LdV laureates awarded in Athens
50th ceremony of the Prize: 17 May 2025
Recipient: Varvara Athinaiou
Classification: Classical Music
Occupation: Musician
Instrument: Trombone
Years active: Since the age of 6
Biography
Varvara Athinaiou was born in Athens, Greece. She received her first music lessons in violin and piano at age 6. At the age of 11, she received her first trombone lessons at the Philarmonic Society of Corfu. In 2014, she won the first prize in the prestigious "Maria Chairogiorgou-Sigara" competition in Athens and the 2nd Prize in the "Associazione Culturale Musicale Euritmia" International Competition for Young Musicians.
Three years later, in 2017, she graduated from the Conservatory of Corfu with a trombone diploma.
She has performed in masterclasses with Ian Bousfield, Jörgen van Rijen, Simon Styles, Scott Hartman, Nigel Boddice, Angelos Kritikos, Spiros Faroungias, and Kostas Avgerinos.
Varvara received her Bachelor's Diploma in Classical Music (Specialization in Trombone) from the Hochschule der Künste Bern (HKB) in June 2021. For three years, she studied in the trombone class of world-renowned trombonist Ian Bousfield.
In 2019, she appeared as a soloist with Steffisburg Kammerorchester. She also performed with the Bern Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Christoforus Sinfonie Orchester that same year.
Since September 2021, she has been a member of the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO), where she currently holds the position of Principal Trombone. She was also teaching at the Filippos Nakas Conservatory during 2021/2022. Varvara has played with most of the major orchestras in Greece, including the Greek Radio Orchestra, Greek National Opera, and the Athens State Orchestra .
She has been a member of the EUYO (European Union Youth Orchestra) since January 2022. As a member of the EUYO she has had the opportunity to work under conductors such as Iván Fischer, Gianandrea Noseda, Elim Chan und Gustavo Gimeno and with soloists such as Renaud Capucon, Francesco Piemontesi and Jae Hong Park in various concerts halls across Europe, such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Musiikktalo Helsinki etc.
She is a member of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra since 2022.