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at the Academy of Music in Bratislava where
he received his Musical Doctoral Degree in
classical guitar under the supervision of Jozef
Zsapka. He has participated in a number of
festivals, including the Zempléni Festival and
the Spring Festival of Eger, and he is the First
Prize winner of the National Guitar Competition
in Hungary in 1998. Several of his solo recitals
and orchestra performances in guitar concertos
were recorded by television channels and radio
stations of Hungary and Cyprus. He published
theoretical articles on the classical guitar in such
international guitar magazines as the Classical
Guitar Magazine (England), the Soundboard
(USA), the Guitarra Magazine (USA), Gitarr och
Luta (Sweden), Gendai Guitar (Japan). George
Christofi is a holder of a BMus (First Class), and
MMus in Guitar Performance (Distinction) from
the University of Hull and an MA (Distinction)
and a PhD in Composition from the University
of York. Considered one of the most important
and talented composers of his generation,
Christofi has composed music for world
renowned soloists and ensembles, including,
Mario Caroli (flute), Sarah Leonard (soprano),
Harry Sparnaay (bass clarinet), The Endymion,
Kreutzer Quartet, Ensemble Cairn, L’Opéra
National du Rhin. His music has been broadcast
on BBC Radio 3 and presented in Festivals
such as ‘Clarinet baix i electronica’ by Phonos
– Fundació Música Contemporània (Spain),
International Music Festival Heidelberger
‘Frühling 2007’ (Germany), amongst others.
Christofi is a Composition Lecturer at the
European University Cyprus. Socrates Leptos
studied guitar at the New England Conservatory
in Boston. In 2000 he was awarded a Fulbright
scholarship to study at Yale University under
Ben Verdery, and in 2009 he was awarded the
Doctor of MusicalArts Degree from the Peabody
Institute. During his studies, Leptos won three
awards and performed extensively in the US.
He participated in masterclasses with Manuel
Barrueco, Sharon Isbin, Jorge Morel, Paul
O’dette, David Tannenbaum, Gordon Crosskey,
and John Duarte. Leptos has recorded music
for radio and television and he has contributed
to various recordings, both as guitarist and
composer. He is currently a member of the guitar
faculty at the University of Nicosia.
Cyprus Guitar Trio
Marc Coppey