Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading symphonic orchestras in Greece. The orchestra’s extensive repertoire includes works from the baroque to the avant-garde periods of music.
TSSO was founded in 1959 by the Greek composer Solon Michaelides and became a state orchestra in 1966. Many important Greek musicians became directors of TSSO: First in line was the founder, followed by Georgios Thymis, Alkis Baltas, Karolos Trikolidis, Kosmas Galileas, Konstantinos Patsalides, Leonidas Kavakos, Mikis Michaelides and Myron Michailidis. Today TSSO numbers approximately one hundred and twenty musicians.
Besides the scheduled symphonic concerts, TSSO covers a wide range of artistic activities performing opera, ballet, music for silent films, educative concerts for children and young people etc. These activities have contributed to the increase of the audience in the last few years.
The basic aims of TSSO are promoting the Greek music heritage –giving many Greek and world premieres- as well as promoting young artists, many of which today are renowned in the Greek and international music scene. A pioneer artistic institution of Greece, TSSO records for international labels such as BIS and NAXOS. Among orchestra’s most important recent productions is the recording of the Concertos No 3 and No 4 for piano of Beethoven with the famous soloist Aldo Ciccolini (EMI Classics).
The list of Greek and foreign conductors and soloists who have collaborated with TSSO includes a large number of famous artists: P. Domingo, J. Carreras, L. Pavarotti, S. Accardo, J. Anderson, V. Ashkenazy, P. Badura-Skoda, L. Berman, P. Fournier, B. L. Gelber, N. Gutman, J. Horenstein, A. Khatchaturian, L. Kogan, E. Kurtz, N. Magalov, M. Maisky, Ch. Mandeal, S. Mintz, J. Nelson, I. Pogorelich, R. Ricci, M. Rostropovich, G. Shaham, Y. Simonov, V. Spivakov, V. Tretjakov, Od. Dimitriadis, C. Katsaris, L. Kavakos, Th. Kerkezos, K. Paskalis, D. Sgouros, M. Tirimo, etc.
TSSO appears at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and every year at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall. The orchestra also performs at the most important festivals of Greece and abroad (Athens Festival-Herode Atticus Odeon, Demetria, Philippi, International Festival “Cypria” in Cyprus, International Festival “Zino Francescatti” in Marseille-France, Eclectic Festival in Valencia-Spain, etc.).
In February 2007 the CD production of TSSO “Impressions for saxophone and orchestra”, with Theodoros Kerkezos (saxophone), was awarded the “Supersonic” prize and was recommended by NAXOS for two candidacies of the “Grammy” awards. In December 2007 the TSSO gave a historic concert in the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Bejing, dedicated to N. Kazantzakis, as part of the Cultural Year of Greece in China.
In June 2008 was worldwide brought out the new CD of TSSO with works of N. Skalkottas, in cooperation with the recording company BIS, a CD that includes some first universal recordings. Moreover, in April 2009 was brought out the third CD of TSSO with pieces of Ildebrando Pizzetti, in cooperation with the recording company NAXOS, which is a world wide first recording of the works of the Italian composer. This CD, with music inspired by ancient greek themes, was awarded in December of 2009 by the Greek Drama and Music Critics’ Union.
In April 2009 TSSO made a notable appearance in Smetana Hall of Prague (Czech Republic), in collaboration with the Prague Phiharmonic Choir, where they presented the work Requiem by G. Verdi. In November 2009 TSSO gave two concerts in Italy (Teatro Manzoni of Pistoia and Teatro Verdi of Florence), while in autumn of 2010 made an appearance in Konzerthaus Berlin.

