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ATHENS (February 26, 2026) — The Greek National Opera brings its orchestra to the United States for the first time this fall, making its debut in New York at Carnegie Hall on October 15, 2026 at 8:00 p.m., in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. Led by internationally acclaimed Greek conductor Vassilis Christopoulos, Music Director of Graz Opera, the performance features world-renowned mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili and soprano Maria Kostraki. This concert is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the GNO’s artistic outreach.
Titled Nikos Kazantzakis: An Odyssey in Music, the program traces the influence of the celebrated writer across generations of Greek composers, including Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Skalkottas, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Giorgos Koumendakis. The concert centers on Kazantzakis, the most widely translated Greek author whose writing has shaped musical creation in Greece for more than a century. His novels, including Zorba the Greek, Captain Michalis, Christ Recrucified, and The Last Temptation, have inspired composers working across symphonic music, opera, theater, ballet, and film, creating a sustained dialogue between literature and sound.
Highlights of the Carnegie Hall performance include the U.S. premiere of Koumendakis’s orchestral work Amor Fati; Anita Rachvelishvili performing songs by Theodorakis for the first time; and Maria Kostraki performing Hadjidakis’s Captain Michalis.
For the Greek National Opera, the New York appearance marks a major step in its international activity. Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, Giorgos Koumendakis, notes: “Bringing the historic Greek National Opera to Carnegie Hall has been a vision in the making since I assumed the role of Artistic Director nearly a decade ago. During our concert at this legendary venue, we will showcase a special selection of works by some of Greece’s most notable composers including Mitropoulos, Skalkottas, Hadjidakis, and Theodorakis, each of whom either directly or indirectly reference the work of the world-renowned author Nikos Kazantzakis. Alongside the masterpieces of our prominent composers, I also have the special honour to present a work I wrote for Kazantzakis. I am confident that the pieces we have selected will offer the American audience a vivid introduction to Greek and Cretan culture, celebrating the depth and spirit of Nikos Kazantzakis’ multilayered body of work.”
Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), said: “The Greek National Opera’s performance at Carnegie Hall, one of the world's most renowned cultural institutions, marks a significant milestone in the GNO’s history—one that also reflects longstanding support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation aiming to enhance the GNO’s artistic outreach. The unique musical tribute they’ll perform, inspired by writer Nikos Kazantzakis and featuring emblematic Greek works, bears the evocative title “Odyssey,” a deeply symbolic name that, to our ear, also evokes the GNO’s journey through time. This journey on which the GNO has embarked has taken it from Athens to far corners of the world—from Italy and Cyprus to China and South Africa, and now to New York. Its success is not down to favorable winds, but to the captain's skill and the crew's dedication. Our warmest congratulations go to Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis and everyone who contributes to the work of the GNO. We are confident that the audience will enjoy a captivating experience that will remain with them for a long time.”
The program forms a musical arc connecting generations of composers influenced by Kazantzakis and the Greek island Crete, whether as a place of origin, heritage, or symbolic reference.
Manos Hadjidakis (1925–1994) drew inspiration from Kazantzakis’s novel Captain Michalis when composing music for its theatrical adaptation in 1966, transforming themes of sacrifice and inner conflict into a lyrical, introspective musical language. This work will be performed by Maria Kostraki with an ensemble of solo musicians.
Mikis Theodorakis (1925–2021) created the most internationally recognized musical expression of Kazantzakis’s world through his iconic score for Michael Cacoyannis’ film adaptation of Zorba the Greek, giving the central character a musical voice, especially through the famous “Zorba’s Dance,” that became synonymous worldwide with Greek cultural identity. These works will be performed by Anita Rachvelishvili for the first time.
Giorgos Koumendakis (b. 1959) composed the symphonic work Amor Fati in 2007, reflecting Kazantzakis’s philosophical outlook while drawing on the sound world of Cretan music through contemporary orchestral writing. Written for the fiftieth anniversary of the author’s death, the work captures the Kazantzakian concept of embracing one’s fate alongside the composer’s deep connection to Cretan musical identity. It receives its U.S. premiere at this concert.
The program also includes Nikos Skalkottas’s (1904–1949) Three Cretan Dances, drawn from his landmark collection 36 Greek Dances inspired by the centuries-long history and folk culture of Crete, the island that profoundly shaped Kazantzakis.
Dimitri Mitropoulos’s (1896–1960) Cretan Feast is one of his early notable piano works composed in 1919 and later orchestrated by Skalkottas, and reflects the lasting influence of Cretan musical traditions on modern Greek composition. This prominent Greek 20th-century conductor and friend of Nikos Kazantzakis made his international debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and later carved out a distinguished career in America, where he also served as both the musical and artistic director of the New York Philharmonic.
Koumendakis said, “I would like to thank the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and its Co-President, Andreas Dracopoulos, for standing by our side and supporting our global outreach efforts, from our early initiatives to this incredibly important step, which we could not have even imagined achieving without the assistance of the SNF grants. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, for his warm response and unwavering support, as well as for granting us the Archdiocese of America’s auspices for our performance in New York. I also extend my gratitude to the Greek Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, for her continuous support of our work.”
The October 15 concert forms part of the company’s broader international touring activity and is presented under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with a portion of proceeds supporting its Hellenic Education Fund and Together for Children. Tickets will go on sale through Carnegie Hall in May 2026.
The GNO is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is the lead donor of the GNO tour program
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