A Greek Pianist to Revitalize Venice’s Cultural Life

July 13th, 2021

Awake Goy

Alexandro Kapelis in Venice — Alexandros Kapelis performing in Venice, Italy. Credit: interclassique Music Production

Alexandros Kapelis is a Greek-Peruvian pianist who is set to revitalize Venice’s cultural scene. Venice is a center for some of the world’s most prestigious international events across disciplines– it is currently preparing to host the Venice Biennale and the Salone Nautico as the G-20 Summit winds down its financial meetings in the Italian city.

Kapelis, a child of the Greek Diaspora, split his time between Greece and Peru growing up before moving to New York City to focus on his career in music. Kapelis developed his vision as a pianist in the competitive American music capital, drawing attention from major publications like the Washington Post, who remarked on his “scintillating performance.”

Kapelis has performed internationally since his time in New York, travelling to Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Japan. He has held concerts at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, UNESCO, and performed as a guest with the Royal Philharmonic of London, the Prague Symphony, the Philharmonic Chamber Soloists ensemble of the New York Philharmonic. He currently works with the Berlin Philharmonic, known as the Berliner Barock Solisten.

Kapelis has brought his love of Greek culture and his Greek heritage to his career in Italy, having represented Greece in 2014 at the transfer-of-power ceremony of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at Italy’s Presidential Palace, the Quirinale, where both the Italian and Greek presidents were in attendance.

Kapelis toured Italy with a special program that explores his culture more in depth, which he called “The Greek Myths in Recital.” Kapelis settled down in Venice after the conclusion of the tour. Kapelis’ father has Venetian roots from the Ionian Islands.

Alexandros Kapelis’ at the Arsenale Tower

The City of Venice has released a video of Kapelis’ latest performance on the Arsenale Tower. The Arsenale is an iconic emblem of Venice– once a sprawling construction center that built the Serenissima fleets, the tower has become the exhibition site for the Venice Biennale, the biennial international Art survey that is one of the most important events in the global art world.

Kapelis’ performance is in conjunction with the “Renaissance: The New Breath of Venice,” a campaign that seeks to reawaken that city’s cultural spirit post-pandemic, and celebrate Venice’s 1600th anniversary. The video, directed by Tobia Berti, showcases the Italian city, seamlessly editing views of the sublime skyline with Kapelis’ performance, producing an ode to the region’s timeless relationship to inspiring and fostering groundbreaking creative output.

Kapelis is a “Steinway Artist,” working with the piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons, who have allowed him to perform on a Venetian Zanta piano instead of a Steinway for the event. the Zanta embodies the local artisans of Venice who have been impacted by Covid. Kapelis is also performing a piece by Italian composer Muzio Clementi, known as “the father of the piano.”

You can watch Kapelis’ performance below:

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