Greek violist Ilias Livieratos was awarded the Jan Wallander Prize 2022 at a special event held in Stockholm, the Swedish Embassy in Greece wrote on Facebook on Friday.
The prize is awarded annually to one outstanding student who studies at the country's music colleges. According to the award citation posted on the prize's website:
"The violist Ilias Livieratos possesses a warm and rich sound. He displays a multifaceted playing that is deeply personal and always interesting. He is a wonderful instrumentalist and a worthy recipient of this year's Wallander Prize."
As part of the recognition, Livieratos received a viola made around 1800 by Giuseppe, Antonio and Giovanni Gagliano.
Ilias Livieratos, born in 1991, is originally from Greece. He earned his bachelor’s degree in violin from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich, where he studied with the violinist and conductor Christoph Poppen. He is also an alumnus of the Mozarteum Salzburg. In 2021 he came to Stockholm and the Royal College of Music to study the master’s program in Classical Music for the renowned violist Ellen Nisbeth.
Ilias is the principal violist at the viola of the Athens State Orchestra, Athens’ oldest orchestra, and has served as both a violist and a violinist at the Greek National Opera. He has also worked in Camerata-Armonia Atenea and Augsburg Philharmonics.
Earlier this year he was invited by the internationally acclaimed violinist Leonidas Kavakos to a charity concert for the reconstruction of the maternity clinic in Mariupol, Ukraine.
The Jan Wallander Prize, is awarded annually to one of Sweden’s leading music students at one of the country’s music colleges. In addition to the honour, the award winner will be able to use an exceedingly high-class instrument for a number of years.
Musicians express themselves through their instruments. First class instruments mean that musicians can hone their expressive skills – the instrument responds sensitively to the finest impulses and, with the beauty of its tone, contributes to the richness of expression.
Through the Jan Wallander Prize we hope to give more young people the opportunity to use and make the most of a first class instrument for a number of years. The prize winner will be chosen by an international jury.
