Biography
Kornilios Michailidis is a Greek conductor and pianist, currently holding the position of Assistant Conductor at the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Having studied piano at the École Normale de Musique in Paris and at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in the USA, he recently obtained a Master’s degree in Conducting from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
During the 2016-2017 season he was the Assistant Conductor at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Ever since, he has regularly been invited to work as an assistant conductor of major institutions, such as the Paris Opera, the Teatro Real and the Hamburg Opera.
As a conductor he collaborates with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Sinfonia Lahti, the Athens State Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Orchestra, the Raanana Symphonette, the South Denmark Philharmonic, among others. He recently conducted opera productions of Verdi’s “Falstaff” and Mozart’s “La Clemenza di Tito” in Helsinki, and assisted in the preparation of Kaija Saariaho’s opera “Only the Sound Remains” at the Paris Opera as well as the Teatro Real in Madrid, where he since returned regularly.
Laureate of the 1st International Piano Competition in Mayenne (France), he performed as a pianist in Europe, Israel and the USA, notably in a series of recitals with the last three Beethoven Piano Sonatas, a recital - tribute to A.Scrjabin, as a soloist in Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto with the Athens State Orchestra conducted by Juraj Valčuha, as well as in recital with the acclaimed violinist Sergei Krylov.
Kornilios Michailidis is founder of the Beethoven Now! Project and Chamber Orchestra in Finland, a collective specialising in the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, presenting his work in the context of the modern sunlight through innovative and historically informed interpretations.
Since 2016, he is founder and director of Koufonisia Classical Music Festival, taking place in one of Greece’s smallest islands.
In addition to music, Kornilios is an active aviator.