Andreas Makris

Bio:

Andreas Makris was born on March 7, 1930 in Salonika, Greece. He studied violin at Greece?s National Conservatory, and moved to the U.S. in 1950, where he continued his studies at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He also studied at the Kansas City Conservatory in Missouri and the Mannes College of Music in New York, graduating in 1956. His additional training was at the Aspen Music Festival and the Fountainbleau School in France, where he studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. Makris played violin with the Dallas Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra, where he stayed until his retirement for 28 years, collaborating with NSO?s music directors Howard Mitchell, Antal Dorati, Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonard Slatkin. During his time at NSO, many of his compositions were performed by the orchestra, and in 1970 Andreas Makris became the first contemporary composer to have his work premiered at the Kennedy Center. He served as NSO?s Composer in Residence from 1979 to 1989. He also received several grants and awards for his compositions, including a National Endowment for the Arts grant and an ASCAP Award. Upon his retirement from the NSO, Makris rededicated himself to composing. His total legacy consisted of nearly one hundred original compositions and arrangements. In 2010, Andreas’ wife Margaret established Makris Foundation, with the goal to make the music and legacy of Andreas Makris more known and easily accessible to the general public. One of the principal projects of the Foundation is publication of Andreas’ complete works. For more information, visit makrisfoundation.org. ———————————— Longer biography: Andreas Makris (March 7, 1930 ? February 3, 2005) was a Greek-born American composer. Born in Salonika, Greece, he obtained his first violin ?by accident? when one day, during World War II, his father traded the family?s ration of salt and olive oil to a man who begged him for the items, offering his violin. ?So, for a month we had our bean soup without olive oil, and I began to play the violin,? Makris would later explain. Makris continued his music studies at the National Conservatory in Greece and, beginning in 1950, in the U.S. on a Rockefeller Grant at the Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He attended the Kansas City Conservatory in Missouri from 1951 to 1953 and graduated from the Mannes College of Music in New York in 1956 with Artist honors. Additional musical training followed at the Aspen Music Festival in 1956 and 1957 and at the Fountainbleau School in France where in 1958 Makris studied composition with Nadia Boulanger. In 1958 Makris won a position with the Dallas Symphony and in 1959 moved to the St. Louis Symphony after a successful audition. On June 12, 1959 Makris married Margaret Lubbe whom he met on a ship as he was returning from Paris and she was returning from London. In 1961, at the invitation of conductor Howard Mitchell, Makris joined the first violin section of the National Symphony Orchestra, where he would remain for 28 years. Over the years, the NSO would go on to perform many of his works, under Mitchell, Antal Dorati, Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonard Slatkin. In 1970 Makris became the first composer to have his work premiered at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and later would compose a work honoring the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy Center. Rostropovich commissioned more works from Makris than from any other composer. ?In my opinion, Makris is a great composer? Rostropovich remarked in 1978. From 1979 to 1989 Makris also served as NSO?s composer in residence where his job was to help Rostropovich sort through unsolicited scores that arrived in the mail from unknown but hopeful composers. Makris also composed and arranged numerous incidental pieces for the NSO including a piece for Leonard Bernstein?s birthday concert and an arrangement of Paganini?s Motto Perpetuo, which became a standard encore for the NSO?s many tours. He received numerous grants and awards for his compositions including a National Endowment for the Arts Grant the ASCAP Award. Other awards include the Exchange Student Scholarship. Damrosch Grant, the Martha Baird Rockefeller Award, and citations from the Greek Government. Upon his retirement from the NSO, Makris rededicated himself to composing with renewed vigor. His favorite performers became young musicians for whom he composed numerous solo, chamber and orchestral works. He also cultivated his friendship with National Philharmonic conductor Piotr Gajewski, at whose request he composed several works including the Symphony for Soprano and Strings, the Violin Concerto and one of his final works, Strathmore Overture, composed for National Philharmonic?s gala concert, inaugurating its residency at the Music Center at Strathmore. Andreas Makris died on February 3, 2005, leaving behind an output of nearly one hundred original compositions and arrangements. He is survived by his wife Margaret and two sons, Kristos and Miron. His works were published by the Mediterranean Press, Southern Music Company, and Galaxy Music. Andreas’ legacy continues through the Makris Foundation. Created in 2010 with aim to promote, preserve and protect the music and legacy of Andreas Makris, the Foundation is presided by Andreas’ wife Margaret Makris and American conductor Predrag Gosta. One of the biggest projects include publication of complete works of Andreas Makris, as well as recording of his compositions. Future projects include organizing an international competition, etc. Andreas Makris’ works have been performed in major cities in the U.S.A., South America, Canada, Europe and Japan. In recent years, his compositions were also premiered in new countries and on the new continents, such as in Russia and Asia (St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Essentuki, Kislovodsk, and Tomsk) through the efforts of Makris Foundation.

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