Biography - Dinos Constantinides

The music of Greek born composer Dinos Constantinides (Boyd Professor of Composition) has been performed throughout the world. He is the recipient of many grants, commissions and awards, including first prizes in the 1981 Brooklyn College International Chamber Competition, the 1985 First Midwest Chamber Opera Conference, and the 1997 Delius composition Contest Grand Prize. He also received the 1985 American New Music consortium Distinguished Service Award, the 1989 Glen Award of l'Ensemble of New York, several Meet the Composer grants and numerous ASCAP Standard Awards. In 1994 he was honored with a Distinguished Teacher White House commission on Presidential Scholars.

He has received rave reviews for his orchestral music performed by symphony orchestras such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, the Shenzhen Symphony (China), the Bohuslav Martinu Chamber Orchestra, the Black Sea Philharmonic (Romania), Filarmonica "Oltenia" of Craiova, Romania, the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra and the New Orleans Philharmonic. Other performances and recordings (over 40 CDs) have been done by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra of Bratislava, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, the Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria,the Dubrovnik Symphony, the Czech Moravian Philharmonic, the Memphis Symphony, the Ku Ming Symphony (China), the Rome Festival Orchestra, the Prism Orchestra of New York, the Polish Radio and TV Orchestra of Krakow, Poland and other numerous orchestras in the U.S.A., Australia and Taiwan, Cyprus State Orchestra, as well as in Greece by the Thessaloniki State Orchestra and the Athens State Orchestra.

Evaluators and critics have praised his music.

"Constantinides' Symphony (No. 2) is a splendid work-an eclectic blend of styles that effortlessly coheres, and produces a highly satisfying synthesis unique to this composer. I have encountered the music of Dinos Constantinides before. He is currently Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University. His Concerto of Psalms alone makes this offering (new recording) worth acquiring. Its harmonic language and orchestration are stunning and his ethnically Greek flavors are impossible to resist. Its journey from start to finish proceeds with a sureness of both technical and affective control that makes the trip a musical odyssey that far transcends its modest time parameters… parsimonious and powerful."
Fanfare Magazine

“His 1977 setting of the text by Sophocles, the Lament of Antigone, in a New York premiere, proved a solemn, impassioned utterance…” “(His music possesses) an attractive quality of ritual mystery.” The New York Times

"LSU composer scores with his Antigone, every composer of opera should have such a send-off, which in this case included a standing ovation.
The Times-Picayune New Orleans, Louisiana

"On first hearing one was struck by the beauty of much of the choral writing…complex and often arresting score."
Opera, London, England

"Antigone is both powerful and beautiful."
Teresa Stratas

"There are many fascinating details…I am much impressed."
Ernst Krenek

"The music of the Greek-American composer Dinos Constantinides seduced the listeners with its unusual warmth and sincerity. His Midnight Fantasy was a praise to mystery."
Cuget Liber, Romania

"Dedications for Orchestra is a jewel."
Telegraf, Constanta, Romania

"Homage to Kromeriz was full of emotion, quiet depth and passionate tension too."
Jan Grossmann, University of Ostrava-Czech Republic

As the Director of the prestigious Louisiana State University Festival of Contemporary Music for 22 years, Constantinides presented the top composers of the continent including Carlos Chávez, John Cage, Milton Babbitt, Karel Husa, and Ernst Krenek among others.

He has written over 230 compositions, most of them published, for all mediums including his opera Intimations winner of two Awards, his opera Antigone and six symphonies of which the 2nd Symphony earned him the Artist of the Year Award of Louisiana.

Constantinides has served on the Board of Directors of many national societies in the U.S.A., including the Society of Composers (SCI), College Music Society, National Composers of U.S.A. and Music Teacher National Association (MTNA). He is a member of ASCAP and has been an evaluator for the MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

He was educated in Greece at the Ioannina, Greek, and Athens Conservatories and in the USA at the universities of Indiana, Michigan State and the Juilliard School. His teachers included Tony Schultze, Marios Varvoglis, Yannis Papaioannou, Leda Kouroukli, Olga Menjou, George Lykoudis, Ivan Galamian, Dorothy DeLay and Josef Gingold. Constantinides was a member of the violin section of the State Orchestra of Athens in Greece for over 10 years, and played in the Indianapolis Symphony and Baton Rouge Symphony (Concertmaster) in the USA for many years.

He is presently Boyd Professor, the highest academic rank at Louisiana State University, head of the Composition area, and Music Director of the Louisiana Sinfonietta.

Dinos Constantinides, Ph. D., Boyd Professor
School of Music
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-2504
Voice: 225/578-4010
Fax: 225/578-2562
Voice: 225/766-3487 (home)
Fax 225/767-7803
E-mail: cconsta@bellsouth.net or cconsta@lsu.edu.
www.magnipublications.com

Guest Performers

Athens String Quartet

Dr. Eric Honour (baritone and alto saxophones) is the director of our music technology degree program. His specialty areas are music composition and audio recording/engineering. He received a Bachelor of Music degree (highest honors) in saxophone performance and composition from the University of Florida in 1995, where he also earned the Performer's Certificate. He received a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance and composition from Northwestern University. Dr. Honour completed the doctorate in composition from Northwestern University in 2004. His principal composition teachers have been Jay Alan Yim, Stephen Syverud, M. William Karlins, Alan Stout, and Budd Udell. His principal saxophone teachers have been Frederick L. Hemke, Jonathan Helton, and Kandace Brooks. He has taught recording studio techniques and music technology classes at Lake Forest College and Northwestern University. He has also taught music theory courses at Northwestern University. Dr. Honour has been recognized as a scholar, performer, and composer across the United States and internationally. Recent activities have included performances in Denver, Spokane, and Arkansas, as well as the premiere of his string quartet "Axegrinder" by Quartetto Musicattuale at the Rassegna Internazionale di Composizione "Alfeo Gigli" in Bologna, Italy. His work as an audio engineer is in demand, with recent credits on albums released by artists based in New York and Virginia Beach, in addition to local artists. He engineered both of the recent UCM compact disc releases, "Collaboration," by the UCM Symphonic Band, and "UCM Pride," by the Marching Mules.

