Calliope Tsoupaki facts for kids
Calliope Tsoupaki (born May 27, 1963) is a talented Greek pianist and composer. A composer is someone who writes music. She has created many different kinds of music, from pieces for single instruments to operas.
About Calliope Tsoupaki
Calliope Tsoupaki was born in Piraeus, Greece. She started her music journey by studying piano and music theory. She learned these at the Hellinicon Conservatory in Athens. Later, she studied how to compose music with a teacher named Yannis Ioannidis.
She then went to the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. There, she continued her studies with a famous composer named Louis Andriessen. She finished her studies in 1992.
After finishing school, Tsoupaki decided to live in Amsterdam. She began her career as both a pianist and a composer. Her music has been played in many places, including countries across Europe and in the United States. Her works have also been featured at big international music festivals.
In 1993, she spent three months living and working in Budapest. This was part of a special program for young artists. Later, in 2007, she started teaching composition at the Koninklijk Conservatorium.
Since 2018, Calliope Tsoupaki has held a special title. She is the "composer laureate" of the Netherlands. This means she is recognized as an important and celebrated composer for the country.
Her Music Works
Calliope Tsoupaki has written many interesting pieces of music. Here are some of her selected works:
- Enigma (1999): This piece is for a single viola. A viola is a string instrument, a bit like a violin but larger.
- Medea (1996): This work is for a viola and three female voices. The words for this piece were written by Euripides, an ancient Greek writer.
- When I Was 27 (1990): This piece is for a viola and a double bass. A double bass is the largest string instrument in an orchestra.
- Music for Saxophones: This is a piece written for a group of saxophones.
- Greek Love Songs: These are songs inspired by Greek traditions.
- Vita Nova: This is a chamber opera. An opera is a play where most of the words are sung. A chamber opera is a smaller version, often with fewer performers. This one is for a solo singer, a baroque violin, a viola da gamba, and a harpsichord.
- Sappho's Tears: This piece is for a female voice, a tenor recorder, and a violin.
- Ananda (written for Ananda Sukarlan): This is a piece for a piano played by one person.
Her music has also been recorded and released on CDs. Some of these recordings include:
- Syrinx Saxophone Quartet
- Calliope Tsoupaki: St. Luke's Passion (2010)
- Vintage Brisk (2007)
- Thin Air (2020)
- Black Moon (2012)
