Biography
Greek violinist Dora Chatzigeorgiou combines a busy career as a professional freelance violinist and teacher based in the UK and Greece. She currently holds teaching positions as Head of Strings at the prestigious Repton School, Repton Prep School, the Derbyshire Music Partnership, Leader of the Derby Concert Orchestra and Violinist to the Apollon Duo. Dora is also a tutor for European String Tutors, an organisation that coaches youth orchestras across Europe.
As an orchestral violinist, Dora has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the European Union Youth Orchestra (with whom she has toured across Europe, Barbados and Saudi Arabia), the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Suffolk Philharmonic Orchestra and the Arch Sinfonia; playing under the batons of Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vasily Petrenko, Valery Gergiev, Yan Paschal Tortelier, Sir Bernard Haitink, Edward Gardner, Kirill Karabits, Sergey Smbatyan and Dirk Brossé; and performing in the Barbican Hall in London, Milton Court in London, St John’s Smith Square in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York, Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Philharmonie in Berlin, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Megaron Concert Hall in Thessaloniki, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, Beijing Concert Hall, National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and the Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi. As a concertmaster and leader she has led the European Union Youth Orchestra in collaboration with the Mousa Youth Orchestra, Guildhall Opera Orchestra, Oberlin Opera Orchestra, the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Derby Concert Orchestra.
As a soloist, Dora has performed with the Rostov Symphony Orchestra at the Third International Festival in Russia, the Misbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Derby Concert Orchestra, the Volos Symphony Orchestra in the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens and the Lukas David Ensemble in the Megaron Concert Hall. She has given solo recitals in the UK, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Turkey and the USA. In 2015, Dora co-founded the Apollon Duo with organist Alexander Binns, a violin and organ duo, which aims to perform and promote works for this seldom heard combination of instruments. The Duo have performed across the UK in venues which include St Paul’s Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Derby Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, Waltham Abbey, Rochdale Town Hall, the Melbourne Festival and the Bury St Edmunds Festival. Also a chamber musician, Dora has performed with the European Union Youth Orchestra Quartet and Xpause Quartet (November 2014) in the Megaron Concert Hall Thessaloniki, the Athena Duo with violinist Katie Meyers, the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, the Oberlin Chamber Music Ensemble, the Oberlin Baroque Ensemble, the Athena Quintet, the Athena Quartet and the Lukas David Chamber Music Ensemble. She has been heard on BBC Radio 3, Cleveland Radio, USA and Greek National Radio and Television (ERT/TRT).
Dora is an experienced teacher and educator. In addition to her current teaching posts at Repton School, Foremarke School, European String Tutors and the Derbyshire Music Partnership she has also held posts at St John’s College School in Cambridge, the Suffolk County Music Hub, the Burlington Danes Academy and the North Bridge Senior School in London. Dora has been involved in a large number of educational and outreach projects which include teaching, masterclasses, compering concerts for children and education programmes in the UK, Greece, Italy, Barbados, Poland, China and Singapore. Passionate about connecting music with the community, Dora has performed in hospitals, orphanages, homeless shelters and schools, both in the UK and Greece.
In 2015 Dora graduated from the Orchestral Artistry programme at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she studied with Jacqueline Ross. At the Guildhall she has played in many prestigious concerts and projects including performances with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Hall under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, at Milton Court under the direction of Edward Gardner, in Trafalgar Square under the direction of Valery Gergiev and performances as concertmaster for the Guildhall Opera Orchestra under the direction of Dominic Wheeler. Dora graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in the USA in June 2013 where she studied with Milan Vitek. At Oberlin she was the recipient of the Danenberg Chamber Music Prize. Dora was a member of the Oberlin Orchestra with whom she has toured Asia and the USA (including a performance in New York’s Carnegie Hall) and was concertmaster for the Oberlin Opera Orchestra. Prior to her studies in the USA, Dora graduated with the Greek National Diploma in Violin Performance from the Kodaly Conservatory of Music in Athens, winning the First Prize and Gold Medal, having studied with Georgios Demertzis and Apollon Grammatikopoulos. During her studies Dora also studied with the Austrian violinist Lukas David and performed in masterclasses with Per Enoksson, Ann Sophie Mutter, Jennifer Choi, Harriet Rayfield, Laurent Quenelle, Mats Zetterqvist, Darret Adkins, the Jasper Quartet, the Pacific Quartet and the Cavani Quartet. She has been the recipient of many awards which include; the Onassis Foundation Scholarship Award, the Leverhulme Arts Scholarship, the Danenberg International Chamber Music Competition (first prize and performances in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland and Chicago), the Gina Bachauer Violin Competition, Athens (third prize), the Achillopouleio Foundation Scholarship, the Frank and Antigone Raphael Prize and the Dean’s Talent Award from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music.
In her free time Dora enjoys spending time with her husband, Alexander, and their two year old son, Peter George.
Under no circumstances should this biography be edited.