Semeli Economou

Semeli Economou

Semeli Economou performing in 2014
Background information
Birth name Semeli Economou
Also known as Santa Semeli
Born (1976-04-28) April 28, 1976
Munich, Germany
Origin
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter, director, actress, producer
Instruments Singing
Associated acts Santa Semeli and the Monks
Website santasemeliandthemonks.com

Semeli Economou (born 28 April 1976), also known as Santa Semeli, is an actress, director, writer, producer, poet, performer and musician. She is the daughter of Cypriot classical concert pianist and composer Nicolas Economou.[1] Semeli is the founding member of the music group Santa Semeli and the Monks.[2][3]

Early life

Semeli Economou was born and raised in Munich in an artistic environment. Her father Nicolas Economou was renowned Cypriot concert pianist and composer whose friendship with many musicians, artists and thinkers of his time made the Economou household an artistic hub.[1] Her mother is Greek American.

Semeli started taking ballet lessons at the age of four. When she was eight years old Russian prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya who was a close family friend took Semeli under her wing suggesting she went to Moscow to continue her studies there.

From a very young age Semeli took piano lessons and would often improvise with her father and pianists such as Chick Corea on two pianos.

When Semeli was twelve her parents divorced and she went to live in Cyprus with her grandparents where she started taking classical singing lessons.

At the age of sixteen Semeli won the first prize for acting at a talent competition on the show Afetiries on Cypriot National Television. She performed Yelena’s monologue from Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov.

When Semeli was seventeen her father tragically died in a car accident.

Career

Economou studied acting and directing at The School of the Science of Acting (now Kogan Academy of Dramatic Arts) under her teacher and mentor Sam Kogan.

Upon graduating she started teaching acting and directing there. Her active involvement at the school led her to be appointed a trustee on the board of directors.

Amongst other theatre roles, Semeli played Rosina in Opera Piccola’s production of Rossini's The Barber of Seville at Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House that was broadcast live.[4]

Along with her then husband Nick Cawdron she formed the theatre production company Creative Entertainment. They successfully produced the British Premiere of Eugene O’Neill’s Lost Plays. Amongst other plays Semeli Economou produced and directed O’Neill’s Anna Christie winning Time Out’s Critics Choice.

As a screenwriter Semeli collaborated with PR guru Quentin Bell and turned his novel Penance in Paradise into the screenplay called Rich Bastard.

Under her own film company Cosima Films she produced and directed the short film The Burning Bush based on Viennese painter’s Oskar Kokoschka’s play. During filming is where she met Icelandic actor Haraldur Agustsson with whom she later formed the music group Santa Semeli and the Monks.

Semeli lives between New York and London and serves on the board of trustees at the Nicolas Economou Foundation which is based in Cyprus.

Santa Semeli and the Monks

In 2013 Semeli Economou together with Haraldur Agustsson founded the music group Santa Semeli and the Monks.

In June 2014 they released their first single Arrivederci Bob under their own label Cosima Music which reached number 3 in the Cyprus i-Tunes charts.

In November 2014 they released their self titled debut album.

References

  1. 1 2 Neil Norman (3 August 2001). "Beware Greeks bearing grudges". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Christina Skordi. "Η Κύπρια που κατέκτησε Λονδίνο και Νέα Υόρκη με τη μουσική της". http://like.philenews.com/ (in Greek). Retrieved 25 November 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ Ingibjörg Rósa Björnsdóttir (13 July 2014). "Tónlistin segir sögur" (Newspaper). Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). p. 9. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "UK Theatre Web". http://www.uktw.co.uk/. Dynamic Listing Ltd. Retrieved 25 November 2014. External link in |website= (help)
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