Lito Messini

Born in Athens.
Studied in the Athens Conservatoire (prof. Julia Trousa)
Continued studies in the Opera Studio of the Greek National Opera (prof. Angelo Simo, Mata Katsouli, Aris Christofelis).
Studied also with Marlis Petersen and Michael Chance.
Worked for the GNO children opera and for GNO major productions.
Collaborations with Athens Epidaurus Festival, The Athens Concert Hall, Linbury Theatre of the ROH, Brooklyn Academy of Music NY (ODC ensemble & Elli Papakonstantinou), Athens Camerata-Musica Atenea, Symphony Orchestra of Athens Municipality, Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra, Centre of Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM) of ITU in Istanbul.
She has worked with various theatrical directors, composers and choreographers.
A founding member of the opera company RAFí , active since 2012 and collaborating with all the important music and theatre institutions in Greece (Greece National Opera, Athens Concert Hall, Athens Epidaurus Festival).
Artistic co-director (with the mezzo-soprano Anastasia Kotsali) of the Kournos Music Festival, held every summer in Lemnos ​island since 2021.





About image


OPERA


G.BIZET

CarmenFrasquita- Athens Municipality Festival
- International Street Theatre Festival Athens
Oper(o) Production


P.CARRER

FrossiniFrossiniMegaron Athens Concert Hall
Z.Chantziantoniou, M.Papapetrou
RAFI music theatre company


D.CIMAROSA

Il matrimonio segrettoCarolina                    studied


M.FALVETTI

Il diluvio universaleAqua / Humana NaturaAthens & Epidaurus Festival - Little Theatre of Epidaurus/
RAFI music theatre company & Nova Melancholia


B.GALUPPI

L'amante di tutteClariceGreek National Opera / A.Saroglou , N.Vassiliou


GILBERT & SULLIVAN

The MikadoYam Yam Greek National Opera - Alternative Stage /
A.Karazisis, M.Papapetrou
Co-production with RAFI music theatre company


C.W.GLUCK

Il trionfo di CleliaLarissaLinbury Theatre of ROH London / N.Lowery, Giuseppe S. di Risio


G.F.HANDEL

AlcinaMorganaTheatre of Cyclades street Lefteris Voyatzis /  Th.Glynatsis, M.Papapetrou
Production of RAFI music theatre company


L. JANACEK


The Cunning Little Vixen    
WoodpeckerGreek National Opera /
D. Pountney, J.Kyzlink - O. Olos  


G.C.MENOTTI

The MediumMonicaBETON7 Theatre / R.Tsakiridis, A.Tselikas
The medium project production
The TelephoneLucy                     studied


W.A.MOZART

IdomeneoIliaAthens & Epidaurus Festival and RAFI music theatre company /  A.Benett, M.Papapetrou

Cosi fan tutteDespina                    studied
Don GiovanniZerlina                    studied
Die Zauberflöte
Papagena                    studied
La finta giardinieraSandrina                    studied
Le nozze di FigaroSusanna                    studied


J.PH.RAMEAU

PygmalionLa statuePorta Theatre / P.Mexis, M.Papapetrou
Production of RAFI music theatre company


P.VIARDOT

CendrillonMangueloneSkrow Theatre / Th.Glynatsis, M.Papapetrou
Production of RAFI music theatre company


G.VERDI

La TraviataVioletta ValeryBenaki Museum / P. Sergiou, M. Adamopoulou
Oper(o) Production
Un ballo in mascheraOscar                      studied


C.M von Weber

Der Freischütz
Ännchen
                    studied



CONTEMPORARY OPERA


G.DOUSIS

The shell game  Woman 2Olvio Theatre  / R.Tsakiridis, A.Tselikas
The medium project production


N.GALENIANOS


Iatrosophia
Asklipieio Kos / RAFI music theatre company


D.MARAMIS

The HauntedThe BirdMegaron Athens Concet Hall /
Th.Papakonstantinou, D.Maramis


T.MOUSSAS

Oedipus: sex with mum was blindingOedipusBAM Fisher NY / El.Papakonstantinou, OCD ensemble


