Recital:
Eleftheria Kotzia – guitar

The Programme

Eleftheria Kotzia – guitar

Three Preludes
Tristango
Preludio Triston
Candombe

Chant
(80 years since Taverner’s birth)

Göttingen (Barbara)

La Foule (Ángel Cabral/Edith Piaf)

Greek Dance No 1
arranged Dimitris Fampas

The Artist

Described by USA Review as doing for the Greek soul what flamenco does for the Spanish, Eleftheria Kotzia has toured regularly in Europe, Canada, the United States, South America, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. She has given recitals in venues including Merkin Concert Hall and Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, Wigmore Hall and the South Bank Centre, Megaron Concert Hall in Athens, Les Halles and the Ampitheatre Richelieu in the Sorbonne in Paris, Jubilee Hall – Raffles Hotel – in Singapore and the Rudolfinum in Prague.

Born in northern Greece, Eleftheria studied in Athens, in the Conservatoire National Superieur in Paris and in London. Among her teachers were Julian Bream, Alexandre Lagoya, Dimitri Fampas, David Russel and Timothy Walker. She was the winner of the first prize in the 6th International Guitar Competition in Milan. An inspirational creative force, Eleftheria set out in 1992 on an important initiative: the encouragement of non-Greek composers to write Greek-influenced music for her. Her uniquely pioneering work has resulted in compositions by such composers as Dusan Bogdanovic (Levantine Suite), Stephen Dodgson, Carlo Domeniconi, John Duarte, Edward McGuire, Vasquez. Eleftheria has presented works by Greek composers including Theodorakis, Giorginakis, Boudounis, Haliasas, Pittas, Tatsis, Constantinides and has recorded René Eespere’s guitar concerto.

She has an impressive list of recordings to her credit: ‘Mediterraneo’, ‘La Guitarra Latina’, ‘Fuoco’, ‘Gypsy Ballad’, ‘Respectus’. Her CD ‘The Blue Guitar’ was selected by Gramophone magazine as a Critic’s Choice Recording of the Year. Eleftheria has been on the cover of guitar magazines and music journals: Classical Guitar, Guitar International, Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Panhellenes and has been interviewed by Soundboard, Guitare Classique, Guitaren and the Greek Tar. Kotzia taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (2000-2017) and is a frequent judge in international guitar competitions. She is the writer of the method ‘Le cahier de ma guitare’. Since 2007 Kotzia directs the International Guitar Course/Fest ‘GuitarenFrance’ in France.
www.eleftheria.info