Panayoti Karousos is a renowned Greek-Canadian composer who brings to his music the philosophy and spiritualism of the Greek classics. He comes to Canada in 1990 and pursuing his musical studies at the McGill University and Univercite de Montreal. He structures his works around Pythagorean mathematical forms and infuses them with modern styles of minimalism and dodecathogism with a thick Wagnerian orchestration. The majestic sound of his work, The Spirit of Liberty, caused critics to acclaim it as a second national anthem of Greece. It was presented in Canada and New York with great success surprised the audience with an orchestration that brings out cascades of sounds. The Olympic Symphony is comprised of 12 Homeric Hymns dedicated to the Gods of Olympus and is sung in Ancient Greek.
Karousos also presented his operas Prometheus, The Olympic Flame, Alexander the Great and the oratorio The Song of the Nations in Canada, which garnered him rave reviews. The Piano Concerto for Peace was presented with pianist Nathalie Joncas under UNESCOs auspices. This piece was highlighted by the Montreal Popular Concerts series in Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena to an audience of 5000 people. The Piano Concerto became the soundtrack to filmmaker Jenna Constantine's movie If Aphrodite Had Arms, and featured in the Vassilios Chrissochos’ action-adventure-comedy film Attila Attacks!
The Suite Montrealaise was commended from the City of Montreal to mark the Millennium and was successfully presented in a celebration concert 1 October 2000 Panayoti Karousos presented his symphonic poems Eternal Parthenon, Time Melody, and Democracy’s Feast, with the Astoria Symphony, the FACE Symphony Orchestra, the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra and the Monteregie Symphony Orchestra under the direction of maestros Andre Gauthier, Theodora Stathopoulos, Luc Chaput and Silas Nathaniel Huff. Panayoti Karousos chamber music is different from the romanticism of his operas and symphonic works. The Piano Trios and the Violin and Cello Sonatas presented in Beverly Hills City Hall and around Montreal surprised the public with their melancholy nature and strong harmonic complexity.
Panayoti Karousos started his career as a baritone accompanied by renowned pianist of the Opera de Montreal, Claudette Denys. The composer even impressed Patriarch Bartholomew with his performance in his 1998’s Canadian farewell diner at Palace, Montreal. As a singer and composer he collaborated with the Archbishop of Toronto Canada, Sotirios, in a 3 CD album named Greek Orthodox Catechism. His album Grece Pays d’Amour got the award for Best Classical Recording in 2002/03 from the Toronto Radio Acropolis Awards. Panayoti Karousos is a recipient of honors from the Federal Canadian Government, the Quebec Provincial Government and the City of Montreal. The chorus part from the Olympic Flame was presented among other works with the Symphony Orchestra and the Choir of Gunst wat'n Kunst at Hague, Holland, with maestro Rafael Pylarinos. Panayoti Karousos Violin Concerto and Bouzouki Concerto were presented at the Concert for Religious Freedom hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies in New York, under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman. The World Premiere of his grandiose opera Alexander the Great presented in Montreal sung in French, with big success at the Montreal Notre Dame Basilica. The epic opera Alexander the Great represented in English by the American Symphony Orchestra of Chicago and soloists conducted by David Stech in Chicago Illinois. The opera Prometheus presented in New York with the Astoria Symphony and most recently in Washington DC with the District of Columbia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Grant Gilman and received amazing critics and reviews as a master peace work full of lyricism and melodic power. Panayoti Karousos now preparing his new opera The Light of Christianity.