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Zoe Zeniodi

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Zoe Zeniodi
Ζωή Ζενιώδη
Born13 February 1976 (1976-02-13) (age 48)
Athens, Greece
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Conductor, pianist, accompanist
InstrumentPiano
Years active1995–present
Websitezoezeniodi.com

Zoe Zeniodi (Greek: Ζωή Ζενιώδη, born 13 February 1976)[1] is a conductor from Greece. She is currently the Artistic Director of El Sistema Greece.[2] She is the first woman conductor to ever perform with Opera Southwest.[3] She has been selected by the Dallas Opera for the residency of the Institute of Women Conductors, 2016.[4] and a Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentee.[5]

Zoe Zeniodi, hailed by the press as “Ms Dynamite”,[6] has an international career [7] which has led her to collaborations [8] with Lyric Opera of Chicago,[9] Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Santa Fe Opera,[10] Opera Queensland,[11] New Zealand Opera,[12] Opera Southwest, Florida Grand Opera,[13] Gürzenich-Orchester, Orchestre National Avignon-Provence, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, among others. She has conducted in venues such as the Paris Philharmonie, Teatro Colón and Carnegie Hall and has conducted orchestras such as the Buenos Aires Philharmonic,[14] Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Bremer Philharmoniker, National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, Cyprus, Tatarstan and Vietnam, Bogota Philharmonic, Olympia Symphony Orchestra,[15] Brno Philharmonic and has collaborated with artists like Stephen Hough,[16] Vadim Gluzman[17] and Lise de la Salle.[18][19]

Zeniodi was recently a semi-finalist in the La Maestra Competition in Philharmonie de Paris where she was chosen by the jury as one of the six women worldwide to be a member of La Maestra Academy with engagements and professional support for 2022-2024.[20][21]

Musical studies

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Zeniodi holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Miami and also studied at the Royal College of Music and the Mozarteum, Salzburg. In an interview to Classical 95.5 FM Radio in March 2017, Zeniodi expressed her close affiliation with American contemporary composer Thomas Sleeper, under whom Zeniodi undertook her early conducting studies and later championed his work.[22]

Early career

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Zeniodi started her early musical career performing as a piano accompanist, mainly in Europe.[23][24] After her transition to conducting, Zeniodi conducted opera and ballet productions at the Florida Grand Opera,[25] the Greek National Opera, the Onassis Cultural Center, the Festival of the Aegean and the University of Miami. As a guest conductor, she has worked with the Brno Philharmonic, the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, the New Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida,[26] the Pan-European Philharmonia, the Palm Beach Symphony, the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra,[27] the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Greece, the Kamerata/Armonia Atenea, the Florida Youth Orchestra, the Greater Miami Youth Symphony among others. She was also the artistic Director of the Organization of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall.[28]

Recent career

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Zeniodi made her debut in New Zealand in 2021, with Opera New Zealand in the production of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro", a production which was postponed for a year due to COVID-19 pandemic.[29] Zeniodi made her Australian debut in 2022, conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Poulenc's La voix humaine with Alexandra Flood, and the world premiere of The Call (based on the story "A Phone Call" by Auburn Sandstrom on The Moth)[30] with Ali McGregor.[31] Zeniodi returned to Queensland for a production of Cosi fan tutte with the Opera Queensland in 2023. She had her debut in Teatro Colon[32] performing Giya Kancheli 's Symphony No4, among other works, on 16 June 2023.[33] Zeniodi has been announced to have her debut in Sydney Opera House in the summer of 2024, to perform Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.[34]

Recordings

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Zeniodi has released three commercial recordings on the Albany Records to critical acclaim: Thomas Sleeper's Translucence (Brno Philharmonic) and XENIA (Frost Symphony Orchestra), as well as Frank Ticheli's An American Dream (Frost Symphony Orchestra). She also released ThivaKm102 with the ARTéfacts Ensemble (Puzzlemusik) and Thomas Sleeper's Through a Glass darkly with the 21st Ensemble (Uroboros Music).

