Greek National Opera To Make U.S. Debut At Carnegie Hall

The Greek National Opera will make its United States debut at Carnegie Hall on October 15, 2026, at 8 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage. The performance marks the first visit to New York by the company’s orchestra.

Led by conductor Vassilis Christopoulos, Music Director of Graz Opera, the program will feature mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili and soprano Maria Kostraki. The concert is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Titled Nikos Kazantzakis: An Odyssey in Music, the program honors the influence of writer Nikos Kazantzakis through works by Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Skalkottas, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and Giorgos Koumendakis.

Highlights include the U.S. premiere of Koumendakis’s orchestral work Amor Fati; Rachvelishvili performing songs by Theodorakis; and Kostraki performing selections from Hadjidakis’s Captain Michalis. The program also includes Skalkottas’s Three Cretan Dances and Mitropoulos’s Cretan Feast, orchestrated by Skalkottas.

For the Greek National Opera, the appearance represents a significant step in its international touring activity. The concert is presented under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with a portion of proceeds supporting its Hellenic Education Fund and Together for Children.

Tickets will go on sale through Carnegie Hall in May 2026.

Nikos Kazantzakis: AN ODYSSEY IN MUSIC

October 15, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. 

Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

Greek National Opera Orchestra

Vassilis Christopoulos, conductor

Anita Rachvelishvili, mezzo-soprano

Maria Kostraki, soprano

Ensemble of solo musicians

HADJIDAKIS (1925–1994). Captain Michalis 

SKALKOTTAS (1904–1949) Three Cretan Dances

MITROPOULOS (1896–1960) Cretan Feast (orchestrated by Skalkottas)

GIORGOS KOUMENDAKIS (1959–) Amor Fati