Founded in 2015 by Aris Christofellis and Dimitris Kountouras, The Centre for Early Music (CEM) aims to promote the study of Early Music in Greece.

The Centre provides numerous courses on vocal solo and ensemble music, Renaissance choir, historical flutes and recorders, harpsichord and basso continuo. Moreover, lectures on topics such as medieval notation, literature and poetry, humanism and music are also included in the Centre’s educational activities.

The Centre also performs concerts of medieval, renaissance and baroque music. The students, the teachers and well known guest artists, create a vibrant atmosphere in the newly renovated concert hall of the Athens Conservatoire.

CEM has also collaborated with the Megaron Athens Concert hall and the French and Dutch Institutes of Greece, while it has recorded for the National Greek Radio.

During the last two years, CEM has been developing the “Samos Summer Academy”, a creative project in close collaboration with the “Haute école de musique Genève – Neuchâtel”, which involves several masterclasses throughout the year and culminates to a summer course in the Greek island of Samos. The project is strongly supported by the Schwarz Foundation.

Upcoming activities

• November 2019, 4-6 Recorder Masterclass by Prof Daniele Bragetti (Haute école de musique Genève), 6.11.Concert with Renaissance consort music
• December 2019, EEEmerging Residency
• January 2020, 21-24 Baroque Orchestra Project & Baroque violin Masterclass by Florence Malgoire (Haute école de musique Genève)

Courses

• Vocal music from Medieval to Baroque
• Historical flutes & recorders
• Harpsichord and Basso continuo
• Baroque ensemble
• Renaissance madrigal
• Schola Cantorum Sancti Pauli

Teaching staff of CEM

• Aris Christofellis – vocal interpretation
• Dimitris Kountouras – recorder, traverso, Medieval music, ensembles
• Iason Marmaras – harpsichord, basso continuo, Renaissance choir and ensemble, solmisation

Guests

• Prof. Irmgart Lerch Kalavrytinos – notation (National University of Athens)
• Emeritus Prof. Stavros Deligiorgis – poetry and literature

Coordinator: Dimitris Kountouras

Hommage à l’ amour – Megaron Athens Concert Hall, 14/02/2018.