F. Schubert – Impromptus op. 90 Nos. 2, 3, 4 – Shanna Thompson

J. Brahms – Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Opus 24 – Grigorios Zamparas

F. Schubert: Du Bist die Ruh, An die Musik – Shanna Thompson, soprano, Grigorios Zamparas piano

J. Brahms: Hungarian Dances nos. 5 and 8 – Shanna Thompson, Grigorios Zamparas

Α. Dvorak: Slavonic Dances in e minor op. 72, no. 2 and G minor op. 46, no. 8

                                                      Biographical notes

Lyrical soprano Claudia Galli launched her career in 2006 at Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum as a Blumenmädchen in Wagner’s Parsifal, performed with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Marek Janowski. Shortly after, she was awarded a scholarship from the Yamaha Foundation and joined the prestigious Atelier Lyrique of the Paris National Opera for two seasons.

In 2009, she received the Carpeau Prize from the Paris National Opera, followed by an invitation to the Salzburg Festival’s Young Singer Program in 2011. There, she performed in Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol under Ivor Bolton and covered the role of La Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro, conducted by Robin Ticciati.

Claudia’s notable appearances at the Paris National Opera include productions of Frau ohne Schatten, Rigoletto, Idomeneo, and Suor Angelica (conducted by Philippe Jordan). Her versatility has led her to perform Micaëla (Carmen) at the Metz and Lorraine National Operas, and the role of the Princess in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges on tour with the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

Beyond the operatic stage, she is a seasoned recitalist, having performed at the Villa Medici in Rome, the Louvre Auditorium in Paris, and the Luxembourg Philharmonie. Since 2013, she has performed extensively with her husband, pianist Grégory Moulin. Together, they have toured Europe, the US, and Ecuador, specializing in Lieder and French art song. Claudia currently teaches voice and opera repertoire at the Conservatory of Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg. 

Grégory Moulin | Piano 

Following his prize-winning studies in Valence, Grégory Moulin joined the Paris National Opera “Atelier Lyrique” in 2006 as a pianist and vocal coach. This residency launched a prolific international career that has taken him to the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, the Dutch National Opera, the Paris National Opera, the Zurich Opernhaus, and the festivals of Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence.

Grégory has collaborated with world-class ensembles—including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and Les Musiciens du Louvre—under the direction of esteemed conductors such as Kent Nagano, Marc Minkowski, Fabio Luisi, Ingo Metzmacher, Enrique Mazzola and Gianluca Capuano . As a vocal coach and Maestro Suggeritore, he has worked closely with legendary artists such as Cecilia Bartoli, Placido Domingo, Stéphane Degout and Julie Fuchs.

Since 2013, he has partnered with soprano Claudia Galli, performing throughout Europe and the Americas. Their duo has focused on interpretation of the French and German vocal repertoires. Since 2021, Grégory has served as a piano accompanist at the Conservatory of Esch-sur-Alzette in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Yannis Grigorakis has been the director of the Primary School of the ‘Holy Metropolis of Piraeus’ School, where he teaches music at the Primary school and High school and also conducts the school Choir. He has taught Music Theory (beginners and advanced levels) from 1989 to 2014, he has worked as a choir conductor at the Youth and Children’s Choir at the Municipal Conservatory of Lamia and has led Masterclasses at the International Porto Heli Festival Supporting Culture & the Arts. Since 2014 he has been teaching music and conducting the children choir at the multi-cultural centre for Sports, Arts and Pre-school Care Center in Elefsina. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Indianapolis (USA) with a specialty in Choir Conducting, as well as a Doctorate in Musicology from the New Bulgarian University. He has a Piano degree from the Synchrono Conservatory of Athens (under Yorgos Manessis) and holds a diploma in classical singing (tenor voice) from the Kodaly Conservatory, under the guidance of Ch. Yannakopoulou. 

Inès Rieff is a multifaceted musician whose passion for music has flourished through both oboe playing and singing. Holding a Master’s degree in Oboe from the Conservatorium Maastricht, she has developed extensive experience in orchestral and solo performance, chamber music, and improvisation under the guidance of her teachers. Currently, Inès teaches oboe at the Conservatoire d’Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg and is also an active member of the singing class of Claudia Galli. While teaching, playing, or singing, Inès’ current quest is to create a fusional space, taking her audiences and students on a journey with her, to themselves.

