CV
Ann-Kristin Sofroniou
Born (and raised until the age of 8) in Stockholm, Sweden
Originally from Nicosia, Cyprus
Lives & works in Athens, Greece & London, UK
My work concentrates on the role of the performer today as a multi-dimensional professional who multitasks as researcher, performer and curator. Within my work, as the performer, researcher and curator of my own performances, I aim to create something new, or do something in a different way, not only through playing new repertoire, but also by presenting older, canonical repertoire alongside it in an inventive way.
Education
2011 - 2016 PhD in Creative Practice (Piano Performance) with the title:
'Recycling Music-Recycling Performance: Exploring the uses of existing music in piano works of Rochberg, Goehr and Sharman'
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London
link:
2006 - 2009 MMus in Piano Performance
TL Conservatoire, London
Grade: 73.20 (Distinction)
2000 - 2005 BMus Hons in Music
University of Macedonia, Greece
Grade: 9.19 (Distinction)
2003 - 2006 Diploma in Piano Performance
Conservatoire of Northern, Greece
Grade: 10 (Excellent)
2002 - 2004 Diploma in Harmony
University of K. Matsiggou, Greece
Grade: 8,5 (Merit)
Piano Teachers Douglas Finch, Yonty Solomon, Milena Mollova
Employment
2018-present Artistic Associate at the 'Learning & Participation' Department of the Greek National Opera, Greece
2009-present Freelance Educator, Workshop Leader, Collaborator, Piano Accompanist, Pianist
Grants & Awards
2018 Ministry of Education & Culture, Cyprus
2016 HelpMusicians UK - for attending 'Concert as Theatre' course at the Banff Centre of Arts (Canada)
2013 - 2015 Onassis Foundation Scholarship for the completion of PhD, Greece
2012 Post-graduate Bursary - TL Conservatoire, London
2012 The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, London
2009 TCM MMus Prize (highest MMus final mark), London
2009 'Il Circolo' Piano Competition - third prize, London
2007 - 2009 Cypriot State Institution Scholarship for the completion of MMus, Cyprus
Recordings/ Publications
2018, December Publication of article: 'Tales of a Talking Piano: Performing for childlike adults or adultlike children' on ÍMPAR Online journal for artistic research in music, Vol. 2, Nº 1, 2018 Music for and by children, p. 49-62
2014, January Tristan, Isolde (2009) by Marc Sabat (version for two pianos returned in Just Intonation). Recorded by Ann-Kristin Sofroniou and Lara Dodds-Eden, piano. Available from PLAINSOUND MUSIC EDITION
2012, May Piquant Pieces, for six-hands piano by Kaja Bjorntvedt. CD recorded by Marcelle Zahra, Ann-Kristin Sofroniou and Stella Parlavantza. Available from Musikk-Husets Forlag
Performance
My area of expertise is contemporary music and a significant part of my work deals with the study and performance of new works, collaborating with composers in premiering new works, such as Rodney Sharman, Marc Sabat, Douglas Finch, Andys Skordis, Kaja Bjorntvedt, Andreas Papapetrou, etc.
I have given recitals in international music festivals of contemporary music, such as ‘Music Connects the OCC and the Panteion University, Vol. 2’ (Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens, 2017), ‘Barbican Curious Festival’ (Barbican Centre, London, 2016), ‘Concert as Theatre’ (Banff Centre of Arts, Canada, 2016), ‘Music Village Agios Lavrentios’ (Greece, 2015), ‘Casalmaggiore Music Festival’ (Italy, 2014), ‘Aurora Chamber Music Festival’ (Sweden, 2012), etc.
I regularly collaborate with other artists in creating cross-art performances, such as with the writer Andriana Minou in the project Tales of a Talking Piano (literature and music), with Daphne Sgourou (video artist) and Evi Nakou (sound artist) in the project Isomorphism (live installation for live piano) and with the visual artist Ernesto Neto for Liquid Night.
Academic
As a researcher, I have attended conferences giving lecture recitals, such as Musichildren’17: Music for and by Children (University of Aveiro, Portugal, 2017), Cooking Art-Consuming Art (Senate House, London, 2017), CUK PGR Forum (Royal College of Music, London, 2016), and InTime Symposium (University of Coventry, 2013) amongst others.
I was the artistic director and organizer of the conference «Musical Recycling in Keyboard Music» at TL Conservatoire (London, 2014). I have worked as a Project Mentor for student projects at TL Conservatoire as part of the module ‘CoLab’ (London 2013). Additionally, I had the post of the Student Representative for Research Degree Programme at TL Conservatoire from 2015 to 2016.
Educator
As an educator, I currently hold a position as the Artistic Associate at the Greek National Opera’s ‘Learning and Participation’ department since February 2018. Moreover, I have been teaching piano, theory, harmony, improvisation in group and individual lessons since 2009.
I have led many educational workshops for children in London and Athens, such as the workshop 'Discovering the Fairy Queen' for children 14-18 years old with composer Andys Skordis, in which children composed their own version of Purcell's opera 'The Fairy Queen' (Greek National Opera, 2018).
I have a special interest in promoting contemporary music and free improvisation to children and young pianists through a series of actions: group teaching of particular contemporary music for children and free improvisation to young pianists; performances of
contemporary music for and about children.