Georgia Lazaridou, piano
Alejandro Ortega, violin
DUO CON FUOCO
Georgia Lazaridou, piano
Alejandro Ortega,violin
Formed in 2017 at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, the Duo Con Fuoco, featuring Greek pianist Georgia Lazaridou, and Alejandro Ortega, violinist from the Dominican Republic, is a truly exciting international musical partnership. With a repertoire ranging from Bach to Piazzolla, these two young artists present music from all genres with passion and spontaneous natural musicality. This coming year, the Duo will perform in New York, Philadelphia, the Dominican Republic, and Greece.
Georgia Lazaridou
Georgia Lazaridou was born in Thessaloniki in 1997 (December) in a musical family – her grandfather, Tassos Pappas being one of the most prominent conductors in Greece and reputable professors at the State Conservatoire. Her first musical experiences were at her mother’s studio, where she experienced the process of piano lessons on a daily basis, her mother being a prominent piano teacher herself (Letti Pappa).
Georgia’s formal piano education started at age 6. She studied the piano at the Macedonian Conservatoire of Thessaloniki under professor Christos Noulis and graduated with a First Class and First Prize Piano Diploma in June 2014. After having studied for a year at Trinity Laban Conservatoire under professor Douglas Finch (2015-2016), she was accepted by means of audition at the Kutztown University music department as a scholar of the prestigious President’s International Piano and String Quartet Scholarship to study in the class of professor Maria Asteriadou (2016-2017).
She has attended private lessons and Masterclasses with Martino Tirimo, Domna Evnouhidou (student of Ciccolini and Pollini), Maria Asteriadou (professor of piano at the Manhattan School of Music and Kutztown university), Dimitri Toufexis (soloist, professor at Deree College), George-Emmanuel Lazaridis, Tessa Nicholson (professor at the Royal Academy of Music), Vasilis Varvaresos, Ekaterina Lebedeva (professor at the Royal Academy of Music ) and Anthony Williams (soloist, professor at Radley College UK). She has attended Chetham’s International Piano Festival and Summer School regularly from 2008 to 2012, where she has had the opportunity to work extensively with Murray McLachlan, Masayuki Tayama, Steven Osborn, Bryce Morrison, Peter Donohoe, Penelope Roskell ,Alicia Fiderkiewich and Joanne Polk (2017).She was offered a scholarship at the Kutztown Festival in the USA, where she performed solo and chamber works with great success (2012-2017).
Georgia gave her debut solo recital at the age of 11 at the Athens Museum Concert Hall. She has performed as a soloist with orchestra, as a recitalist and a chamber musician extensively.
She has also performed at prestigious venues and music festivals such as the “Gina Bachauer”(Athens) 2nd International Piano Forum and Festival in Rhodes, New Artists’ Generation of Thessaloniki Festival and the Naxos International Festival. In February 2014 she took part in the keyboard forum “listen…the keys!” at the Athens Megaron 2013, the Piano Festival of Thessaloniki 2014,Lunchtime concert at City Lit in London 2016 and Fundraising Concert at the Jacqueline du Pre Music Building in Oxford 2016 and in Carnegie Hall 2016 as a 1st prize winner (Great Composers International Music Competition).
In June 2015 she played as soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Municipality of Thessaloniki in Megaron and in December 2016 with the Pops Orchestra in Reading Pennsylvania (USA) and in November 2017 she performed at the FIMCE Festival Internacional de Música de Cámara del Elqui in Chile .
In June 2015 she graduated from Hellenic College of Thessaloniki (Greece).
Georgia has won national and international piano prizes and awards to rave critical acclaim:
International Piano Competition Roma 2010, 3rd prize
Maria Chairogiorgou-Sigara Panhellenic Piano Competition 2010,1st prize
Gina Bachauer Pan-Hellenic Music Competition 2011, 1st prize
Orpheus Soloists Panhellenic Chamber Music Competition 2014,1st prize.
Musical-Odyssey International masterclasses 2015 Nafplion ,1st prize .
John Halford Competition for piano and Composition in Trinity-Laban 2016 ,1st prize.
American Protege International Concerto competition 2016 ,2nd prize.
Great Composers International Music Competition -Master of piano concerto ,1st prize.
Kutztown University's Summer Chamber Music Festival 2016 ,1st prize .
Kutztown concerto competition for all instruments 2016 , 1st prize.
The Chappaqua Orchestra International Concerto competition 2017 ,2nd prize.
Alejandro Ortega
Alejandro Ortega was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He began his violin studies at the age of 6.
At the age of 11 entered the National Conservatory of the Dominican Republic, in the studio of violin professor Mercedes Ariza.
In 2008 won 1st price in the Cibao strings competition, Junior Category.
In 2010 won 1st price in the Cibao strings competition, Intermediate Category.
In 2014 won the Concerto Competition in Kutztown University's Summer Chamber Music Festival.
From year 2012 to 2013, Mr. Ortega was part of the “Gabriel del Orbe” Violin Program. Alejandro is currently a member of the Youth Philharmonic of the Dominican Republic.
He's participated in Masterclasses, Workshops and Festivals under internationally acclaimed violinists and pedagogues such as Philippe Quint, Paul Kantor and members of the Attacca Quartet.
Alejandro is currently pursuing a Bachelor in Music Performance at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in the studio of the renowned violinist Kurt Nikkanen.
