Alexandros Myrat

Born in Volos, Greece, this prominent conductor settled in Paris at an early age to study orchestral conducting under the guidance of Igor Markevitch, Nadia Boulanger, and Max Deutsch. He made his debut as a conductor in 1970 with the Monte Carlo National Orchestra, featuring violinist Henryk Szerynk as the soloist.

In 1976, he won an award at the “Nino Marinucci” Competition and that same year directed the world premiere of Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle with the French Radio Orchestra. This collaboration marked the beginning of a regular partnership with the orchestra, especially in 20th-century repertoire.

He acquired French citizenship in 1977. In 1978, he founded the Youth Orchestra of the French Community in Belgium and in 1981, he established the first French National Youth Philharmonic (Philharmonie National des Jeunes). He served as the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Picardie, recording works by Shostakovich for ‘Label Bleu’, as well as for ‘Virgin Records’, ‘EMI’, and ‘Audivis’. His tenure with the orchestra was particularly noted for their interpretation of Mozart’s works (1983-1989).

In 1984, he was awarded the Grand Prix of the French Academy of Recording for his recording of Koechlin’s The Seven Stars Symphony with the Monte Carlo Philharmonic for ‘EMI’.

He collaborated with renowned orchestras including the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Liege Symphony, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Virtuosi, and the symphonies of Trondheim and Aalborg. With the Ulster Philharmonic, as well as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Bournemouth Sinfonietta, he recorded for the ‘BBC’ among others. He also conducted the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra for three years, winning the “Best Orchestra” and “Best Recording” awards at the 1994 Vienna International Competition.

From its inception in 1991 until 2000, he was the Artistic Director and Conductor of Camerata – Friends of Music Orchestra, and from September of the same year, its permanent conductor. He recorded five CDs at the Athens Concert Hall with ‘AGORA’ and two CDs with ‘EMI Classics’, featuring works by Thanos Mikroutsikos. In 1999, he began recording a series of Mozart works with the Kammerorchester Pforzheim and ‘AGORA’.

His repertoire includes world, French, and Greek premieres of contemporary composers such as Wychnegradsky, Obouhov, Gaussin, Bainbridge, Westbrook, Mikroutsikos, Koumentakis, Koukos, Travlos, and John Tavener’s Agraphon, written for Camerata. Since 1991, he has regularly participated in opera productions at the Athens Concert Hall, including Le Nozze di Figaro and La Clemenza di Tito by Mozart, Baltas’ Momus (world premiere), Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Thanos Mikroutsikos’ The Return of Helen, presented in 1999 at the Montpellier Opera and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival.

He also participated in festivals in Ravenna, Wallonia, Edinburgh, Athens, and Patras, where he was the Artistic Director in 1999. Between 2000-2001, he conducted orchestras in Germany (Reutlingen, Göttingen), Mexico, Canada, Israel, France (Montpellier, Toulouse, Mulhouse), and Italy, recording with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano.

In 2004, he was honored by the French Republic with the title “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” for his contribution to culture. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Lyric Academy, an institution that organizes singing and conducting workshops every summer in Vendôme, France.

Source: Thessaloniki Concert Hall