Natalia Gerakis

Natalia Gerakis is considered one of the most accomplished Greek flutists. Both Stuttgart- and Athens-based, she has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player at major halls and festivals throughout Germany and Greece, as well as in numerous European countries, in Asia, Africa and South America.

She has been principal flute of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and performed among others with the Athens State Orchestra, Athens Camerata, Wuerttemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, Stuttgart State Opera House (Chamber Theater). She has also been principal flute of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra (Marseille/France) and scholar at the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt (Paxos Festival/Greece).

As a soloist she has interpreted works by A.Vivaldi, G.Ph.Telemann, J.S.Bach, C.Ph.E.Bach, W.A.Mozart, G.Bizet, F.Borne, M.Arnold, A.Ginastera, A.Marquez, J.A.Merino, F.Poulenc, J.Ibert, K.Rothaupt, G.Kalodiki with the Bosch Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, Stuttgart University Academic Orchestra, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Athens Academica, Athens Youth Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta-Chamber Orchestra Chania/Crete, Universidad Mayor Orchestra Santiago/Chile.

She has recorded for the Greek Radio & TV and the Bayerischer Rundfunk. The CD “Terra e Aria” featuring music for flute and harp is released by “Spektral Records” in Germany. The CD/Book “CLAUDE DEBUSSY la musique à moi” is released by record label “Utopia” and the editions “Mikri Arktos” in Greece. Her recording and treatise “Opus Alexandrinum”, concerning the musical activity of Greeks in Alexandria ad Egyptum, is published by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture.

In addition to her musical activities as a performer, Natalia Gerakis has shown a remarkable educational activity. Commitment to her art and success in teaching makes her a highly regarded and sought-after flutist among international courses (Adams European Flute Center Masterclasses/Holland, International Forum for Flute and Piano/Luxembourg, Deutscher Tonkünstlerverband Instrumentenkurse/Germany, Springiersbach Summer Courses/Germany, Alliance Française Courses Lusaka/Zambia, Universidad Mayor Masterclasses Santiago/Chile, Camerata Europaea Academy Masterclasses/Greece, Music Library of Greece Masterclasses, Flute Methodology and Didactic Courses at Athens Conservatoire, MAAKSS-International Music Academy of Anargyrios and Korgialenios School of Spetses/Greece), as well as among international music competitions (Bodensee International Music Competition, Aschaffenburg International Chamber Music Competition with Guitar, DGfF-German Flute Association Competition Frankfurt, Thessaloniki International Fair Chamber Music Competition).

Natalia Gerakis is Flute Professor at the Athens Conservatoire. She is also tutor for Flute Methodology at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart). Furthermore she taught the flute (master’s degree program) in the Music Department of the Athens National University.

She has studied the flute with Geneviève Amar and Vicens Prats at the “Nadia & Lili Boulanger” Conservatoire in Paris and graduated with the “1er Prix de la Ville de Paris”. She has obtained her flute master’s degree at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart in Germany under Professor Jean-Claude Gérard, on a scholarship of the Greek State. She has also been honoured with a scholarship of the Alexander S.Onassis Foundation.

Currently she is PhD Candidate in the Music Department of the Athens National University, dealing with “Tōru Takemitsu’s music, between japanese tradition and western avant-garde. An aesthetic approach in his flute compositions”.