Konstantinos Diminakis

 Konstantinos Diminakis is widely admired for his clarity, sensitivity and elegant interpretations. He is currently Principal Conductor & Music Director of the Orpheus Kammerorchester Wien Austria, Music Director of Opera de Baugé France and Pianist of the Vienna State Opera Austria Ballet Academy. Since 2014 he was Study Director and Conductor at the Operklosterneuburg, Austria. Diminakis was chosen by the London Symphony Orchestra as one of the most talented young conductors of Europe for 2012 (Donatella Flick Competition). He recently recorded for NAXOS the CD “La Femme” with Mezzo-Soprano Flaka Goranci and “Childhood Memories” with Bösendorfer Pianist Donka Angatcheva. 

 As a guest conductor he has performed with Radio-Symphonieorchester Austria, Beethoven Philharmonie, Rzeszow Philharmonic Poland, Orquestra de Cadaqués Spain, Athens State Orchestra, Thessaloniki State Orchestra Greece, Ploiesti Philharmonic Romania, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and Guildhall Symphony Orchestra London. His US debut was in Boston with ALEA III Ensemble and his Asia debut with the MDW University Ensemble with whom went on a highly successful tour of Taiwan. Whilst Principal Conductor of the Orpheus Kammerorchester Wien he toured with them to Italy, Germany, Algeria and Cyprus.

 Konstantinos Diminakis gained a huge reputation as an opera conductor, after assisting Thomas Rösner at the Carinthische Sommer Festival in Villach. A few days earlier he had conducted Bella Bartok’s The Miraculous Mandarin in MusikvereinGolden Hall and Gluck’s Il Parnaso confuso at the Schönbrunn Palace Theater Vienna, with great success. At the Operklosterneuburg he conducted Rigoletto (with Daniela Fally as Gilda) and The Tales of Hoffmann (with Zurab Zurabishvili as Hoffmann). At the Opera de Baugé in France he has conducted new productions of Traviata, The Merry Widow, Le nozze di Figaro, Idomeneo, La clemenza di Tito, La Cenerentola and La Perichole, at the National Greek Opera Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Cenerentola and Juditha Triumphans in Corfu with Les Cordes Enchantees Orchestra from France.

 His recordings of Athanasios Simoglou’s music on Cavafy’s poems with the Orpheus Kammerorchester Wien at the famous Sofiensäle Studio in Vienna, were praised by music critics. As part of his educational activities, he leads orchestra workshops in Ramallah-Palestine after the invitation of the Barenboim-Said Foundation and music courses at the National Theatre of Northern Greece. Moreover, he teaches regularly in orchestra conducting masterclasses throughout Europe. 

 Konstantinos Diminakis was born in Thessaloniki and studied conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts (Uros Lajovic) in Vienna and piano at the University of Makedonia in Greece. He began his professional career as pianist and assistant conductor at the Thessaloniki Opera. His early work as a conductor took him to master classes given by, amongst others, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding and Colin Metters.