Lukas Karytinos

Lukas Karytinos studied music at the Athens Conservatoire and law at the University of Athens. From 1976 to 1981, he specialised in orchestral conducting at the Berlin University of the Arts under Herbert Ahlendorf. He also attended conducting seminars at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, studying with Otmar Suitner and Walter Weller.

From 1981 to 1985, Karytinos worked in Germany, holding positions in Koblenz, Cologne, and Berlin. During his time in Berlin, he was the artistic director of the “Piccolo Teatro Berlin.” In 1985, he joined the Greek National Opera (GNO) as principal conductor and became its Music Director in 1992. From 1999 to 2005, he served as Artistic Director of the GNO. Under his leadership, the company expanded its repertoire significantly, adding 17 new operas and 4 operettas, spanning from Baroque works (Orlando Furioso by Vivaldi, Alcina by Handel) to 20th-century masterpieces (Le Grand Macabre by Ligeti, Peter Grimes by Britten). He also established collaborations with international theatres, initiated tours in Greece and abroad, and launched innovative projects such as the New Stage for Greek operettas and the Children’s Stage for operas aimed at younger audiences. In addition, he oversaw the creation of the Experimental Stage and the GNO Ballet Academy.

Karytinos has conducted all major Greek orchestras and participated in prestigious festivals, including those of Athens, Epidaurus, Verona Arena, Caracalla in Rome, Torre del Lago Puccini, Witten, Las Palmas, and Antibes. His collaborations extend to leading international orchestras, such as the London Philharmonia, RSO Berlin, Suisse Romande, WDR, and the Bruckner Orchester Linz, as well as renowned opera houses, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao, and opera theatres in Monte Carlo, Detroit, Rome, and Salzburg, among others.

He has worked with acclaimed directors such as Pier Luigi Pizzi, Graham Vick, and Hugo de Ana, and with celebrated artists including Ghena Dimitrova, Renato Bruson, Mariella Devia, José Cura, Diana Voigt, Maria Guleghina, Lucia Aliberti. His extensive repertoire includes over 70 operas, with a focus on Italian opera. Notably, he conducted the world premieres of three operas by Mikis Theodorakis, including K. Karyotakis (GNO), Medea (Bilbao Opera), and Antigone (Athens Concert Hall).

Karytinos has also introduced significant works to Greek audiences, such as Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Verdi’s Il Corsaro, Janáček’s Jenůfa, and Massenet’s Manon. International critics have lauded him as one of the finest interpreters of Italian opera.

Among his accolades are the Gold Medal of Honour from the City of Athens (1989), the Dimitris Mitropoulos Award (2001), and the Apollo Award (2010) from the Friends of the Greek National Opera. In 2016, he received the Spyridon Motsenigos Award for Music from the Academy of Athens. In 2024, the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Lukas Karytinos has served as the Artistic Director of the Athens State Orchestra since October 2020. He also teaches orchestral conducting at the Athens Conservatoire.

Source: Athens State Orchestra