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Yannis Xylas pianist
Mr. Xylas was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied piano with Nikos Astrinidis and received his Diploma with Honors from the Macedonian Conservatory of Music. He has performed extensively in Greece, mainly in concerts for Two Pianos. Among other works he premiered W.Bolcom's RECUERDOS in Greece, a concert that was televised. He was also rehearsal pianist and assistant chorus master for the Lyrical Opera Chorus of Thessaloniki for six years.
He currently resides in New York and has been associated with Mid-America Productions (American premiere of Theodorakis' s opera ELEKTRA, Rossini's ERMIONE, Taneyev's AGAMEMNON and Opera Aegean), Opera Orchestra of New York, New York Grand Opera and Lubo Opera (American premiere of Kalman's 1928 Operetta Die Herzogin von Chicago) as rehearsal pianist, chorus master and assistant conductor. In 1999 he made his Lincoln Center (Avery Fischer Hall) debut in New York in the triple capacity of performer, orchestrator and artistic director in a concert featuring Greek classical music. He recently appeared in Washington's Kennedy Center in a similar concert, bringing Greek music to the Center for the first time.
He has performed extensively in the USA, Greece, India, Czeck Republic, Poland and Spain, collaborating with singers, instrumentalists and orchestras, mastering an extensive repertoire of opera, oratorio, operetta, lied and specializing in rarely performed music and Greek Classical music. As a soloist he has performed the Carnival of the Animals by C. Saint-Saens and the Double Piano Concerto in C minor by J.S. Bach. As an organist he has played the great organs of St. Patrick 's Cathedral and St. Bartholomew's. He is also vice president of the Hellenic Music Foundation and a freelance orchestrator.
Last, but not least, he holds a Geology Degree from the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki and a Graduate Gemologist Diploma. |
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REPERTOIRE
1996-Present: Resides in New York and collaborates with various regional Opera companies as well as individual singers in a varied repertoire that includes the following:
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Aida, Cosi fan Tutte, Tosca, L'Elisir d'Amore, Don Pasquale, Falstaff, Un Ballo in Maschera, Don Giovanni, Don Carlo, Ariadne auf Naxos, Zauberflote, L'Amico Fritz, Zanetto, Sylvano, Medea, Macbeth, Lucia di Lammermoor, Die Walkure, Adriana Lecouvreur, Andrea Chenier, Die Fledermaus, Suor Angelica, Porgy and Bess, Salome as well as rarities such as: Die Agyptische Helena, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Capriccio, Les Huguenots, La Juive, La Battaglia di Legnano, Attila, Alzira, I Masnadieri, L'Assedio di Corinto, Ermione, Therese, Fosca (by Carlos Gomes), Grafin Mariza and Die Herzogin von Chicago (by Emmerich Kalman).
Mr. Xylas is an expert in Greek Music. Most recently, he has been preparing Mikis Theodorakis' Opera ELEKTRA that received its American Premiere at Carnegie Hall, LYSISTRATA, the Cello Suite and several of his Art songs as well as the New York Premiere of Rossini's Opera ERMIONE and Taneyev's Opera AGAMEMNON.
He recently performed C. Saint-Saens' Carnaval des Animaux , J.S. Bach' s Double Piano concerto in C minor, BWV 1060 and R. Strauss' Festliches Praeludium for Organ and orchestra with the Pan American Symphony Orchestra.
He is also the Vice President of the Hellenic Music Foundation and he can be heard in their recent CD issue of popular Greek Romantic songs from the 20s to the 40s
1992-1996: Performed in a series of concerts for Two Pianos (with a Bulgarian Pianist) in Greece works by Liszt, Saint-Saens, Lutoslawsky, Stravinsky, Infante, Astrinidis, Infante, Milhaud, Brahms, Reger, Messiaen, Shostakovitch, Ravel, Bolcom.
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1989-1996 : Rehearsal Pianist and Assistant Chorus Master for the Lyrical Chorus of the Opera of Thessaloniki. Prepared (and performed touring Greece) choruses as well as ensembles from: Cavalleria Rusticana, Carmen, Aida, Vespri Siciliani, Traviata, Roberto Devereux, Trovatore, Rigoletto, Nabucco, I Lombardi, Prince Igor, Norma, Lohengrin, Giovanna D'Arco, Ernani, Messiah, Die Schoepfung, Czardasfurstin, Die Lustige Witwe, Grafin Maritza, Orphee aux Enfers, as well as Greek Operas and Operettas.
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