Theodore
Antoniou, one of the
most eminent and prolific contemporary artists, leads a distinguished
career as composer, conductor, and professor of composition. He studied
violin, voice, and composition at the National Conservatory and the
Hellenic Conservatory in Athens, with further studies in conducting and
composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, and the
International Music Center in Darmstadt. After holding teaching
positions at Stanford University, the University of Utah, and the
Philadelphia Musical Academy, he became professor of composition at
Boston University in 1978.
As a conductor, Professor Antoniou has been engaged by several major
orchestras and ensembles, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chamber
Players, the Radio Orchestras of Berlin and Paris, the Bavarian Radio
Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra (Zurich), the National Opera of
Greece, and the Berkshire Music Center Orchestra. In 1974 he became
assistant director of contemporary activities at Tanglewood, a position
he held until 1985. An ardent proponent of new music, Professor
Antoniou has founded various contemporary music ensembles, including
ALEA II at Stanford University; ALEA III, in residence at Boston
University; the Philadelphia New Music Group; and the Hellenic Group of
Contemporary Music. He is also director of the ALEA III International
Composition Competition, president of the Greek Composers' Union since
1989 and director of the Experimental Stage of National Opera of
Greece.
Many of Professor Antoniou's compositions were commissioned by major
orchestras around the world, and around three hundred of his works have
been published by Bärenreiter Verlag (Germany), G. Schirmer (USA) and
Philippos Nakas (Greece). He has received many awards and prizes,
including the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship grants and the
Richard Strauss Prize, as well as commissions from the Fromm,
Guggenheim, and Koussevitzky Foundations, and from the city of Munich
for the 1972 Olympic Games. He has been recognized with ASCAP Awards
for several years, and in 1991 he was awarded the Metcalf Award for
Excellence in Teaching by Boston University. In December 1997 he was
presented with the Music Award from the Greek Academy of Arts and
Letters, one of the most prestigious awards and the highest academic
distinction in music; and in January 2000, the Hellenic Broadcasting
Corporation awarded him the Dimitri Mitropoulos Award for his lifelong
contribution to music. In 2004 the University of Vienna and the
Alfred Töpfer Foundation of Hamburg, Germany, awarded him the
prestigious Herder Prize, in recognition of his contribution to mutual
cultural understanding and peace among the countries of southeastern
Europe. Kodaly, Lutoslawski and Penderecki are among the personalities
awarded this Prize. In January 2005 the Ionian University conferred
upon him an honorary doctorate, while in December 2005 the CFA faculty
of Boston University awarded him with «The Distinguished Faculty
Award», an award which is presented to honor CFA faculty members for
their outstanding achievements, contributions to the arts, and
distinguished service to the community.
Theodore Antoniou's works are numerous and varied in nature, ranging
from operas and choral works to chamber music, from film and theatre
music to solo instrumental pieces – his scores for theatre and film
music alone number more than a hundred
and fifty compositions. Among his works, the opera Bacchae premiered in
the Athens Festival in Greece. His newest opera, Oedipus at Colonus,
commissioned by the SWF
(Sued-West Funk), Baden-Baden, in Germany, received the prestigious
Music Award presented by the Hellenic Union of Music and Theatre
Critics. For his theatre music, he has also been awarded with “Karolos
Koun” award (he was the first one to receive it in 1988) and the
“Dimitris Mitropoulos” award (for 2006) by the Museum and Study Centre
of the Greek Theatre and the Judging Committee for Distinguished Awards
awarded to stage artists, in appreciation of his prominent presence in
that area until today. His most recent distinctions are the “Commander
of the Order of Honor”, presented by the President of the Hellenic
Republic (February 2007), Professor Emeritus at the College of Fine
Arts at Boston University (October 2008) and an Honorary Doctorate
bestowed upon him by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
(March 2009).
