Maria Chairogiorgou-Sigara

Born in 1921, after completing her primary studies in Athens, she studied for three years at the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, alongside the conductor and pianist Alfredo Casella. Later, in Paris, she took lessons from the notable French pianist and educator Marguerite Long.

Upon her return to Athens, she performed Manolis Kalomoiris’s Piano Concerto under the direction of Philoktitis Oikonomidis. A fervent supporter of Greek music, she gave concerts in Greece and abroad, interpreting world premieres of works by composers such as Antiochos Evangelatos, Theodoros Karyotakis, Petros Petridis, Menelaos Pallantios, and Mikis Theodorakis.

Collaborating repeatedly with national ensembles, she premiered Antiochos Evangelatos’s Piano Concerto in 1961. Many Greek composers created works specifically for her. Since 2009, an annual Panhellenic Music Competition has been organized in her name, focusing on young pianists, string players, and wind instrumentalists.

Her performances are preserved in commercial recordings, where, among other works, she accompanies poet Giannis Ritsos in the recitation of “The Moonlight Sonata” (Lyra). This recording is available online. She taught at the Athens Conservatoire and the Conservatoire of Patras, and she participated in the judging panels of music competitions. Her students included pianists such as Danae Kara, Tasos Pappas, George Petrou, Alexandra Nomidou, and others.

She passed away in Athens on March 6, 2005, and she served as a member of the Administrative Board of the Greek National Opera during the period 1974/80.

Source: Greek National Opera – Educational Virtual Museum