PROGRAM DETAILS
An original event that will bring the vibrancy of Greek tradition to the most international point of the country: the airport!
A piano will fill the space with piano arrangements of traditional Greek melodies, while dancers dressed in authentic costumes will bring to life the rhythms of Greece with dances from various regions.
The experience will be enriched by a large screen displaying videos of Greece’s enchanting landscapes—its islands, mountains, and villages—as well as images of the corresponding traditional costumes, offering a journey within the journey.
A unique cultural experience where music, dance, and imagery will introduce travelers to authentic Greek tradition—before they even reach their destination, or offering them a beautiful final memory as they depart.
This event will be a vibrant celebration of culture in a place where the world’s paths cross, showcasing Greek music and tradition through a fresh, original approach.
Greece begins to travel… before the journey even starts!
Piano: Markos Kotsias
Violin: Vasilis Rapsaniotis
with the dance ensemble “Dora Stratou”.
BIOGRAPHY
Markos Kotsias – Pianist
Markos Kotsias is a graduate of the Philippos Nakas Conservatory (class of Alexandros Papastefanou, Piano Diploma with highest honors and First Prize) and of the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (K.A. Diplom in Piano, under Prof. A. Marchand). In 2008, he was awarded First Prize in the YAMAHA Music Foundation of Europe (YMFE) competition. He has actively participated in masterclasses with leading pianists and has performed extensively both as a soloist and as a member of chamber music ensembles.
He has distinguished himself in the accompaniment of both classical and contemporary Greek vocal repertoire, collaborating with numerous prominent performers. From 2015, and for two years, he worked as a pianist for the Greek National Opera, contributing to major productions as a ballet rehearsal pianist, orchestral keyboardist, and vocal accompanist.
He has also participated in recordings and international performances with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Notable appearances include the production “Vembo–Callas: A Fantastical Encounter” alongside A. Kaparou, K. Paschou (2018), and E. Karagianni (2019), as well as a performance with renowned clarinetist Renaud Guy-Rousseau of the Orchestre Nationale de France at the French Institute of Athens.
In 2021, he toured across Greece in the Greek National Opera production “The Events” as pianist and on-stage choir conductor. In 2022, he worked as orchestral pianist and répétiteur for major productions of the ERT National Symphony Orchestra (Carmina Burana, Odeon of Herodes Atticus) and the City of Athens Symphony Orchestra. He also performed as a soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with conductor Myrsini Chatzikonstanti and the Danube Symphony Orchestra (Hungary).
He is currently working as a répétiteur at the Athens Conservatory and in the operatic productions of the City of Athens (e.g., Die Fledermaus, 2024, Olympia Municipal Music Theatre).
Vasilis Rapsaniotis – Violinist
Vasilis Rapsaniotis was born in Athens. He studied violin in both Greece and France, holding a Violin Diploma and a Fugue Degree. He is the founder of the Paneion Conservatory of Rapsaniotis in Kalyvia, Attica.
He has collaborated with the Orchestra of Colours and the ERT Musical Ensembles. Actively involved in the Greek recording industry, he has also performed in productions at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and other major cultural venues.
He is also the author of two violin method books, published by Philippos Nakas Editions.
