Features Overview

Early years

Stella Arabatzoglou was born in Rethymnon/Greece in 1970, where she began her musical career in the Philharmonic Orchestra. She studied saxophone at the “Athenaeum International Cultural Center” with N. Ginos and Th. Kerkezos, whose class she graduated with “Great Honours and First Prize”. She also studied theory with H. Xanthoudakis and D. Diamantopoulos. She has attended master classes with J. Y. Fourmeau, D. Campbell and G. Mc Crystal, as well as seminars on expression poliartica and music of the 20th Century.

Experience

She has collaborated with the Orchestra d’ Harmony des Jeunes of the EU, the Orchestra of the Friends of Music “Camerata”, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Athens, the Civil Symphony Orchestra of Athens, the Symphony Orchestra of the Greek Radio and the State Orchestra of Athens, under the conducting of J. Cover, A. Balta, A. Myrat, V. Fidetzi, P. Sergio, D. Owens, L. Karytinos, W. Rousso, T. Brocks, etc

As a soloist she performed with the “Tar Quintet”, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Athens, the String Orchestra of the Municipality of Athens, the Camerata of the Municipality of Cholargos, Leipzig Rundfunk-Blasorchestet, etc.

She has been member of of the Quartet of Saxophones of Theodoros Kerkezos and the Quartet of Saxophones of the city of Athens. She has premiered works by soloists and chamber music of Greek contemporaries composers, many of them dedicated to her. She is the principal saxophonist of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Athens. In 2005 she founded the “ATHENAEUM SAXOPHONE QUARTET”, of which she is the artistic director

Educator

She teaches saxophone and music education at St. Catherine ‘s British Embassy School, the Athenaeum Conservatoire, as well as at the Kodály, Attico and Erateio Conservatories. As a passionate educator, she has founded student ensembles such as the Saxformers and the Baby Saxes, giving her students the opportunity to experience the joy of collective music-making just because she strongly believes that playing music together is the essential part of the educational process, fostering not only technical skills but also a sense of collaboration, responsibility and inspiration.