Pigi Likoudi – FIRST PRIZE with Special Mention, Composition
Pigi Lykoudi, composer, was born in Athens, Greece. She completed her studies in piano and composition with highest honors, studying under distinguished teachers and pedagogues in Greece and abroad (Salzburg, Austria, Italy). She has participated in numerous international competitions, earning significant distinctions. Since 1989, she has been actively engaged in music education and has taught at the Petroupoli Municipal Conservatory since its founding.
She is widely recognized for her extensive and significant work in setting Greek poetry to music, and she is one of the few female composers in Greece working in the field of symphonic composition. Her works have been successfully presented in concerts both in Greece and internationally.
Her most recent distinction is for her symphonic work “Thirst in Mystras”, based on poetry by Yannis Ritsos, which won the Silver Medal for the second time at the Global Music Awards 2023 in California, among hundreds of entries worldwide.
Her four major symphonic works include:
• “Joy to You, White Land”, based on the poetry of K. Palamas (Hymn to Athena)
• “Thirst in Mystras”, poetry by Y. Ritsos
• Oratorio – PRAYER, with a libretto based on Orthodox hymnography of the Theotokos and the full cycle of Major Feast Days
• “Makriyannis”, poetry by A. Sikelianos, which won the Silver Medal at the Global Music Awards 2022 and the 1st Composition Prize awarded by the Region of Attica for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution
Two of these works have already been performed at the Athens Concert Hall, the Atrium of the Byzantine Museum, the Antigone Hall at Hellenic World Cultural Center, and the Greek College Theater of Athens. The oratorio PRAYER has been broadcast twice by the Greek National Radio’s Second and Third Programs. Her compositions have also been performed at venues including the Sainopouleio Theater of Sparta, Galerie Progres in Belgrade, Centre Communautaire Laïc Juif in Brussels, Sismanoglio Mansion in Istanbul, the historic Bademler Theater in Smyrna, and the Zappeion Hall, among others.
She has composed song cycles including:
• “Nema of Mother Arcadia”, poetry by Arcadian poets
• “Oinos Akratos”, poems by Greek poets from 1738–1940 and contemporary lyricists
• “The Pain of the Whole World”, poetry by Joseph Eliya and Paul Celan
• “Dancing with Taygetos”, poetry by N. Vrettakos
• “Greek Poets Travel with the Music of Pigi Lykoude”, featuring works by major Greek poets
She has completed seven full-length recordings:
• “In the Name of Time”, lyrics by Philippos Grapsas
• “You Owe Me a Love, Heaven”, lyrics by Yannis P. Ioannidis
• “The Passions of Love”, lyrics by Thanasis Salta
• “The Pain of the Whole World”, poetry by J. Eliya and P. Celan
• “Smyrna Incense”, poetry by Y. P. Ioannidis
• “Silver and Gold Dust”, lyrics by Stella Tziva, performed by artists including Nena Venetzanou, Manolis Mitsias, Grigoris Valtinos, Pantelis Thalassinos, Petros Gaitanos, Rita Antonopoulou, Maria Soultatou, Vasilis Gisdakis
• “Sayings of Kratylos”, performed by Michail Stefos with Ancient Greek instruments and the ensemble Lyraulos
Her compositions have also been featured in collaborations with many renowned performers and in theatrical works including:
• “Autumn Tides of September” by Daphne du Maurier, directed by Roula Pateraki
• “The Passions of Love”, text and poetry by Thanasis Salta
• “Don Asteris and Dona Earth”, children’s performance, text & lyrics by Th. Salta
• “Molon Labe”, a music-narrative piece inspired by the Battle of Thermopylae, text by Smaragda Apostolatou
• “When the Murderess Met Medea” and “Smyrna Incense”, text and direction by playwright Giorgos A. Christodoulou
She has composed music for documentaries, including:
• “Lord Byron in Attica”, directed by Stathis Reppas
• “Journey Through Time”, research and production by Panagiotis Tzokas, exploring the history of the Ioannina Jews
She has collaborated with orchestras such as KAMERATA – Friends of Music, conducted by Alexandros Myrat, the Athens Municipal Symphony Orchestra (conductors E. Kalkanis, N. Maliaras), and the ERT Orchestra of Various Music, conducted by Chrysanthos Alisafis and Giorgos Aravidis, as well as with prominent soloists.
Since 2012, Pigi Lykoude has been the artistic director of Galerie Dimiourgon Art Space in Nea Kifisia, Greece (www.galeriedimiourgon.gr, hello@galeriedimiourgon.gr).
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with numerous distinguished Greek performers and artists, including Manolis Mitsias, Nena Venetzanou, Pantelis Thalassinos, Dimitris Basis, Petros Gaitanos, Alexandra Gravas, Rita Antonopoulou, Eleni Peta, Morfo Tsaireli, Viktoria Tagouli, Peni Xenaki, Maria Soultatou, Georgia Velivasaki, Agni, Kostas Karalis, Alexandros Chatzi, Spyros Kleissas, Vasilis Lekkas, Vasilis Gisdakis, Georgia Angelou, Niko Karakalpaki, Kostas Chatzikyriakos-Svokos, Marina Voloudaki, Giannis Fertis, Grigoris Valtinos, Eleni Erimou, Alekos Syssovitis, Roula Pateraki, Giannis Mortzos, visual artist Diochanti, and playwright Giorgos A. Christodoulou.