George Petrou
Born in Athens, George Petrou began his musical career as a concert pianist before turning to conducting. He is artistic director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival and the Athens orchestra Armonia Atenea, with whom he has toured and recorded extensively on both period and modern instruments.
Petrou has engagements worldwide, including performances at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Petrou has engagements worldwide, including performances at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Arena di Verona, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
Most recently, he staged and conducted Vivaldi's Il Giustino at the Drottningholm Slottsteater in Stockholm, Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto at the Nederlandse Reisopera and at the Göttingen International Handel Festival and Mozart's Idomeneo at the Olympia Theatre in Athens.
Engagements as a guest conductor have taken him to opera houses such as the Stuttgart Opera, the Cologne Opera, the Leipzig Opera, the Theater an der Wien, the Zurich Opera House, the Opéra de Lausanne, the Korea National Opera, the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles and the Royal Swedish Opera.
His recording of Handel's Alessandro was honoured as »Recording of the Year« at the International Opera Awards, was nominated for a GRAMMY and won an Echo Klassik in the »Best Opera Recording« category. Petrou´s recordings have also been honoured by Gramophone Editor's Choice and Diapason d'or.