Marilena Souri

Pianist Marilena Souri was born in Patras and began piano lessons at the age of 7. She graduated from the LUCA School of Arts/Lemmensinstituut in Leuven, Belgium, with a Master’s degree in Piano Performance under the guidance of the internationally renowned pianist Alan Weiss in 2020. Since February 2020, she has been working as an accompanist and assistant music preparer for the Children’s Choir of the Greek National Opera, under the direction of Konstantina Pitsiakou.

Her artistic activities include solo recitals and performances with various chamber music ensembles in Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia, Romania, and Portugal, as well as participations in festivals such as the International Festival of Patras and Open Day at the Onassis Foundation.

Souri has performed as a soloist with the LUCA Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Michel Tilkin, and with the Sinfonietta Athens, conducted by Giorgos Aravidis. In 2014, she recorded for the Third Programme of the Hellenic Radio.

During the 2013-2014 period, she participated as an accompanist in the opera workshop of the Regional Theatre of Patras in collaboration with the Beggars’ Operas, working with Charalampos Gogios and Alexandros Efklidis. She also served as an assistant conductor in Theodoros Sakellaridis’ operettas “The Daughter of the Storm” (Beggars’ Operas, 2013) and “Sataneri” (Regional Theatre of Patras – Beggars’ Operas, 2014).

Souri was responsible for music preparation and was a member of the onstage orchestra for Theodoros Abazis’ opera “The Snow Queen” (Municipal Theatre Apollon, Onassis Foundation, 2014-2015). She has also been an accompanist for the women’s vocal ensemble ANTIHO and a member of the University of Patras Orchestra.

She studied with the distinguished pianist and pedagogue Agathe Leimoni, earning a Piano Diploma in 2013 with unanimous honors and a First Prize from the Hellenic Conservatory of Maroussi, as well as a Diplôme Superieur from the Schola Cantorum de Paris in 2014. She has attended seminars and masterclasses with renowned piano professors and soloists, including Konstantin Ganev, Julia Ganeva, Lilia Boyadjieva, Aquilles Delle Vigne, France Clidat, Igor Petrin, and Ian Jones, among others.

Souri has participated in seminars within the framework of international festivals and academies, such as Primavera Pianistica in Belgium, the International Academy of Poros, and Music Village in Agios Lavrentios, Pelion. She also took harpsichord and baroque accompaniment (basso continuo) lessons with Professor Markellos Chryssicos at the Municipal Conservatory of Patras. As a harpsichordist, she has collaborated with the Camerata – Friends of Music Orchestra, Camerata Junior, and the String Quartet of the Municipal Conservatory of Patras.

She has been distinguished in national and international competitions and was honoured in 2018 by the Academy of Athens with the Mykoniou Prize from the Order of Letters and Fine Arts.

Source: National Conservatory