Giorgos Koumendakis’ appointment as Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera has been renewed for a fourth consecutive three-year term

The new term begins on 13/1/2026 and ends on 12/1/2029.

We announce that, by a decision of the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, and the Deputy Minister of Culture, Jason Fotilas, dated 18/12/2025, the appointment of composer Giorgos Koumendakis as Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera has been renewed for a fourth consecutive three-year term.

Giorgos Koumendakis, who assumed the Artistic Direction of the Greek National Opera in 2017, has already completed nine years in this role and is the first Artistic Director in the Company’s 85-year history to be awarded a fourth consecutive term.

Giorgos Koumendakis remarks:
‘Having completed three terms as the Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, I am deeply honoured and at the same time fully aware of the great responsibility that comes with the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni’s decision to renew my term for a fourth time, until 2029. When I took on the artistic direction of the GNO in 2017, significant challenges and rare opportunities were opening up for Greece’s only opera house, which had just entered a new era following its relocation to the SNFCC. Today, nine years later, I feel proud of everything we have accomplished through hard work, team effort, devotion, and commitment to our goals: the numerous new works composed by Greek composers upon commissions from the GNO; the new productions we presented; the significant growth of our audience; the visibility of our artistic identity abroad; the co-productions and collaborations with European and American opera houses; the tours of our works across Greece and in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and America; the broadcasting of many of our productions worldwide through GNO TV; the significant development of our Alternative Stage; the unique imprint left by our hundreds of learning and participation programmes across Greece; the young artists we have supported; our online festivals; the three Sacred Music Festivals; and the management of the Ministry of Culture’s large-scale initiative, “All of Greece, One Culture”, for five consecutive years.

At the dawn of 2026, new challenges are arising before us, at both the artistic and managerial-administrative levels. However, with the steadfast and enduring support of the Ministry of Culture, and personally from the Minister, Lina Mendoni, we are confident that our Company is moving forward with safety and stability.

At the same time, with the support of the grants from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the trust of its Co-President, Andreas C. Dracopoulos himself, we have the opportunity to consistently develop our artistic identity and make substantial progress in our artistic outreach efforts. The support from our private sponsors, with whom we have established long-standing collaborations, ensures the high quality of our productions.

I would like to wholeheartedly thank them all for their trust.

For the experiences we share daily, the effective handling of problems, and the inspired execution of our artistic vision, I extend my gratitude to the outstanding team of my collaborators and the entire artistic, technical, administrative, and support staff of the GNO. I am also thankful to the Chair of the Board, Hary Stavropoulos, and the Members of the Board for their substantial support of my work.

First and foremost, I want to express my immense gratitude to the thousands of Greek and international audience members who reward and appreciate our work.’