Theodore Kerkezos
Two Times Grammy Award Nominee
“…one of the most astounding performers of the day.”
Gramophone (“Editor’s Choice”-winner)
He has performed and recorded the entire repertoire for solo saxophone with orchestras including the London Philharmonic, The Philharmonia, London Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, “Tchaikovsky” Moscow Radio Symp., Boston Pops, Moscow Phil., Zurich Symp., Berlin Symp., Moscow Soloists, Vienna Chamber, Moscow Opera, Rheinische Phil., Nuremberg Symp., Thüringen Phil., Slovak Phil., Slovak Radio, Bucharest Phil. “G. Enescu” Bucharest Phil., National Radio of Romania, Greek National Radio Symp., Athens State Orch., Thessaloniki State Symp., Janacek Phil., Bilbao Symp., Massimo Bellini Theatre Symp., Meiningen Opera Symp., Far Eastern Symp., Armenian Phil., Sofia Radio Symp., Royal Bangkok Sym., at venues such as: Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall, Vienna Konzerhaus, “Tchaikovsky” Moscow Conservatoire, St. Persburg Philharmonic Hall, Tonhalle-Zurich, Athens Megaron Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Meistersingerhalle, Dubai Concert Hall and Odeon Herod Atticus (Athens-Parthenon).
more
As an orchestrator/arranger, his works have been performed by orchestras such as: London Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Phil., Boston Pops, Berliner Symp., Vienna Chamber O., Athens State, Slovak Radio Symp., Bremer Phil., Lithuania National Phil., Sinfonica Siciliana, Masimo Bellini Symp. etc.
Theodore Kerkezos has been awarded with the Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts from the IAACC/ UNESCO for his outstanding services as performer and professor at the international music stage; in 2012 the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences & Arts and the United Nations, unanimously elected him as Honorary Member of the Academy and in 12/2016 received the Artists of the Year by the Gina Bachauer Awards. He was twice nominated for the USA 50th Grammy Awards in New York for his recordings.
Works have been dedicated to him by Iannis Xenakis, Mikis Theodorakis and Friedrich Cerha.
He studied saxophone and advance theory at the Athens Conservatoire (Babis Farantatos’ class) and continued in Paris with Daniel Deffayet and in Bordeaux with Jean-Marie Londeix.
For 20 years he was the senior Professor at the Athens State Conservatory and he is a visiting professor giving master classes at Universities of: Boston, Princeton, Louisiana, Ithaca-New York, Vienna State (MDW), at the Conservatories of: Boston, New England, Moscow State, St. Petersburg and at the Academies of: Gnesin (Moscow), Bratislava, Chopin (Warsaw) and Kiev.
In 1999 he started collaboration with the Alphonse Leduc Editions Musicales-Paris writing saxophone books.
His discography has won many prestigious awards.
less