K.SELAMSIS

Leonce and LenaGovernessNational Theatre of Greece - Athens & Epidaurus Festival
Ar.Xafis, G.Ziavras


Sh.KORDE


Aède of the Ocean and Land
(A Play by Noor Inayat Khan)

Kalypso, Nymph, AphroditeA Zoom Live Music-Cinema Event for the
Center of Contemporary Opera , USA
E.Papakonstantinou, Sh.Korde,  Tarana Sara Jobin 


ELLI PAPAKONSTANTINOU-ARIAH LESTER


The BacchaeServant/SphynxLa Filature, Scene Nationale Mulhouse (FR),
Holland Festival (NL), Athens Epidaurus Festival (GR), Festival de Marseille (FR), Romaeuropa Festival (IT),
Espace des Arts Chalon sur Saône (FR),
Teatro Nazionale di Genova (IT)

El.Papakonstantinou-Ar.Lester-Sine Qua Non Art


MUSICAL THEATRE


ST. SONDHEIM

Into the wodsCinderella's Stepmother, Little Red's Grandmother, Cinderella's mother spirit
Greek National Opera-Alternative Stage /
D.Ayopetritis, St.Soulis


ST. SONDHEIM


Sweeney Toddchorus / the letter quintetAthens Epidaurus Festival/
G.Petrou


C.PORTER

Kiss me KatechorusAthens Epidaurus Festival/
G.Petrou, J.Todd



GREEK MUSIC THEATRE


Ν.HADZIAPOSTOLOU

The modern housemaidPartheniaGreek National Opera Foyer / A.Efklidis, M.Papapetrou


Ν.HADZIAPOSTOLOU


The fist loveReneGreek National Opera - Alternative stage /
Pr.Aliferopoulos, M.Paraskakis
RAFI music theatre company


TH.SAKELLARIDIS

The daughter of the storm Rica                   studied

mrs.LambriniAthens & Epidaurus Festial /A.Efklidis, Ch.Goyos


S.F.SAMARAS

The princess of SazanBettyPallas Theatre / A.Tselikas



OPERA FOR CHILDREN


TH. ABAZIS


Prince Ivan and the Firebird
Nina the Goldfinch
Greek National Opera / Th.Abazis, M.Papapetrou


S.BARAB

Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Greek National Opera / D.Karatzas, J.Ph.Charron


G.HOLST

The IdeaCarolinaMunicipal Theatre of Pireaus /
S.Papanastasopoulos, N.Vassiliou
Athens Camerata Orchestra


N.KYPOURGOS

Beware! The Prince is messy
First CourtierGreek National Opera / Th.Moschopoulos, G.Aravidis



ORATORIOS - CANTATAS


L.N.CLERAMBAULT
L'amour piqué par une abeille
Archeological Museum of Rhodes


G.F.HANDEL
Vespro per la Madonna del Carmelo
Parnassos Literary Society Concert Hall


G.B.PERGOLESI
Stabat MaterDuomo La Cattedrale di Corfu / Manzaros Philarmonic Society


R.GUL

Mübadele-The Exchange : collecting stories and memories of migration
  DespinaMustafa Kemal Amfisi Istanbul / Murat Cem Orhan



THEATRICAL PLAYS


W.SHAKESPEARE

Romeo and JulietGovernessMunicipal Theatre of Pireaus / K.Rigos


M.DURAS

Hiroshima mon amour ElleSIMEIO Theatre/ N.Diamantis


T.McNALLY

MasterclassSharon GrahamHorn Theatre / O.Papaspilipoulos


CHR.CHRISTOPOULOS

ExodusA girlDelos Island / N.Diamantis


G.MAVRITSAKIS

Rayman screamthe singerSfendoni Theatre / P.Moustakis













  •  1/11/2024 08:30 PM
  •   Lofos Art Project, Velvendou 39, Athens, Greece

Filippos Vasiliou fights Don Quixote-like to tame the material, yet is tamed by it in a fragile, airborne balance that leads to a fall—a new formation for both him and his material. An allegory for the act of creation, which will either result in the production of destructive technologies or in the understanding that creation can only be the product of a dialogue with the material, a co-formation with nature. Artist: Filippos Vasiliou Soprano: Lito Messini Live Sound Editing: Agapi Zarda