Elisa Mary Dignac chose the cello at the age of eight. Born into a family of amateur musicians, she grew up in an environment defined by shared musical experiences with her sisters and parents. As her passion for artistic expression deepened, Elisa decided to pursue her studies in this chosen field, enrolling at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux (France). She subsequently earned her degrees from the Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur de Bordeaux (Bachelor’s in Performance and a Teaching Diploma), which allowed her to broaden her artistic horizons through orchestral work and chamber music. longside her classical training on the modern cello, Elisa has also developed her playing through various projects in folk, rock, and jazz. At the age of 30, she decided to return to her studies to specialize in early music (on period instruments). This opened up an entirely new world for her. Discovering the viola da gamba felt like a natural progression and a true revelation. For the past eleven years, pedagogy has played a vital role in her career. As a teacher, she is dedicated to sharing her expertise and passion with young, aspiring artists. Elisa performs on three different instruments: the modern cello, the baroque cello, and the viola da gamba. This versatility allows her to explore an enriched repertoire and fosters diverse musical collaborations.

Grigorios Zamparas has received rave reviews for his performances in recitals, chamber music concerts and orchestral concerts in Greece, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, Latin America, South Korea and the United States. He frequently appears in various festivals around the world, such as the famous Newport Music Festival (Rhode Island, USA), Mainly Mozart Festival (Miami, USA), Artist Series of Sarasota (USA), Salon of the Arts (Sofia, Bulgaria), the International Portoheli Festival e.t.c. Furthermore, he has appeared as a soloist in more than twenty different piano concertos, with orchestras such as the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (Brazil), the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Neo-Politan Chamber Orchestra, the Togliati Philharmonic (Russia), the Sofia Soloists (Bulgaria) and the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic). He is an assistant professor of music and head of the piano department at the University of Tampa in the United States, as well as member of the Quartet de Minaret, a piano quartet based at the same university. In the academic year 2010-2011 he received the Outstanding Scholarship or Creative Work Award. Grigorios Zamparas started studying piano at the age of seven, while he received his piano diploma from the Lamia Conservatory in 1995 with the distinguished Greek teacher Yorgos Manessis. He holds a DMA from the University of Miami where he studied with Ivan Davis, a student of Vladimir Horowitz. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Indiana (MM), the University of Indianapolis (BM) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Since 1993 he has appeared continuously at the International Portoheli Festival where he has performed more than 300 works. Recently, the American label Centaur Records released G. Zambara’s recordings of the five Piano Concertos of the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein.

Shanna Thompson holds a Masters of Music in Piano Performance and Sacred Studies from the University of Florida as well as a Bachelors of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Tampa. She has performed solo and chamber works in master classes and international festivals across Europe, including the Portoheli Festival for Arts and Culture and the Piano Plus Festival in Xanthi, Greece. Shanna is the recipient of the 2023-24 UF Graduate Student Teaching award, the Marvin Hamlisch Piano scholarship and the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay scholarship. Shanna currently works full time as a piano teacher in Tampa, Florida teaching private students of all ages.

Aulon Bino began his piano studies with piano teacher Stella Karantasi at the Contemporary Conservatory of Athens and then with piano pedagogue and pianist Yorgos Manesis. He studied for a year at Hellenic

American University and in 2012 he continued his studies with Merita Rexha Tershana

at the Music University of Fine Arts of Tirana (Albania) from where he received in 2015

his Piano Bachelor with highest honours. He has given many concerts in Greece and Albania, both solo and chamber music. He has given many concerts in Greece and Albania, both in solo and chamber music capacity. From 2008 until today, he takes part in the concerts of the International Portoheli Festival.

He participated as orchestral pianist, under the direction of conductor Michael England and did the musical preparation for the Greek stagings of the People Entertainment blockbuster “The Phantom of the Opera” by A.L. Webber with the cast of the London’s West End production in 2020 and 2023. The play was presented

at the Christmas Theater in Athens and at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. Recently Bino did the musical preparation for the play “Persephone” with music by Dimitris Maragopoulos and directed by Elli Papakonstantinou.