Our History

Please visit Musical odyssey Youtube channel for some of the performances of our students. Musical Odyssey- an inspirational journey into Music!

Nafplio city is the scene for an international gathering of world-class musicians in a summer school that now ran for 10 years in Greece.

Artistic director Yekaterina Lebedeva explains why: “I have organised successful summer schools elsewhere, and my Greek husband suggested that Greece could provide the perfect setting – and it did!”

According to Mrs Lebedeva, who is a Professor of Piano at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, this summer school not only provides teaching from leading musicians, but also helps participants kick start their career by providing career advice and prizes to outstanding students. These prizes are engagements for concerts on the international scene.

Professor Lebedeva also commented on the reception she faced during organisation: “It was amazing – everyone was so supportive!”. She met two locals – Mr Babis Michos and the late Col. Michalis Reppas who encouraged her and helped in the first steps. Nafplio Municipality and it’s Mayor offered support, spaces and infrastructure and so did private-sector musical schools such as the Nafplion Odeon.

Professor Lebedeva also said that having sponsors on board was on was necessary for the success of the project. “Our sponsors make the school what it is”, she said. They believe in us and provide generous support.

Professor Lebedeva is upbeat about the prospects: ‘ I want to continue bringing stars of the international classical music scene to Greece to share their art, to share their thoughts and ideas with everyone who wants to learn. I want to bring inspiration to Greece and I want Greece to inspire everyone who comes here’.

Apart from Yekaterina Lebedeva, other teachers to date have been Cristina Ortiz (piano), Janina Fialkowska (piano), Vanessa Latarche (piano), Laurens Patzlaff (piano), Joanna Mac Gregor (piano), Nikolai Demidenko (piano), Artur Pizzaro (piano), sopranos Judith Howarth , Susan Bullock, Jenny Drivala and Sumi Jo, mezzo-soprano Janice Baird, baritone Sergey Leiferkus, tenor Denis O’Neill and accompanist Manolis Papasifakis. This is an amazing faculty of world music personalities!

The students were bowled over, and a community was born – they are all now on each others social networks, collaborating, exchanging ideas, having forged a community of musicians during just a few days. And here is what they said:

This was my best lesson ever‘-

Hungarian tenor Gyula Rab (Student at Royal College of Music, London), who won the prize of Aspect Foundation with a sponsored concert in London at the Leighton House.

…studying with Cristina Ortiz was really breathtakingly wonderful, I learnt such a great amount from that experience; being able to watch her classes with others was brilliant; I loved the age/experience range as well – I’ve made some great friends from the course; I loved being in an environment in which to talk non-stop about music! I’ve never experienced that before. I think best of all for me was that immersion in musical life and conversation – living and breathing music – very addictive, like a healthy drug…!-

French pianist Tony Fallone (Student at the Royal College of Music, London), a recipient of The City Lit Institute prize with a concert in London.

Thank you deeply for your attentions these past days in Greece and the wonderful opportunity given with the recital prize. It has been an invaluable experience for me.’

Spanish pianist Antonio Galera Lopez (Concert pianist from Spain), a recipient of Concordia Foundation prize with a sponsored concert at St Martin In the Fields.

I’m so touched thank you very much for the prize! I’ve had a wonderful time on the course and it’s a lovely way to finish it. I really think you couldn’t have picked a better teacher than Judith – selfishly speaking, I’ve managed to work on a lot of bel canto technique before a busy competition period and I look forward to consolidating this with my teacher in London. It’s refreshing to get soprano to soprano tips. Luxury!’

UK soprano Natasha Day (Student at the Royal College of Music, London), a recipient of a French Festival ‘Young Virtuosi’ prize

Beautiful city, great teachers, fantastic organization and interesting lectures. What could be better!’

Aldemir Tokov (Student at the Central Music School, Moscow) a recipient of Aspect Foundation prize with a sponsored concert in London at the Leighton House.

According to Professor Lebedeva, classical music needs to break down silos of en elitist mentality. “Classical music is for everyone, that is why we hold 5 open public concerts, talks from guest speakers such as renowned classicist Dr Armand D’Angour of Jesus College Oxford on his British Academy fellowship research project of reconstructing Ancient Greek Music, with the attendance of the Harvard Summer School in Olympia and Nafplion students, concerts from visiting artists such as outstanding duet of Turkish musicians: violinist Ozcan Ulucan and a pianist Birsen Ulucan, Chinese traditional musicians and American cellist Ben Capps.

Professor Lebedeva wants to continue this venture in Greece: “I always looking forward to organizing Musical Odyssey activities with great enthusiasm and I hope to see you there in our growing international musical community: come and study with us, come and observe, come and listen to our concerts in the beautiful city of Nafplio with its charm, history, culture, sea and sun!”

Yekaterina Lebedeva
Artistic Director
Musical Odyssey Summer Masterclasses

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