which she graduated with the highest distinction, awards and honors.
Her solo and chamber music performances extend to Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Germany, Italy, and the United States. She has performed as an orchestra member in the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, Wiener Jeunesse Orchester, Neue Philharmonie München, the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Youth Orchestra of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, touring and performing in some of the world’s leading concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Goldener Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, collaborating with internationally renowned conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Daniele Gatti, and Jakub Hrůša.
In 2023, she completed her internship with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, gaining valuable experience in symphonic repertoire.
She has received excellent distinctions, including First Prize at the 7th Panhellenic Music Competition “UNESCO” and the “Maria Cherogiorgou-Sigara” Competition, as well as awards at the “Tassos Pappas,” “Gina Bachauer,” and “The Children of Paganini” (Bulgaria) competitions. She has been awarded scholarships from the Society of Friends of the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and the Recreation Orchestra Graz, where she was selected as a guest musician for the 2025/2026 season.