  • 18
  •  14/6/2024 09:00 PM - 15/6/2024 09:00 PM
  •   Megaro Mousikis, Athens, Greece

After the successful presentation of the melodrama Frosyni in 2017, the Music Theatre Company Rafi returns to the Athens Concert Hall with the first Athenian presentation of the work Koutalianoi or The Weight of History, an exciting music-visual cantata in collaboration with the musical ensemble Oros Ensemble, composer Apostolis Koutsogiannis, poet Marios Chatziprokopiou, and visual artist Petros Touloudis. The work – a co-production of the Athens Concert Hall and the National Opera – will be presented for two unique performances in the Nikos Skalkottas Hall on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 21:00.

  •  24/5/2024 08:00 PM
  •   Ningbo Grand Theatre, Laowaitan, Jiangbei District, Ningbo, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

A big concert featuring european artists and the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra.

  •  15/3/2024 09:00 PM - 28/4/2024 11:00 PM
  •   Makri 4, Athens, Greece

Theoretical physicist Rayman is preparing to receive the prize that the Academy of Sciences has decided to award him, albeit belatedly, in recognition of his work. Rayman, now living cut off from the academic community, is torn. Should he submit to the authority of the committee to reap the benefits of the award or refuse the award? But in addition to his ambivalence, he also has to deal with his doubt about the value of the theories he has formulated, even about his very ability to grasp the true nature of the world. The preparation of the speech he is going to give at the award ceremony eventually leads him, in an unexpected way, to the discovery of the real "God equation". On the evocative stage of the Sphendoni theater, three actors and a lyrical singer take us to the mysterious universe of Rayman that reconciles the great Unknown with the familiar and familiar. Nature and supernatural, man and his doubts. Impersonal, inescapable lawlessness and undiscovered individual intentions. And above all the unanswered question.

  •  14/12/2023 08:00 PM - 7/1/2024 11:00 PM
  •   Leof. Andrea Siggrou 364, Kallithea 176 74, Greece

When you’re young you’re afraid not to wander off into the woods. Once you’re old, you wish for it. The masterly and Tony-award-winning musical Into the Woods by leading composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and the great writer James Lapine returns to the GNO Alternative Stage, at the SNFCC, in the new approved version for piano and percussion. From 14 December 2023 and for nineteen performances through 7 January 2024, one of the finest musicals of all times is inviting you to wander off into a forest of desires and wishes, along with the heroes of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Walt Disney. Off into the forest!

  •  6/11/2023 09:00 PM
  •   Plateia Agiou Georgiou Karytsi 8, Athens, Greece

Composer Alexandros Gonis orchestrates and conducts selected songs by Henry Purcell, for an ensemble of nine instruments and one voice. He meets the distinguished soprano Lito Messini for a one-off concert .

  •  17/8/2023 09:00 PM
  •   Kaspakas, Greece

A concert dedicated to the unknown side of the composer Dimitris Gogou, otherwise known as Bayandera. Yiannis Dionysiou, one of the most important popular singers of the younger generation, collaborates with the soprano Lito Messini and two important soloists, the cellist Iasonas Ioannou, master of the baroque orchestra Kamerata-Armonia Atenea and Vassilis Zigeridis, professor of canon in the Music Science Department and Art of the University of Macedonia, unraveling a relatively unknown aspect of Bayadera's personality: His love of German and Viennese operetta. A unique concert where arias of the interwar period meet greek folk songs, giving the audience the opportunity to explore the multifaceted universe of an important creator.

