Nikolaos Astrinidis

Nicolas Astrinidis (Greek: Νίκος Αστρινίδης; 6 May 1921, in Cetatea Albă– 10 December 2010, in Thessaloniki) was a Romanian-born Greek composer, pianist, conductor, and educator.

After receiving diplomas in piano performance and composition from the Schola Cantorum de Paris, Astrinidis embarked on an international career as pianist (soloist or accompanist). During the 1950s and the early 1960s, he toured East Asia and the Americas, performing in cities, such as Evanston and Hong Kong. He collaborated with renowned performers of the period, such as violinists Jacques Thibaud, Henryk Szeryng, Colette Frantz, and cellist Bernard Michelin. In 1949, Riccordi Americana published two of his piano works: Danse Grecque, and Deux Préludes.

In 1962 the life and martyrdom of Saint Demetrius became the subject of a 90-minute oratorio by Astrinidis. Three parts of the work were premiered at the first Demetria Festival in Thessaloniki on 26 October 1962. The entire oratorio was premiered in 1966 and received subsequent performances in 1985 (Thessaloniki) and in 1993 (Bucharest). All performances have been recorded.

His other symphonic music includes the oratorios The Youth of Alexander the Great, Cyril and Methodius (1966), the choral Symphony "1821" (1971), the Cypriot Rhapsody, three concertos: Variations Concertantes for piano and orchestra (1952–55), Concerto-Rhapsody for violin and orchestra (1979), and Concerto pour Guitare et Orchestre (2007).

A tribute to Astrinidis, with the composer talking about and performing his music, was held in New York City in 2004. In 2006, excerpts from his Symphony 1821 were performed in New Brunswick. In December 2020, pianist Stephanos Katsaros launched a 12-part mini-documentaries with live performances of Astrinidis' piano and chamber music works.

Read more about this composer on Wikipedia.