Theodore Currentzis is the exact opposite of strict academic conductors. A person with a bright charisma and an unusual manner of communicating with the orchestra and the hall conquers the army of fans and draws into the musical life even those who were originally far from art.
Beginning of a biography: childhood and youth
Theodore was born in Athens in 1972. From a young age, the boy showed a talent for music, which was quite natural: she always sounded at home. The mother of the future conductor worked as vice-rector of the Athenian Conservatory and played the piano beautifully. Home concerns developed the musical taste of Theo and his younger brother.
At the age of 4, the future conductor was sent to a music school, where he mastered the piano, and later the violin. By the way, his brother also went his way, but chose a different career: he became a composer.
At age 15, Theodore graduated from the conservatory in the class of stringed instruments, but decided to continue his education as a conductor. As a test, he assembled a small orchestra performing chamber music. Currentzis himself picked up the compositions for the team and realized that it was such a work that captivated him the most.
The training was continued in Russia: a talented young man was admitted to the Conservatory of St. Petersburg. Theodore later completed an internship in the orchestra of Yuri Temirkanov.
Creative way
Carentzis’s career has developed rapidly. After graduating, he worked with the team of Vladimir Spivakov, the orchestra. Pyotr Tchaikovsky. As a guest conductor, Theodore participated in the productions of Giuseppe Verdi in one of the Moscow theaters. With new bands, the young director went on tour in Bulgaria, the USA and his native Greece, performed at festivals in Colmar, Bangkok, Miami, London.
The next significant stage was the appointment of the Novosibirsk State Opera and Ballet Theater as chief conductor and musical director. Currentzis himself considers this time the heyday of his musical career. Under his leadership, a number of diverse performances were staged: Dido and Aeneas Purcell (concert performance), Orpheus and Eurydice Gluck, Figaro's Wedding by Mozart, Don Juan, Cinderella by Rossini. Verdi's opera Aida (dir. Chernyakov), on which Currentzis worked as a stage director, was awarded the prestigious Golden Mask theater prize.
Among the personal achievements of the conductor is the creation of Music Aeterna and the New Siberian Singers chamber choir. Under the guidance of Currentzis, she traveled to many cities and countries, invariably causing admiration not only for professionals, but also for people far from academic art.
In 2011, Currentzis received the post of artistic director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater. The plans include numerous tours, trips to festivals, and operas in various theaters of the world. Conductor’s creative schedule is full. At the same time, he is constantly visited by new ideas.