Participations - Performances - Collaborations

S. PROKOFIEV: PETER AND THE WOOLF - Friday, 07 June 2024  
MITROPOULOS COMPETITION (final) - Friday, 31 May 2024  
EMILIOS RIADIS: GALATEA - Friday, 17 May 2024  
EASTER CONCERT: MISSA SOLEMNIS - Monday, 29 April 2024  
NEW YEAR'S CONCERT: BLUE DANUBE - Monday, 01 January 2024  
ODESSA CLASSICS
THE TSSO WITH HOPE, BOTVINOV, SATTI
- Wednesday, 15 November 2023  
ELĪNA GARANČA - Saturday, 11 November 2023  
MUSIC FROM THE END OF THE EARTH: ARCTIC - Friday, 13 October 2023  
MARIA CALLAS GALA - Saturday, 16 September 2023  
MEMORY & NOVELTY - Friday, 19 May 2023  
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF'S WOLRD #2 - Sunday, 07 May 2023  
G. ROSSINI: STABAT MATER - Wednesday, 12 April 2023  
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF'S WOLRD #1 - Saturday, 01 April 2023  
WORKS OF RAVEL, BACH & MENDELSSOHN - Saturday, 18 March 2023  
THE SRPING SYMPHONY - Friday, 03 March 2023  
NEOCLASSICISM - Thursday, 23 February 2023  
SECRET LOVE - Friday, 10 February 2023  
CARL ORFF: CARMINA BURANA - Sunday, 01 January 2023  
CYPRIEN KATSARIS PERFORMS LISZT - Friday, 09 December 2022  
ROMEO AND JULIET - Thursday, 10 November 2022  
MIKIS THEODORAKIS: AXION ESTI - Thursday, 27 October 2022  
GALA MARIA CALLAS - Friday, 16 September 2022  
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS - Sunday, 22 May 2022  
EASTER CONCERT: BYZANTINE PASSIONS - Friday, 15 April 2022  
THE MIRACULOUS MANDARIN BY BARTOK - Saturday, 02 April 2022  
SYMPHONY NO. 5 OF TCHAIKOVSKY - Friday, 25 February 2022  
PICTURE AT AN EXHIBITION - Friday, 11 February 2022  
VIVA MOZART!
NEW YEAR'S CONCERT
- Saturday, 01 January 2022  
SWINGING CHRISTMAS - Friday, 10 December 2021  
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART:
DON GIOVANNI
- Saturday, 27 November 2021  
BEETHOVEN'S SYMPHONY NO. 7 - Friday, 29 October 2021  
MARIA CALLAS GALA - Saturday, 02 October 2021  
EASTER CONCERT - Friday, 10 April 2020  
BEETHOVEN YEAR II (FESTIVAL OF FREEDOM) - Friday, 20 March 2020  
RICHARD STRAUSS GALA - Friday, 21 February 2020  
MOZART AND BRUCKNER - Friday, 07 February 2020  
NEW YEAR'S CONCERT: I GOT RHYTHM - Wednesday, 01 January 2020  
VIEW FROM OLYMPUS - Friday, 08 November 2019  
PLANETS - Friday, 01 November 2019  
JOHANNES BRAHMS: A GERMAN REQUIEM - Friday, 18 October 2019  
SHOSTAKOVICH AND MAHLER - Friday, 27 September 2019  
WORKS BY BRAHMS AND HAYDN - Friday, 10 May 2019  
EASTER CONCERT - Wednesday, 24 April 2019  
LATE ROMANTIC PERIOD - Friday, 12 April 2019  
THUS SPOKE ZARATHUSTRA - Friday, 29 March 2019  
FANTASIA CONCERTANTE - Friday, 22 February 2019  
SHOSTAKOVICH'S 11th - Friday, 08 February 2019  
NEW YEAR TO THE TUNE OF BEETHOVEN'S NINTH - Tuesday, 01 January 2019  
100% DISNEY IN CONCERT: AROUND THE WORLD - Friday, 14 December 2018  
ALENA BAEVA WITH THE TSSO - Friday, 23 November 2018  
LAZARIDIS AND SHOSTAKOVICH PIECES - Friday, 16 November 2018  
MUSIC FROM ASIAN CINEMA - Friday, 02 November 2018  
NOCTURNES - Friday, 21 September 2018  
MARIA CALLAS GALA - Friday, 14 September 2018  
IGOR STRAVINSKY: THE FIREBIRD - Wednesday, 09 May 2018  
LEONARD BERNSTEIN NIGHT - Friday, 04 May 2018  
W.A. MOZART: REQUIEM - Sunday, 01 April 2018  
THE SEA - Friday, 23 February 2018  
WORKS OF KYRIAKAKIS, DYENS & DE FALLA - Friday, 01 December 2017  
PYRRHIC DANCES - Friday, 24 November 2017  
SOUNDTRACKS - Friday, 10 November 2017  
MANOS LOIZOS: 80 YEARS - Friday, 06 October 2017  
MARIA CALLAS GALA - Saturday, 16 September 2017  
FILM MUSIC - Friday, 11 November 2016  
TSSO MEETS MOYSA - Tuesday, 21 June 2016  
DISNEY'S FANTASIA - LIVE IN CONCERT - Friday, 29 November 2013  
GIUSEPPE VERDI: LA TRAVIATA - Saturday, 12 October 2013  
RELIGIOUS MUSIC BY GREEK COMPOSERS - Wednesday, 11 April 2012  
MICHEL STROGOFF - Tuesday, 14 February 2012  
​​