When: Monday, July 7, 20:00
Where: 7th Level Auditorium, The American College of Greece

Free Admission – Open to the public

Organized by:
The Music Program of Frances Rich School of Fine and Performing Arts

About the event

Pianists Vassilis Gavvaris (D’23) and Tatiana Nikolopoulou come together for a captivating evening that celebrates the piano’s ability to transcend cultures, traditions, and eras. This program for solo piano and piano four hands spans centuries of musical evolution, weaving a narrative of passion, reflection, and imagination.

The concert opens with the impetuous and emotionally charged world of Robert Schumann, whose music balances stormy intensity with lyrical tenderness. From there, the journey moves to Beach’s variations inspired by Balkan folk melodies, offering rhythmic complexity and vibrant colors. Listeners will be drawn into the introspective depth of Beethoven’s late piano sonatas, where quiet contemplation gradually blossoms into determination and clarity, elevating personal expression into a universal spiritual statement. At the heart of the program is Chopin’s most celebrated Ballade, where intricate, lyrical lines evoke dreams, trauma, and deeply personal emotions. This is followed by Prokofiev, whose stark contrasts—tense rhythms, melancholic waltzes, and explosive developments—paint a landscape of conflict and resolution. The evening continues with 20th-century works inspired by the awe of nature and the human hardships, culminating in a luminous and playful summer finale by American composer Amy Beach’s four-hands work.

Join us for an evening where tradition meets innovation, and where two young pianists unite to bring a rich and soulful repertoire to life.

Biographies of the pianists

Tatiana Nikolopoulou was born in Athens and began playing the piano at the age of 6. She is a graduate of the University of Macedonia, specializing in Piano under the guidance of Professor Igor Petrin. She has completed the postgraduate program (M.A.) of the University of Macedonia as well as the Piano Performance program of the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. She has given recitals in various cities in Greece, Bulgaria, Sweden, and Iceland at distinguished venues such as Engelbrektskyrkan, the Athens Conservatoire, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Kungasalen KMH, Sala Europa/Ruse, the Center of Mediterranean Architecture in Chania, the University of the Arts in Reykjavik, the Austrian Ambassador’s Residence, among others. She has been awarded in the “Ilias Kouskouvelis” performance competition and has performed as a soloist with the University of Macedonia’s orchestra. She has attended seminars and masterclasses with Arturs Cingujevs, Janos Balazs, Ilya Kondratiev, Antti Hotti, Peter Nagy, Mats Widlund, Maria Asteriadou, Ksenia Nosikova, Nikos Zafranas, Florent Boffard, Leniο Liatsou, Pablo Galdo, Sergey Sarajyan, and Iwona Glinka. Finally, since the academic year 2024, she has been teaching piano at the Music School of Mytilene.

Vassilis Gavvaris is a 24-year-old pianist of Greek and Cypriot descent. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s at Conservatorium Maastricht under Dr. Katia Veekmans. He graduated with top honours and the “Outstanding Graduate Award” from The American College of Greece, where he studied under Dr. Tatiana Papageorgiou as a “Frances Rich” scholar, while he has also earned his National Piano Soloist’s Diploma with top honours and the first prize. Vassilis began his piano journey at the age of 13 at the National Conservatory of Sparta—his hometown—studying with Maria Velmachou. A postgraduate scholar of the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the Greek Ship-Owners Union (“Onassis Scholarship”), he has been awarded for his interpretations and artistic activity. Most notably, he earned the “Audience Prize Award” while being one of the four finalists of the “Maastricht Music Award” (Piano Edition 2025). In 2024, he received the “Emerging Soloist Award” from the Gina Bachauer International Music Association. Other awards include the second prize at the Filonas and Chaerogiorgou-Sigara Piano Competitions, first prize at the Felouris Competition, and a merit award at the Montecatini International Piano Competition. Vassilis has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists and professors, such as Nikolai Lugansky, Jorge Luis Prats, Andrzej Jasiński, Péter Nagy, Martino Tirimo, Dimitri Toufexis, and Jean-Louis Steuerman. He has performed at venues in Greece, the Netherlands, and Sweden, including Megaron-The Athens Concert Hall, Theater Heerlen, the Acropolis of Ancient Sparta, and Nathan Milstainsalen in Stockholm, as well as at festivals such as the Gina Bachauer and Athens Piano City Festivals, Akademifestivalen Stockholm, Moving Music Festival Maastricht, and during the Cyprus Independence Day celebrations. In May 2025, Vassilis collaborated as a soloist with the Conservatorium Maastricht’s Orchestra. He is also passionate about chamber music, teaching, and piano repertoire from his native countries. In addition, Vassilis holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Panteion University.