Reviews

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"Zeniodi coolly rose to the occasion, drawing stupendous playing from the students of the university's Frost Symphony Orchestra ... Zeniodi drew maximum tension from the opening sequences, bringing the quiet dreamlike section to a great climax. In Shostakovich's Ballet Suite No. 1, Zeniodi drew some of the best playing the orchestra has ever produced. Ensemble playing was knife-edge precise." – South Florida Classical Review, David Fleshler, 22 November 2009[35]

In Film

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Zeniodi's life and career was a focus of the documentary film La Maestra (2023), by American actress and director Maggie Contreras.[36] The documentary film follows five international women who participate in 'La Maestra', which, at the time of filming, was the only top-level competition in the world for female only orchestra conductors. Zeniodi took place in the Maestra competition in Paris in March 2022.[37] The documentary film aimed to challenge the societal views on conducting being a male-dominated profession [38] The film drew comparisons with the psychological drama film Tár. However, La Maesrta, offers directs insights into the "normality" of lives of women conductors. For example Zeniodi is depicted playing with her children, waving the conductor's battons like magic wands, whereas Contreras argued that the documentary aimed to break free from the stereotype of the authoritarian character that belittles musicians.[39] Acclaimed women conductors like Marin Alsop make an appearance on the film and join the discourse on the life of a woman conductor. The film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in May 2023 [40] and received positive reviews[41] and the festival's second Audience Award.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi – Biography, reviews, curriculum vitae". Price Rubin & Partners. 2011. p. 5. Retrieved 27 September 2022 – via yumpu.com.
  2. ^ "Zeniodi appointed artistic director of el Sistema Greece". CardonArt. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 17 Feb 2024.
  3. ^ "Opera Southwest". Opera Southwest. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Institute of Women Conductors". Dallas Opera. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Taki Alsop Fellowship". Taki Alsop Fellowship. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  6. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi PMO". Paris Mozart Orchestra. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  7. ^ "Conductor Zoe Zeniodi on interpreting Mozart for a modern audience". YouTube, ABC News, in-depth. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  8. ^ "La Maestra, Paris". La Maestra-Paris.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Lyric Opera of Chicago, staff page". Lyric Opera of Chicago. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Santa Fe Opera 2022 Program". SantaFeOpera.org. Retrieved 17 Feb 2024.
  11. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi Conductor". OQ. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Conductor Zoe Zeniodi". RNZ from Upbeat. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  13. ^ "FGO's "No Exit" proves an intense and riveting experience". South Florida Classical Review. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Zeniodi Debut at Teatro Colon". 13 January 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi Olympia Symphony Finalist Concert 3". The Washington Centre for the performing Arts. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi, Conductor / Stephen Hough, Piano / Bogota Philharmonic". YouTube. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Zeniodi Debut at Teatro Colon". 13 January 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  18. ^ "La Maestra, Paris". La Maestra-Paris.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi". LinkedIn. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  20. ^ "La Maestra, Paris". La Maestra-Paris.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  21. ^ "La Maestra, Paris". La Maestra-Paris.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Interview with Brent Stevens". Classical KHFM. Retrieved 10 April 2017.[dead link‍]
  23. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi, La Maestra 2022". Youtube. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  24. ^ "Sto Kokkino 105,5 Radio interview with Zoe Zeniodi". gerontakos blogspot. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Midamerica Productions". Midamerica Music Soloists. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Biographies, The Dallas Opera". Dallas Opera. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  27. ^ "YGTO". Kathimerini. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Musicentry". Musicentry. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  29. ^ "A refreshing new Nozze di Figaro from New Zealand Opera" [1] by Backtrack, 2 February 2024
  30. ^ Auburn Sandstrom: "A Phone Call" on YouTube
  31. ^ "The Human Voice and The Call" by Jenna Robertson, Australian Book Review, 26 September 2022
  32. ^ "Zeniodi Debut at Teatro Colon". 13 January 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Zoe Zeniodi Operabase". Operabase. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  34. ^ "Backtrack performances". Backtrack. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  35. ^ "Young conductor, Frost orchestra triumph over potential disaster, brilliantly". South Florida Classical Review. 22 November 2009. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  36. ^ "La Maestra". IMDB. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  37. ^ "La Maestra International Competition". Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  38. ^ "Conducting has long been a male-dominated field. A new documentary aims to change that". Los Angeles Times. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  39. ^ Nayeri, Farah (3 June 2023). "A New Film Shines a Light on Women Conductors". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  40. ^ "Tribeca Film Festival 2023". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  41. ^ "La Maestra, (Tribeca 2023)". Alliance of Women Film Journalists. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
  42. ^ "Tribeca Film Festival 2023". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 11 Feb 2024.
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