YIORGOS KOUNTOURIS
Artistic Director & Conductor of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra
Yiorgos Kountouris is the Artistic Director of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra and its Academy. He graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in 2006, where he studied Symphonic and Operatic Conducting with Prof. Alexander Alexeev and Violin with Prof. Antonina Kazarena. In the same year, Mr. Kountouris was appointed at the University of California, Los Angeles as the assistant conductor of the UCLA Philharmonia and UCLA Symphony Orchestras.
He has conducted numerous orchestras in Europe, the U.S.A. and Russia. Some indicative collaborations of the maestro include the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Hermitage State Chamber Orchestra, the Athens Camerata as well as the Lege Artis and Wiener Singakademie choirs. Yiorgos Kountouris performed in some of the world’s most historic music halls such as the Wiener Konzerthaus and Musikverein, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, the Athens Megaron and the Royce Hall in Los Angeles.
He had his Cyprus début in June 2008 with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and ever since he maintains a frequent collaboration with the orchestra. Works under his baton have been released by ECM and Zeus.
Yiorgos Kountouris holds a PhD in Musicology and an Aspirantura Graduate Degree in Symphonic and Operatic Conducting.