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In addition to his numerous other activities, during the 2016-2017 season, the pianist, composer and musicologist Ermis Theodorakis –whom Jannis Xenakis dubbed the perfect performer of his works– gave a concert in October at the Lyzeum für Klavier in Leiden, whose programme featured 4 world premières. He performed Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf’s Prospero-Fragmente and Xenakis’ Evryali, and presented the first world performance of the works Klavierwerk 1 by Detlef Heusinger, Four Etudes by Franklin Cox, ...tönend bewegt… by Adrian Kleinlosen as well as Drei Klavierstücke by Mario Schmidt.
Ermis Theodorakis studied piano and composition at the Athens Music Society Conservatoire. Thanks to a scholarship from the Onassis Foundation he was able to complete postgraduate studies at the Amsterdam Conservatoire, and the Leiden Music Academy under the guidance of Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf.
He has often appeared as a soloist at top venues in Athens (Athens Concert Hall, Odeon of Herodes Atticus Theatre, and others) and various other cities in Greece (Thessaloniki, Patra, etc.), and at various venues abroad (in Cyprus, Holland, Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Hungary, Albania, Czech Republic, Ghana and the USA). He has also collaborated as a soloist with various orchestras and musical ensembles (Athens State Orchestra, the AGON Orchestra of Prague, the Orchestra of Colours, Camerata - Friends of Music Orchestra, Greek Contemporary Music Ensemble, United Instruments of Lucilin - Luxembourg).
He attaches particular importance to performing new music (and has presented the first worldwide performances of many works of contemporary composers) and performing key pieces from the classical repertoire. He has recorded 8 albums of 20th century piano music (mostly piano works from the Vienna New School, piano works by Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf and G. Ioannidis, the entire piano repertoire of Jannis Xenakis, works by various Greek composers from the second half of the 20th century, and the entire body of piano solos and works for 2 pianos by G. Sisilianos, along with the pianist D. Kramer). He has also recorded Xenakis’ work Synaphaï for piano and orchestra with the Orchestra of Colours.
In his role as composer, he has written works for solo instruments as well as chamber music. His works have been presented in Greece, Holland, Belgium and Germany. He won the 2000-2001 recording prize from the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music for his CD recording of Jannis Xenakis’ entire repertoire, and the National Music Council - UNESCO Prize for his overall contribution to new Greek music. He also gained acclaim at the 7th international piano competition at Orleans in France, where he won the SACEM prize as well as the André Boucourechliev Distinction.
