An American of Greek descent, George Tsontakis has won major composition awards in the US, including the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and has been commissioned to compose works by ensembles such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Emerson String Quartet. Thirty-three years after his Ghost Variations, which earned him his first Grammy nomination, he rewrites for solo piano an ambitious cycle of pieces with rich expressive resources: from canon to minimalism, with impetuosity, thoughtfulness, harmonic beauty and rigorous conterpoint. On the piano, Nikos Laaris, who has performed works by George Tsontakis for solo piano and chamber music in the USA and Europe, has presented tributes to American composers in Greece (John Cage: The Keyboards, Onassis Cultural Centre, Bernstein: An Anniversary, Megaron the Athens Concert Hall, Philip Glass: Shards, Nostos Festival), and recently conducted the opera of G. Tsontakis The Air of Greece at the Alternative Stage of the GNO.
The composition of Twenty Gratitudes for the Teachings of Jesus was commissioned by Nikos Laaris and was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of the George and Victoria Karelias Foundation.
