Gr Echo Brass Ensemble

Alternative Stage Founding Donor

Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera

The Gr Echo Brass Ensemble, a new and dynamically emerging ensemble of brass players composed of celebrated Greek musicians with international acclaim, introduces itself to the Athens audience with a unique concert at the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage in the SNFCC. On Sunday, 9 November 2025, at 19.30, the ensemble will present a diverse programme under the baton of Stathis Soulis, featuring works by renowned composers. Admission will be free for the public. The concert’s programme includes pieces by Glière, Verdi, Villa-Lobos, Piazzola, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rossini, Chapí, and Handel, performed by the distinguished soloists from the GNO: Yannis Christopoulos, Dionysios Sourbis, and the exceptional emerging soprano Maria Kosovitsa.

The sound of brass instruments breathes and illuminates the space, transforming metal into voice. The singers’ vocal cords and the performers’ lips are vibrated by the same wind. Trumpets, trombones, horn, tuba, and percussion unite with three lyrical voices in a programme of high virtuosity and expressive tension. The detailed transcriptions – fruits of a deep knowledge of brass wind techniques – highlight the power and clarity of their sound through pieces covering a broad musical horizon. These range from Handel, the composer of grandeur and solemnity, to Verdi, who crafts drama through his heroes’ passion, and from Rossini and his humorous, vibrant melodies to Rimsky-Korsakov, who depicts fairy-tale-like images, and Piazzolla, whose music becomes a confession of the soul. The GR Echo Brass Ensemble is inviting us to a concert where moments gain voice and the stage comes alive through a shared breath.

A few words about the Gr Echo Brass Ensemble

The Gr Echo Brass Ensemble was established in March 2025. It consists of eleven distinguished brass wind performers and one percussionist, all sharing the vision of highlighting and spreading the brass wind repertoire to a wide audience, both in Greece and abroad.

Marked by a powerful artistic identity and a modern understanding of music, the ensemble’s mission is to deliver high-quality musical performances, develop creative partnerships, and actively participate in festivals and institutions in Greece and around the world.

With a strong, uniform, yet flexible sound, the Gr Echo Brass Ensemble aims to combine tradition with contemporary musical creation, offering a diverse repertoire that ranges from sophisticated music and film scores to Greek art music and traditional melodies.

The Gr Echo Brass Ensemble consists of  Kostas Nikas, Dionysis Agalianos, Alexandros Mavropoulos, Nikos Sarris trumpets, Christos Kaloudis, Nikolas Kaloudis horn, Spyros Faroungias, Stavros Klavanidis, Giannis Kaikis, Ioannis Kokkoris trombones, Konstantinos Aslanidis tuba, and Panagiotis Ziavras, percussion.

Brief biographical notes 

Stathis Soulis
One of the most renowned conductors of his generation, he began studying music at the age of four and pursued his studies at the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University, specialising in orchestral conducting under Miltos Logiadis. He has collaborated with numerous ensembles and organisations, including Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra, Ionian University Orchestra, Contemporary Music Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, Athens State Orchestra, Greek National Opera, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall and Athens Epidaurus Festival. In addition, he has appeared as conductor of chamber music ensembles at the International ICMC / SMC Conference (Onassis Stegi) and has collaborated with ARTéfacts and Ventus ensembles. Since 2019, he has been working with the GNO, where he has conducted productions such as Simon Boccanegra, 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, Andrea Chénier, Otello, the oratorio Axion Esti by Mikis Theodorakis, as well as the Alternative Stage productions My Fair Lady and Into the Woods.

Gr Echo Brass Ensemble
Gr Echo Brass Ensemble is a new, ambitious, and dynamically emerging brass ensemble, founded in March 2025 by distinguished Greek musicians with international experience and artistic presence. The ensemble consists of eleven outstanding brass performers and one percussionist who share a common vision: to bring the brass repertoire to a wider audience, both in Greece and abroad. The mission of the Gr Echo Brass Ensemble is to create performances and concerts of high artistic and aesthetic quality, to cultivate new artistic collaborations, and to maintain an active presence in major institutions and festivals. With a sound that is robust, unified, and at the same time flexible, the ensemble aspires to combine tradition with contemporary musical creation, presenting a multifaceted repertoire that ranges from classical and film music to Greek traditional music. 

Maria Kosovitsa
Soprano, born in Athens. She has received awards in international opera competitions such as Concorso Lirico Internazionale “Giancarlo Aliverta” (Voce all’Opera) and Concorso Internazionale Voci Verdiane Città di Busseto. In 2021, she won the “Maria Callas” Scholarship Competition in Athens. In 2024, she was selected to participate in the Accademia Verdiana of the Teatro Regio di Parma. In 2025, she was chosen by the Teatro Regio di Parma as a cover for the title role in Verdi’s Giovanna d’Arco, as well as for the role of Desdemona in Otello. In June of the same year, she performed the role of Liù in Puccini’s Turandot, under the baton of Pier Giorgio Morandi and the stage direction of Andrei Şerban, with the Greek National Opera, at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. She has also performed the title role in Offenbach’s La Périchole (Antwerp, Belgium), as well as the role of Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore (Orvieto, Italy). Maria Kosovitsa holds diplomas in voice (class of Christina Yannakopoulou) and piano (class of Sofia Rosmaraki), as well as a degree in History and Archaeology. She is currently continuing her vocal studies with Claudia Marchi.

Photo credits: Spiros Katopodis