BIOGRAPHY

Biography

In 2008, at the unprecedentedly early age of 32, Notis Georgiou was by far the youngest member ever inducted into the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, counting 34 Nobel Prize Laureates, “for his outstanding achievements and for enjoying an exceptional standing in society”, during a festive plenary session in Salzburg.

A homo universalis: prize-winning soloist, conductor, composer, ex-double bass leader and literary translator from and to Hungarian, French, English, Italian, Spanish, Modern and Ancient Greek, dramaturg, poet, academic. He speaks 8 languages. One of the very rare conductors who conduct an enormous and ever enlarging repertoire of operatic, orchestral, chamber music and ballet works by memory and have perfect pitch. His activities spread in 5 continents.

Notis has received exceptional acclaim throughout his career, encompassing prestigious engagements in the foremost concert halls and opera houses worldwide. His repertoire encompasses more than 130 operas, hundreds of concertos and even more orchestral works. He has conducted extensively collaborating with the most important vocal and instrumental soloists of the last two decades. Equally dividing his time between symphony and opera conducting, Notis has appeared as a frequent guest on nationally telecast performances and was also featured in televised concerts and opera performances.

Both as a soloist and conductor he has built a strong reputation for championing contemporary music. Several composers have written hundreds of works (concertos, symphonic, solo etc) especially for him. He also performs regularly in the double role of soloist (guitar, keyboard, percussion) – conductor, often several concertos (up to 5) in a single concert.

At 17 he won the Hungarian Guitar Competition and its Audience Prize which lead to an everlasting series of world premieres, among which the first Hungarian guitar concerto by Rózsa. He graduated with honors from the Franz Liszt Music Academy in guitar performance, music education, composition and orchestral conducting. In the history of the Institution and the Hungarian Ministry of Education only he has been allowed, due to exceptional talent, to compact a 5-year course in only 3 years. He also studied composition and conducting in Florence with Carlo Maria Giulini, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Piero Bellugi, Zubin Mehta, Rudolf Barshai, Yuri Simonov, Peter Eötvös, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Marek Janowski,e.o. He was greatly influenced by Sviatoslav Richter and conductor Zoltán Kováts.

While still a student he served as Conductor, Manager and Music Director (Symphony Orchestra of the Hungarian Ministry of Interior, Béla Bartók Music Academy, Vass Lajos Symphony Orchestra, MÁV Zenekar). He has served as Conductor of the Budapest Concert Orchestra, -a world known orchestra mainly remembered through its participation in several prestigious projects such as The 3 tenors with Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras, Placido Domingo-, and as Conductor and Dramaturg of the Hungarian State Opera House.

Collaborations include high-end artists such as Erika Miklósa (MET, Covent Garden, Scala), the Béla Bartók quartet, Cyprien Katsaris, Andrei Ilyushnikov (Kirov Opera), Márta Sebestyén, Éva Marton (MET, Vienna Opera), Giuseppe Giacomini, Ramón Vargas, Leonidas Kavakos.

In 2005 he declined invitation to Carnegie Hall. When Alfred Brendel asked him the reason, Notis explained: ”by accepting this invitation to Carnegie Hall, I would also be obliged to significantly limit my artistic liberty, which liberty I consider invaluable and vital.” In his film-portrait produced by Hungarian TV he quoted Hippocrates: “allow the deeds of a liberal art to be free”.

In 2015 the legendary Hungarian Radio Studios and a most experienced Studio Orchestra with exceptional members of the Hungarian State Opera House Orchestra, under the baton of NOTIS GEORGIOU, launched an international collaboration programme with composers of chamber, orchestral, symphonic, film and choral music.

Notis is the only artist who, for reasons of national interest, has received honorary Hungarian citizenship.

He has received numerous Hungarian Ministry awards, the '' Excellent Ensemble'' award (twice), the Hungarian Syndicates Award, the Vasas Artistic Award of Excellence, the Budapest Council Memorial Plaque, the “Pro Cultura Award 2018” and numerous international awards.

The Hungarian Television produced his film-portrait in 2013.

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TEACHING:

Due to his reputation as a personality and his holistic music view, several prestigious institutions engage Notis in order to enrich students’ education, mentality and skills, mainly by applying his methodology, especially developed and based on the interdisciplinary experience he has gained through his various  roles  as  a  musician.  This rare combination of music fields that marks his approach has been applied in various institutions and master classes, with astonishingly outstanding and genuine results.