Background
Currentzis was born in Athens, and at the age of 4 began to take piano lessons, after which, at the age 7, he began violin lessons.
Currentzis was born in Athens, and at the age of 4 began to take piano lessons, after which, at the age 7, he began violin lessons.
In 1987, aged 15, he commenced composition studies under Professor George Hadjinikos, and then in 1989 under Professor B. Shreck, From 1994 till 1999 Currentzis studied conducting in the Saint St. Petersburg State Conservatory under the legendary professor Ilya Musin - the teacher of conductors Gergiev, Temirkanov, Bychkov and many others
He entered the National Conservatory, Athens at the age of 12, in the violin department. From 2004 to 2010 Currentzis served as principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, the largest opera theatre in the northern part of Russia, where he founded the Musica Aeterna Ensemble and the New Siberian Singers Chamber Choir. Since February 2011 Currentzis has been music director of the Permanent Opera and Ballet Theatre.
In 2006, he conducted young opera stars, including Alexey Kudrya, in concert performances in Moscow and Novosibirsk to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart"s birth.
Works 2004/05 – Giuseppe Verdi"s Aida directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov.
Currentzis has won the National Theatre Award Golden Mask three times: 2007: Special Awards of the Musical Theatre Jury for Sergei Prokofiev"s Cinderella. 2008: Special Award of the Musical Theatre Jury Foreign Impressive Achievements in Musical Authenticity in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart"s Le Nozze di Figaro. 2011: Best Director of an Opera for Alban Berg"s Wozzeck at the Bolshoi Theater. 2012: Best Director of an Opera for Così fan tutte 2012: Best Conductor of a ballet for Sergei Prokofiev"s The Jester.
