Theodore Kerkezos

Theodore Kerkezos has been awarded on December 2012 with the Russian Highest Honor for Artists: Doctor of Musical Arts from the IAACC, UNESCO, World Technological University of Moscow, and from the Russian Federation Ministry of General and Professional Education for his outstanding services as professor and performer at the Russian and international music stage, an honor given to saxophonist for the first time.

He was twice nominated, proposed by Naxos label, for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in the categories #102: Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra and #98: “Best Classical Album”.

He has performed and recorded the standard repertoire for solo saxophone as a concert soloist with celebrated orchestras including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, the Philharmonia (of London), St. Petersburg Philharmonic, “Tchaikovsky” Moscow Radio Symphony, Moscow Soloists, New Moscow Opera Orchestra, Zurich Symphony, Berliner Symphoniker, Nuremberg Symphony, Meinenger Symphony, Thuringen Philharmonic, Athens and Thessaloniki State Symphonies, Bucharest Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Bilbao Symphony, Slovak Philharmonic, Slovak Radio, Athens Radio, Sofia Radio and Romanian National Radio Symphony.

He works with Yuri Bashmet, Michael Nyman, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Yuri Simonov.

Dr. Theodore Kerkezos graduated from the Athens Conservatory-1871 (Babis Farantatos’ Class) and continued in Paris with Daniel Deffayet and in Bordeaux with Jean-Marie Londeix. In 2012 the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (accredited by the United Nations), unanimously elected him as Foreign Member of the Academy at the Moscow branch - Arts department, while the Greek Composers Union unanimously elected him as Honorary Member for his remarkable international career as performer and professor in Greece and abroad.

In 1999 he started a fruitful collaboration with the Alphonse Leduc Editions Musicales (Paris, since 1841) writing books for saxophone.

He has appeared at prestigious concert halls such as: the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall-London, Carnegie Hall-New York, “Shostakovich Hall”-St. Petersburg, Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, Tonhalle-Zurich, Opera of Rome, Athens Megaron Concert Hall, Beijing Concert Hall and Herod Atticus Theatre (Athens-Acropolis).

Works have been dedicated to him by leading composers such as Iannis Xenakis, Friedrich Cerha, Theodore Antoniou and Mikis Theodorakis.

He was the founder, director and conductor of the Saxophone Orchestra of Piraeus Prefecture.

His advanced students around the world have received many Awards and distinctions. He is a senior Professor at the Athens Conservatory (since 1995) and at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory of Athens in partnership with Berklee College of Music-Boston, since 1991 and has given master classes in USA at the Universities of Boston, Princeton, Louisiana State, Los Angeles, Southeastern Louisiana, Penn State, Mansfield, Ithaca College, Providence College, New England Conservatory, and abroad: Agricultural Un.(Beijing), Istanbul Un., Cyprus Un., Moscow State Cons., St. Petersburg State Cons., Bratislava State Cons., Yerevan State Cons., and at the Gnesin (Moscow), Bucharest, Chopin (Warsaw) and Kiev Academies.

His discography with Naxos, Centaur and Onyx labels has won many prestigious awards.

He plays with H.Selmer-Paris saxophones and clarinets custom made for him under his direction.

                                                ==Recordings==

PERSONAL and AWARDED DISCOGRAPHY as CONCERT SOLOIST with orchestral accompaniment

Music for Saxophone and Orchestra, The Philharmonia Orchestra/martyn Brabbins-London,Naxos 8.557063

Ballades for Saxophone and Orchestra, London Philharmonic/Roberto Minzcuk,Naxos 8.557454

Impressions for Saxophone and Orchestra/Greek Classics, 2006, Thessaloniki State Symphony/Myron Michailides,Naxos 8.557992

Dinos Constantinides,Three Saxophone Concertos, Nuremberg Symphony/Stefanos Tsialis,Centaur CRC 2871

Legende French Works For Saxophone and Orchestra, London Symphony/Yuri Simonov/Abbey Road Studios,Onyx label,4065


                           NOTABLE DISCOGRAPHY – RECORDINGS as CONCERT SOLOIST with orchestral accompaniment

1) 2013 - 20th Century Greece: Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Skalkottas & Manos Hadjidakis. Thessaloniki State Symphony orchestra, AMERITZ MUSIC Ltd.

2) 2012- Virtuoso: Classical Music to Inspire, (various artists-Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche’ for saxophone and orchestra-Philharmonia Orchestra) NAXOS (Digital Compilations)

3) 2012- Dinos Constantinides’ works, with Slovak National Radio Symphony and Louisiana Sinfonietta. Concerto No5, and Music for Bill, cond. Mario Kosik, (to be released on December 2013 by CENTAUR-USA Label)

3) 2011 – My First Orchestra Album: Various artists- Darius Milhaud…‘Scaramouche’ for saxophone and orchestra - Philharmonia Orchestra. NAXOS (Digital Compilations-iTunes)

4) 2011-My First Classical Music Album: Various artists - Glazunov’s Concerto-Philharmonia Orchestra). NAXOS 8.578203

5) 2011- Athens Camerata.George Koumentakis’ Concerto for sax.quartet, piano & strings with George Lazaridis (piano) and Kerkezos Saxophone Quartet at the Athens Megaron Hall. MDG Label

6) 2010 - Nuremberg Symphony. Bertold Hummel’s Works, recorded at the Meistersinger Halle for the Bayerischen Rundfunk (Bavaria Radio-Germany), cond. Marc Kissoczy.

7) 2010-Janacek Philharmonic of Czech Republic cond. Peter Feranec on Alkis Baltas’ Monoloque.

8) 2009- Thessaloniki State Symphony. Manos Hadjidakis’ Mr.Knoll, for Naxos Label Radio.

9) 2008 - Nuremberg Symphony. Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche and Claude Debussy’s Rhapsody, for the Bayerischen Rundfunk (Bavaria Radio-Germany), cond. Thomas Calb.

10) 1997 - Athens Camerata. Thanos Mikroutsikos, For Sax. and Strings and Love and Dreams, cond. Alexander Myrat, AGORA Label 130.1


External links