Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra

Among Greece's leading symphonic ensembles, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra has toured widely and attracted international-caliber soloists. The group has the mission of promoting Greek music but has also performed and recorded music by composers from elsewhere. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1959, assuming its current name and status as a government-owned group in 1966. Its founder was composer Solon Michaelides, who also served as its first conductor. He was succeeded by Georgios Thymis, Alkis Baltas, Karolos Trikolidis, Kosmas Galileas, Konstantinos Patsalides, Leonidas Kavakos, Mikis Michaelides, Myron Michailidis, Alexandre Myrat, Georgios Vranos, Zoi Tsokanou (the group's first female conductor), and, as of 2022, Simos Papanas, who is also a violinist and had been the orchestra's concertmaster since 2003. All these conductors have been Greek, an ethnic homogeneity rare among top-rank ensembles. The orchestra is large, with about 120 members. It has the aim of promoting Greek music and has performed and recorded many world premieres. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra made its recording debut in 2006, backing saxophonist Theodore Kerkezos on the album Impressions for saxophone and orchestra; the album contained works by various contemporary Greek composers. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra plays a major role in Greek cultural life. In addition to giving weekly symphonic concerts at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall in its home city, the group performs annually at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall and tours widely in Greece, especially in the northern part of the country. The group performs for opera, ballet, and silent film showings, and it maintains a full schedule of educational events designed for young people and families. Abroad, the orchestra has appeared at such major venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Semperoper in Dresden, and the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. It has been in demand at important festivals such as the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Germany's Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Savannah Music Festival in Georgia, U.S., and the Tokyo Music Festival. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra has recorded mostly for the Naxos label. Its recordings have focused on Greek music, but the group has also devoted albums to Italian composers Ildebrando Pizzetti and Gian Francesco Malipiero. In 2023, with Tsokanou as conductor, the orchestra released the album Topos: 20th-Century Greek Orchestral Music.
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