Born of a Greek father and a Peruvian mother, Alexandros Kapelis grew up in both countries and enjoyed the advantages of a dual heritage.  He began playing the piano when he was five years old and at the age of 20 moved to New York, where early in his career he was recognized by the Inter Press Service (IPS) as  “one of the most promising young classical musicians of any nationality working in New York today.”  The Washington Post also praised him for his “scintillating performance,” whereas the San Francisco Piedmont Post noted him for his “full range of technique in rendering the total palette of keyboard colors.” He has appeared throughout Europe, the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Japan.

 

As a soloist, Kapelis’ highlights include appearances with the Royal Philharmonic in London and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. Currently, he is enjoying a collaboration with the acclaimed ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berliner Barock Solisten, having recently recorded the complete Bach concertos for solo keyboard and orchestra (BWV 1052-1058). An active chamber music player, he has collaborated with renowned artists that include violinists Janine Jansen and Renaud Capuçon, violist Yuri Bashmet, cellist Mischa Maisky, clarinetist Stanley Drucker, trumpeter Sergei Nakariakov, as well as ensembles from the Philharmonia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic (Philharmonic Chamber Soloists). He came to the attention of Martha Argerich and in 2007 he moved to Brussels, where he spent four years near the great pianist, performing alongside Argerich and participating in several editions of the Lugano Martha Argerich Project. As a recitalist, Kapelis made his mark with an unprecedented program inspired by Greek mythology.  This recital took him to venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, the United Nations in New York, the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, the Chicago Cultural Center, the Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico City, the Salle Cortot and UNESCO in Paris, the Lugano Festival, a recital tour through Japan, as well as the leading Italian venues.

 

Off stage, Kapelis is known for his understanding of a wide range of subjects that have allowed him to bridge music with history, the visual arts, nature, and cultural identity. In this capacity, he has acted as Artistic Director/Advisor for various institutions. In 2016, he came to the attention of the late Pierre Cardin and teamed up with the French cultural icon as Artistic Director of the chamber music series at his Festival de Lacoste. In Greece, Kapelis has collaborated on various occasions with the Athens Megaron on their chamber music programming. In Italy, he was given the title of Artist in Residence in Venice by the Malipiero Foundation in 2014, and last September Kapelis launched Epicenter Venice, a new international music festival that sees him as Artistic Director and Founder. 

 

Since early in his career, Alexandros Kapelis has been involved with various humanitarian causes. He has performed in numerous benefit concerts, most notably in London for Fight for Sight (a leading UK charity dedicated to medical research), in New York for the United World Colleges (under the patronage of HRH Prince Pavlos of Greece), and in Athens for ELEPAP (Greek Society for the Protection and Rehabilitation of the Disabled).  Under the aegis of UNESCO, in 2018 he founded PROJECT ECO (Earth Connections Orchestra), an initiative that combines music and the environment.  On a personal note, Alexandros Kapelis also founded The Greco-Latin Trust in order to help young musicians from countries facing economic difficulties, specifically Greece and Latin America.  Inspired by his years as a student in New York, the Trust provides a living stipend to a full-time piano student every year.

 

Alexandros Kapelis holds a Bachelor’s degree from the American College of Greece, and a Master’s degree from the Mannes College of Music in New York. He also attended the conducting masterclasses of Bruno Aprea (Rome Arts Academy) and Gianluigi Gelmetti (Accademia Chigiana). He is a Steinway Artist and currently lives in Venice.