Dionisios S. Roussos (alto and soprano saxophones) studied the saxophone at the Athens Concervatory with Babis Farandatos and after with Theodor Kerkezos, where he graduated with the higher honors,(first price). He has also attended master classes with Jean Marie Laundeix. In 1998, he took the chamber music award from the Athens Conservatory and in 1999, the award of the national radio and t.v. of Greece, for young soloists. In April 2006, he took the gold metal at the national saxophone competition and in April 2007, took the gold metal at the international saxophone competition in Lamia. As a soloist, he has performed with the Guang Xi symphony orchestra, in China, the Athens State orchestra, the National radio and t.v. orchestra of Greece, the Orchestra of colors, the Volos symphony orchestra and the Athens contemporary music orchestra with conductors such as: S. Cogan, G. Parry, T. Apostolidis, M. Theodorakis, N. Tsouhlos, M . Logiadis, P. Sergiou and A. Pylarinos. He has appeared at prestigious halls such as: Espace Pierre Gardin -Paris-, Great Hall of Music-Cyprus-, Constantinovich Palace-St. Petersburg-, Athens Megaron Concert Hall, Thessaloniki Megaron Concert Hall and Athens Opera House. He is a member of the Saxophone Orchestra of Pireaus from 2000 and he is also a professor at the Athens National Concervatory. In 2008 he will record his first c.d. with works dedicated to him, by Greek and foreign composers.

Prof. Leo Saguiguit (tenor and soprano saxophones) holds a Master of Music-Saxophone from Northwestern University where he studied with Frederick Hemke, and presently is an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Prof Saguiguit has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in performances at festivals and universities throughout the United States and abroad and he is a member of the Chicago Saxophone Quartet. As an orchestral saxophonist, Saguiguit has performed regularly with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Milwaukee Symphony, Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Florida Orchestra. He has also performed with the professional wind ensembles Philharmonia a Vent and the New Sousa Band. Saguiguit has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras and wind ensembles, including a recent tour of France. He is also featured in premiere recordings on CD of the music of Luc Marcel and John David Lamb.

Athanasios Zervas (soprano and alto saxophones) is a composer, theorist, saxophonist, and conductor. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music from Chicago State University, a Master of Music (MM) in saxophone performance and Doctor of Music (DM) in composition from Northwestern University (US). He studied composition with M. W. Karlins, William Russo, Alan Stout, Stephen L. Syverud, Jay Allan Yim, and Iannis Xenakis; saxophone with Frederick L. Hemke, Wayne Richards and Charalambos Farantatos, jazz saxophone and improvisation with Bunky Green, Joe Daley, Paul Berliner, and conducting with John Paynter, Robert Harris, and Alfred Gras. He has written more than 70 pieces for various ensembles. Numerous soloists and ensembles in Greece, Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the US have performed his compositions -including a performance in Carnegie Hall NY. Dr Zervas is a specialist on contemporary music (after 1945), pitch-class set theory, music analysis and interpretation/performance, the music of Ralph Shapey, Elliott Carter, jazz theory & orchestration, traditional and urban music of Greece, and Greek music for saxophone. His doctoral dissertation is an analysis of the Concertante No II by R. Shapey, and has analysed music for saxophone by Iannis Xenakis. Athanasios Zervas has solo performances with the State Orchestra of Athens, the Greek National Symphony, the Athens Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Greek National Radio, the State Orchestra of Hellenic Music, the Chicago Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, and the Louisiana Sinfonietta. He has performed in Carnegie Hall NY, the Schubert Theater-Boston, the Pick Staiger Concert Hall-Chicago, the Megaron of Music-Athens, Herodion Theater -Athens, Megaron of Music-Thessalonica, etc. Dr. Zervas has taught composition, theory, saxophone and improvisation at Chicago State University, Columbia College Chicago, and Northwestern University in the US, and also in Greece at the Indianapolis University-Athens, the University of Crete in Rethymno, the Military Academy, Sychrono Odeion of Athens, Art Music School, and Nakas Music Conservatory. He is the music director of the Aposteriori Musical Collective (a group of composers, musicians and scholars), and founding member and sopranist of the Athens Saxophone Quartet (Greece). Between 1999 and 2006 was the music director/conductor of the Athens Big Band, the Athens Contemporary and Computer Ensemble. Athanasios is editorial board member of the mus-e-journal (http://www.muse.gr), board member of the Hellenic Saxophone Association, and member of the Hellenic Composers Union. Presently, Dr Zervas teaches music theory in the Department of Music Science and Art at the University of Macedonia-Thessalonica Greece.

Mark Sudeith

Mark Sudeith (pianist-organist) was a finalist in the Society of American Musicians Young Artist Competition in piano and winner of the Twin Cities American Guild of Organists Competition. He holds the Doctor of Music in piano performance from Indiana University and the Master of Music in organ performance from the University of Minnesota. Last October Sudeith accompanied mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley in the premiere of works by Ilya Levinson, Michael McFerron, and William Jason Raynovich, commissioned by the Abelson Foundation. In January he performed a solo organ recital on the Cathedral Arts Concert Series, Gary, Indiana. He is Professor of Music at Chicago State University, where he has taught since 1984, and is Dean of the Northwest Indiana Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.