– An evening of high symphonic artistry at a sold-out Megaron –
In the packed “Christos Lambrakis Hall” of Megaron – the Athens Concert Hall, the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO) captivated the audience on December 20th, 2025, under the baton of its founder and conductor, Dionysis Grammenos.
The concert featured as soloists the world-class violinist Leonidas Kavakos and the award-winning cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin, who delivered a performance of remarkable virtuosity in Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra. The evening reached its climax with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, while for an encore the musicians of the GYSO performed as a choir the sacred motet Locus iste by Anton Bruckner.
At the end of the performance, Leonidas Kavakos took the microphone to publicly express his admiration for the exceptionally high level of both the orchestra’s musicians and their conductor, noting that he had never imagined Greece could have a youth orchestra of such outstanding quality.
The concert was attended by distinguished guests, including the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas; Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni; Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias; and the U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who wrote on her account on X: “I congratulate conductor Dionysis Grammenos and the musicians for an inspiring evening of music. Greece’s future has never sounded brighter!”
The President of the Hellenic Republic expressed his enthusiasm for the performance, while the Prime Minister, visibly impressed by the orchestra’s achievement, called upon the Minister of Culture to actively support its work. At the close of the evening, Ms. Mendoni personally conveyed this commitment to Dionysis Grammenos.
Following appearances at prestigious concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the GYSO continues to affirm its artistic excellence and growing prominence on the Greek and international classical music stage.
The GYSO is Orchestra in Residence at Megaron – the Athens Concert Hall and a member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras. Its work is supported by the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, which is its Founding Donor, the Hellenic Parliament, the Bank of Greece, AEGEAS non-profit civil company, Bodossaki Foundation, and Aegean Airlines, as the orchestra’s Official Air Carrier Sponsor.
© George Xigos / Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra
