Sylvia studied piano with Rosalina
Sackstein, former student of the world famous pianist Claudio Arrau. She has
also received master classes from some of the world’s major artists including:
Paul Badura-Skoda, Jose Fegali, Maria Joao Pires, Stephen Hugh, Dimitri
Bashkirov, Walter Blakenheim and others.
Sylvia
Constantinidis was already established as a pianist in Venezuela when she left
in the 1990's. In South America, she toured several times and played as a
soloist with orchestras. In 1987 she published her first recording: a
collection of Venezuelan Classical music from the XIX century, Very well
received by the critics. She has been recognized by the Venezuelan Government
with two 'Artist in Residence' Grants from the CONAC –Cultural National
Council-, and, two 'Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho' Grants for her undergraduate and
later graduate studies. She has also received scholarships from the University
of Miami, the Van Cliburn Piano Festival, the Canford Music Festival and the
Paloma O’shea Piano Festival, among others.
She
has participated in concerts and music festivals in Spain, France, England,
Czech Republic, Ukrane, her native country of Venezuela, as well as Central and
South America and the USA.
Sylvia
has been writing music
since the age of twelve. Her composition teachers include Belgian composer Eric
Colon, American composer Dennis Kam, Czech composer Ladislav Kubik and British
composer Malcolm Singer. She studied orchestration with composer John Vander
Slice and composer John Wallace. She has also attended forums and master
classes with American composers Steve Reich and Phillip
Glass.
Her
compositions include works for piano solo, voice, chamber music and orchestra;
must of her music has already recorded. Her work has been extensively performed
in Europe, the USA and the Americas. Between others, her work has been featured
at the “Festival of Miami -Emerging Composers Night-“, University of Miami
“Twilight Composers Series”, Society of Composers’ Winter and Spring Concerts,
Miami Dade College Festival of The Arts, Miami Dade College New Millennium
Concert Series, Steinway Concert Series, College of Music Society Composers Concerts,
CMS National Conference Artist Engagement Concerts, National Associations of
Composers USA –NACUSA- Composers Concert Series, and Flamingo Festival
Concerts. Her work has been performed in Europe at the Czech-American
Contemporary Composers Festival, Czech Republic, at the Canford Composer’s
Concerts, England, Sherborne Composer’s Concerts, England, The Euroamerican
festival Concerts, Spain, and at other European Venues. In 2009 and 2010,
Two of her orchestral works were premiered in Ukrane by the Kharkov
Philharmonic. In 2007, her
composition, “The Macondo Poems,” won the “ERM International Masterworks of the
New Era Composers Competition,” and released in The ERM Masterwork of the New
Era Series Volume XIV on February 2009. Later, this work, “The Macondo Poems,”
was invited for nomination at the Latin Grammys 2009. Earlier in 2006, the
publication of three of her compositions, –“The Macondo Poems” for Woodwind
Quintet, the Suite “Rubi ‘n Stone” for piano, and the “Suite Infantil” for
piano,- were featured at the MDC Miami International Book Fair. Sylvia
has been awarded, several times, the ASCAP-PLUS Award, as composer of Concert
Music.
Her
music has been performed in
readings, concerts and recorded by: the Leandro-Kim duo, the Conservatory of Puerto
Rico Woodwind Quintet, the University of Miami New Music Ensemble, the South
Florida Youth Symphony, the South Hialeah Youth String Orchestra, the Amadeus
Sinfonietta, the SouthEast Contemporary Chamber Orchestra “SECCO’, the
University of Miami Frost Symphony Orchestra, the Omorphia Contemporary Chamber
Ensemble, the Prague Radio Symphony, the Euroamerican Contemporary Chamber
Orchestra “ECCO” and the Kharkov Philharmonic between others.
Sylvia
is a Composer-Artist-in-Residence for the vocal ensemble “Per Passione” in
Arhus, Denmark, for wish she is presently working on an extensive commission
for a 2012 concert tour. In addition, she is a composer in Residence for the
Omorfia Ensemble, the Orchestral Chamber Ensembles SECCO and ECCO. She is presently
working on commissions for several ensembles including orchestras of the
Venezuelan “EL SISTEMA” and several internationally known solo artists.
