Concert for Peace

Lead Donor of the GNO

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and the Greek National Opera present a unique concert dedicated to peace, featuring music that brings together composers and performers who are unfortunately separated by war. The concert, a co-production between the Thessaloniki State Orchestra and the Greek National Opera, will be presented at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, at the SNF, on Holy Tuesday, 7 April 2026, at 20.00.

At the second concert of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra in the Stavros Niarchos Hall, the German-Jewish violinist Liv Migdal, known for her expressive and sensitive performances, and the Iranian-German conductor Yalda Zamani, distinguished for her dynamic and modern musical approach, join forces onstage with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra to deliver a powerful message of unity and hope through pieces that combine Passion with Decay. The programme features rarely performed musical masterpieces by composers from various countries and cultures, including Bechara El-Khoury (Lebanon), Hossein Dehlavi (Iran), Paul Ben-Haim (Israel), and Richard Strauss (Germany).

The Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, Giorgos Koumendakis, notes about the concert: “The Greek National Opera is particularly delighted to collaborate once again with the Thessaloniki State Orchestra on an Easter concert of high symbolism. This will mark our second joint event following the concert Christus Symphony, which was held last year during the Easter season, as part of the 2nd Sacred Music Festival. The steady and meaningful partnership between the Greek National Opera and the Thessaloniki State Orchestra is a valuable pillar in enriching our country’s musical culture. This concert in the Stavros Niarchos Hall is dedicated to promoting peace among nations, reminding us of music's power to transcend boundaries and differences, while conveying a message of unity and hope.”

The Director of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, Simos Papanas, comments on the concert: “The multilayered collaboration between the Thessaloniki State Orchestra (TSSO)  and the Greek National Opera (GNO) in recent years has yielded a multitude of cultural achievements, of which we, at the TSSO, are particularly proud: discography, concerts, opera productions, premieres / original recordings, and the co-organization of festivals and musical events that have left their mark on our country’s musical landscape. Building on this partnership, the TSSO will return to the emblematic Stavros Niarchos Hall of the GNO for a second consecutive year to present a programme featuring musical masterpieces that, although rarely performed in concert halls, convey a powerful message of peace and coexistence through music. Iranian-German conductor Yalda Zamani and German-Jewish soloist Liv Migdal will present works from the Lebanese, Iranian, and Israeli Schools of Music, alongside Richard Strauss’ masterpiece Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration). Apart from the symbolism stemming from the origin of these works, each piece, in its own way, explores themes of passion and the journey towards death, matching the concert’s atmosphere with that of Passion Week.”

Brief biographical notes
YALDA ZAMANI
Berlin-based Iranian-German conductor Yalda Zamani is an assistant conductor with the French contemporary music ensemble Ensemble InterContemporain (Paris Philharmonic), under the direction of Pierre Bleuse. In her career to date, she has collaborated with renowned orchestras and musical ensembles such as the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Klangforum Wien, Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra, Bilbao Orkestra Sinfonikoa, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, Athelas Sinfonietta (Denmark), and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also conducted world premieres and contemporary music works at festivals and venues such as the Darmstadt New Music Festival, Wien Modern Festival, Warsaw Autumn Festival of Contemporary Music, Ultraschall in Berlin, Music Biennale in Zagreb, Musikprotokoll Festival, Klangspuren Schwaz, Ruhrtriennale Festival, IMPULS Festival (Graz), Utrecht Contemporary Music Festival Gaudeamus Muziekweek, and the Time of Music Festival (Finland), among others.

LIV MIGDAL
German-Jewish violinist Liv Migdal collaborates as a soloist with renowned orchestras and distinguished conductors at prestigious venues worldwide. In 2016, she made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, and the following year, she collaborated with the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg). She has also performed at major festivals such as the Beethoven Festival (Bonn), the Hatikvah Festival (Jerusalem), the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Ludwigsburg Festival, among others, in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Coming from a family of musicians, she studied with Christiane Hutcap, Igor Ozim, and Reinhard Goebel. She has been honoured with numerous awards and distinctions. Her discography ranges from Baroque music to contemporary repertoire. In 2025, her double album titled The Cosmos of Paul Ben-Haim was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Award, while her album Beyond Horizons won the same award and was also nominated for the International Classical Music Awards.

THESSALONIKI STATE ORCHESTRA
The Thessaloniki State Orchestra (TSO) is the most important and historically significant symphony orchestra in Northern Greece and one of the country’s leading cultural organizations. Founded in 1959 by the renowned composer and conductor Solon Michailidis, it currently comprises 110 musicians. The TSO presents high-quality musical performances, ensuring public access through a variety of events. It is the symphony orchestra of Greece with the most important international presence in discography, consistently recording with world-class record labels, including Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, BIS Records, Berlin Classics, Naxos, and Da Vinci Classics, among others. The TSO’s international presence also includes successful performances abroad and collaborations with prominent world-class artists. Major figures in Greek music have been at its helm throughout its history. The TSO is currently directed by Simos Papanas.