Greek composer and conductor, Themos Mexis, has been appointed Musical Director of the new National Metropolitan Choir of Australia, formed under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
The choir will perform in Constantinople in 2021, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the enthronement of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It is hoped the event will be held in the wonderful Hagia Eirene.
It is His Eminence Archbishop Makarios’ vision to establish this choir, and later orchestra, that will be permanently under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
Rehearsals have already begun in the hall of St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Kingsford, Sydney, Australia.
Themos Mexis, with the support of Father Steven Scoutas, invite anyone interested in joining the choir to complete an online application form.
All interested men and women, above the age of 18-years-old, are encouraged to apply.
All that is required is a love of singing in a choir. No previous experience is necessary nor is the ability to read Greek or music.
For further information, please contact Ellie Mexis on 0404 378 745 or Father Scoutas on 0417 771 113.
Themos Mexis – Biography
An active performing composer since 1972, he has performed and conducted a variety of concerts, predominantly of his own music, in various concert halls in Australia, Cyprus, Trieste and Greece. His concerts, whether for symphony orchestras, various ensembles including big bands, choral or solo piano performances, have always drawn large audiences.
Themos Mexis was born in Rhodes, Greece. His family migrated to Australia when he was six years old. His musical studies started firstly with private piano and theory lessons, from age 13, then at the Conservatorium of New South Wales, Sydney, under the tutelage of Prof. Gordon Watson and Ms. Dorothy Sprigs. He continued his studies at the Academia Musicale di Santa Cecilia, Rome, with Prof. B. Giuranna in Composition, Prof. Ferdinandi in Score Reading and Orchestration, and Maestro Fernando Ferrara in Conducting. Further studies at the Hellenic Conservatorium in Athens, were with Prof. Giorgo Georgiadi in Piano, Prof. Miltiadi Koutoungo and Maestro Antiocho Evangelato, in Advanced Theoretical Studies. He holds Diplomas with Honours in Piano, Theoretical Studies and Music Education. With a composer’s grant from the Music Board of the Australia Council, he studied electronic music at the NSW Conservatorium, Sydney, with Martin Wesley-Smith.
He has been distinguished and awarded many times for his compositions both in Australia and overseas. In Australia, as composer and arranger, he created a variety of works which included music for theatre, cinema and television. He was often commissioned and invited by the Australian Government to perform in major events and festivals, usually conducting his own music, written and arranged for large orchestras. He has conducted seminars and workshops on his own music and on Greek music in general, in schools and universities. “Mexis in Concert” became a frequent fixture of the Australian cultural events calendar since 1976. He also formed light-music ensembles, such as The Mexis Show Band, backing many local and overseas artists. He conducted The Mexis Orchestra and Choir in many Carnivale and Sydney Cultural Olympiad events. He was amongst the Australian artists chosen by the Australian Olympic Arts Festival Committee to perform in their place of origin (Greece) as part of “Reaching the World” program. His composition ‘Evening Song’ was used for the national TV and radio advertisement of the 1998 Olympic Cultural Festival, “A Sea Change”. (See Credits)
In Greece, he taught at the National Conservatorium (Halandri branch), Athens. He was guest conductor for the ERT (National Radio) Orchestra in a special program on Mexis Music and worked in theatres. The Mexis Big Band appeared in the program NOSTOS on Greek national TV, ET3 Thessaloniki, which was broadcast internationally. In 1999 he was appointed by the Municipal Council of Rhodes, Greece, to the position of Musical Director of the Municipal Concert Band of Rhodes, which position he held till October 2013. He returned to Sydney in December, 2014 where he currently resides.
He has been a fully represented composer of the Australian Music Centre since 1976 and of APRA (Australian Performing Rights Assoc.) since 1978. He served as president of the NSW branch of M.A.G.A (Music Arrangers Guild of Australia); member of the Screen Writers’ Guild; and life honorary member of the Greek Writers and Artists Association of Australia.
