The Camerata is the preeminent chamber orchestra of Greece. Resident at the internationally acclaimed Athens Concert Hall, the Megaron, the orchestra performs about 30 concerts a year on its home stage, in addition to a busy touring schedule that has taken it to most of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, as well as Asia. Furthermore, a dedicated educational program sees the Camerata giving concerts in every corner of Greece, often allowing people to see and hear a classical orchestra for the first time. Many of the world’s great soloists have performed with the orchestra, including Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Salvatore Accardo, Leonidas Kavakos, Radu Lupu, John Williams, and others.
The history of the orchestra goes back to 1991, when the “Friends of Music Society” of Greece acknowledged the fact that Greece needed to have a chamber orchestra of the highest international standards. The Camerata, Friends of Music Orchestra, was founded, in collaboration with violinist Dimitris Semsis. The artistic direction of the new chamber orchestra was given to conductor Alexandros Myrat. Together with its twenty-four permanent musicians, and passionately supporting its cause, they soon began to establish its reputation as a music ensemble of the highest standards, encompassing a wide repertory from the baroque to the twentieth century, from chamber music to opera. Since 2000, Alexandros Myrat has been the permanent conductor of the Orchestra.
For the 2000-2001 season, the artistic direction of the Camerata was taken over by Sir Neville Marriner, who further contributed to the orchestra’s growing reputation within Europe. Since 2001, Sir Neville Marriner has acted as Honorary Chairman of the Camerata, conducting the orchestra on special occasions. The orchestra has thus appeared in various prestigious venues and festivals, such as the Haydn Festival in Austria, the Naantali Festival in Finland, and the Stuttgart Bach Academy, in Germany. Under Sir Neville Mariner's baton, the Camerata performed in 2006 various Austrian venues, including the acclaimed Musikverein in Vienna. The orchestra’s performances were received with great enthusiasm by the audience and critics alike:
“The Greeks proved to be an excellent chamber orchestra, able to stand comparison with international orchestras” (Martin Gasser, Kronen Zeitung / Steirkrone, Graz, June 14, 2006).
“A music ensemble that commands respect with its freshness and the impulsive manner of its performance, uniquely in harmony with Sir Neville” (Karlheinz Roschitz, Vienna, June 13, 2006.”
Since its foundation, the Camerata has shown a strong commitment to contemporary music. The orchestra has premiered and recorded works by most Greek composers of note, such as Antoniou, Mikroutsikos, Kouroupos, Sissilianos, and Koumentakis. In fact, the orchestra often commissions these works and in 2003, the Camerata started a program of specialized workshops for aspiring composers. The Camerata also enjoys a special relationship with British composer John Taverner; the world premiere of his work Agraphon was given by the orchestra, and in 1998, the South Bank broadcast a special film featuring the composer and the Camerata.
The Camerata’s long recording list includes records for BMG, EMI Classics, Universal, ECM Records, Agora and Artion Records. The orchestra has also recorded several film scores, including Eleni Karaindrou’s remarkable score for the film “Eternity and a Day” by Theodoros Angelopoulos, which won the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Festival. Among several honors and distinctions, the Camerata has been awarded the Music Prize of the Greek Critics Union, in recognition of its artistic and educational work. The Greek Ministry of Culture and the Friends of Music Society subsidize the Camerata’s activities, while The Athens Megaron Organization actively supports the orchestra.