Sylvia’s
compositions have been performed on the radio throughout the five continents.
In addition to commissions for piano, ensembles and the orchestral medium,
Sylvia has also written several works of music for films by
commission.
As
a music educator, Sylvia has been recognized with several awards including
several grants from 'The Education Funds' for her “Opera Adventure Project”,
and a Miami Dade College "Learning Innovations Apple Grant". She has
also been honored with 'The Music Note Award 2003', a recognition given by the
Patronesses of the Opera and the Kennedy Foundation, for the writing of her
three Children’s Operas performed at Miami Dade-County Public School System to
promote music in the schools. In South Florida, she has also been invited as a
lecturer for several Music Educators Conferences. She has also participated as
consultant/member in important curriculum and instruction, accreditation, and
other educational committees at the college level.
While
still very young in Venezuela, Sylvia studied Orchestral Conducting with the
famous Japanese conductor Akira Endo. And, in Miami, she studied
conducting with American Composer-Conductor Thomas Sleeper. And later, in
England, she continued advanced conducting studies with George Hurst, Denisse
Hahn, Rodolfo Saglimbeni and Robert Houlighan. In Venezuela, she held a
Fellowship Teaching Position at the Famous "EL SISTEMA," -Sistema de
Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (FESNOJIV). Later in South
Florida, she created the 'South Hialeah Elementary String Orchestra' for a
MDCPS-school. Under Ms. Constantinidis artistic direction, this youth orchestra
program won national first prize for 'Elementary String orchestras' at the
Music USA Festival 2001, 2002 and 2003. From 2001 to summer 2005, she was also
an Associate Conductor for the South Florida Youth Symphony Elementary
Division. Recently, in South Florida, she founded the Amadeus YSF,
a new youth orchestra program modeled after the philosophical ideas of ‘EL
SISTEMA.' Though this program she hopes to help make a reality the
musical dreams of many future talents.
Sylvia
is the founder and Music
Director of the Omorfia Contemporary Ensemble, which made its debut in 2006 at
The Festival of Miami. She is also the executive and music director of SECCO,
the Southeast Contemporary Composers Chamber Orchestra, and ECCO, the
Euroamerican Contemporary Chamber Orchestra, Both ensembles are dedicated to
the promotion and performance of Orchestral New Music-
Sylvia is a strong
advocator for music education. In the year 2000, she represented the State of
Florida, In Washington DC, as part of a national team of MENC members who spoke
before the Congress of the United States of America about the importance of
music education, music programs in the schools and music education for early
childhood. Sylvia Constantinidis was also invited by the Spanish series
'Primeros Pasos' (First Steps) to speak in television about the benefits of
music education for early childhood development. For many years, this interview
has been broadcast often throughout the Ibero-American Television (more than
seventy stations). She has also been feature as a Music Educator on a special
edition of the Miami Herald, Miami USA.
Sylvia is the President
of the SouthEast Chapter of NACUSA, -(National Association of Composers of The
United States of America South-Eastern States Division including
South-Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Puerto Rico). She also
teaches music at several local Colleges and Universities in South Florida. She
serves regularly as judge on music competitions and grant selection committees.
And, she serves regularly as board member and/or chairman of several cultural
and arts committees. In addition to her professional engagements,
she regularly publishes educational compositions for Piano, Ensembles, Band and
String Orchestra. She has also published an extensive music method for piano,
music theory, and solfege and is presently working on other methodological
materials.
Sylvia is a strong advocator and promoter of New
Music. She has also great interest on the cultivation of new audiences
for contemporary music. With this goal, she recently created the Flamingo
International New Music Festival in South Florida and the Euroamerican Festival
in Europe. Throughout different events, these festivals promote classical
New Music, Electro-Acoustic Music as well as Visual-Music and Music
Installations.
Sylvia
is celebrated as an Ambassador of Latin American Music. In addition to
recording an extensive repertoire in the field, she performs it regularly
worldwide. Her scholar work also includes several research projects, and, many
lectures in the subject given in the Americas and in Europe.