  •  4/7/2023 09:00 PM - 6/7/2023 08:30 PM
  •   Pireos 260, Agios Ioannis Rentis, Greece

Elli Papakonstantinou’s The Bacchae is an original reading of Euripides’ tragedy, weaving ancient myth and research on gender fluidity together and making full use of new media, dance and sound, and mystical experiences. The dramatist immerses herself in the nebulous world of desire and mythical atrocities in order to speak out about a post-apocalyptic world in the face of an upcoming, ever-approaching catastrophe.

  •  24/6/2023 09:00 PM
  •   Anaxagora 33, 1st floor, Tavros 177 78, Greece

-a karaoke night by VASKOS May roses are the most beautiful! Nevertheless even before the weather gets hots, no matter how beautiful they are, they start to wither. Roses are the secret symbols of homoeroticism. Before they wither, roses sing, dance, dress up, shout out. Parody is there strategy, pose is their form, they adore grandeur and the ridiculous. They learn how to survive. Vaskos’ performance is a musical performance, camp, with video-karaoke, pop references, a queer strategy for survival. With: Leto Messini, Vasilis Noulas, Kostas Tzimoulis.

  •  20/6/2023 08:30 PM - 21/6/2023 07:00 PM
  •   41 Rue Jobin, Marseille, France

Elli Papakonstantinou makes the myth of Dionysos her own, giving us a queer version of the play where the question of gender is synonymous with freedom. Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae is more relevant than ever in this hybrid piece combining theatre, dance, new media, original music and live visual effects. An exciting new immersive experience by one of the leading artists on the international scene.

  •  10/6/2023 08:30 PM - 11/6/2023 03:00 PM
  •   Piet Heinkade 1, 1019 BR Amsterdam, Netherlands

For this international co-production, Elli Papakonstantinou writes in tandem and directs a new piece after Euripides’ Bacchae with an emphasis on an all-inclusive world. It is a piece across the borders between genres; epistemological borders, scientific, and fictional languages; the borders of gender; the borders between languages and nationalities, those that separate humanity from animality, the living from the dead, and the borders between today and history.

  •  20/4/2023 07:30 PM - 29/4/2023 09:30 PM
  •   College of the Holy Cross 1 College Street - Upper Campus Worcester, MA

A chamber opera by Shirish Korde based on Bharati Mukherjee's novel 'Jasmine' Director: Lynn Kremmer Soprano: Lito Messini A young woman escapes her native India for America after her husband is killed: a multimedia story of startling metamorphoses.

  •  17/3/2023 07:00 PM
  •   Rue de la Filature, Mulhouse, France

For this international co-production, Elli Papakonstantinou writes in tandem and directs a new piece after Euripides’ Bacchae with an emphasis on an all-inclusive world. It is a piece across the borders between genres; epistemological borders, scientific, and fictional languages; the borders of gender; the borders between languages and nationalities, those that separate humanity from animality, the living from the dead, and the borders between today and history.

  •  12/2/2023 08:30 AM
  •   Κάστορος 78, Pireas, Greece

A kinky alternative party. A cabaret show on love, lust and destruction created by Tenorman

  •  22/12/2022 08:00 AM
  •   Λεωφόρος Ιωνίας 24, Alimos, Greece

A Lyric performance based on the book by Georges Sari Singers: Lito Messini (soprano), Anastasia Kotsali (mezzo soprano) Musicians: Adama Duo - Konstantinos Zigkeridis (bandoneon), Konstantinos Sifakis (double bass). Greek National Opera - Lyric South Festival https://lirikosnotos.gr/events/ep-enomenes-panta

  •  18/11/2022 10:00 AM - 27/11/2022 02:00 PM
  •   Ακαδημίας 59, Αθήνα 106 79, Greece

PRINCE IVAN AND THE FIREBIRD Thodoris Abazis Children’s opera Abazis’ new opera Prince Ivan and the Firebird is based on a well-known traditional Russian tale which was also the inspiration for Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet. The work is aimed at children aged 5 to 12, and is an ideal introduction to the world of opera from a composer versed in the language of modern music and theater. Sofianna Theofanous has penned the libretto while sets and costumes are by Kenny MacLellan.

  •  24/10/2022 09:15 PM
  •   Gothersgade 55, 1123 Copenhagen Municipality, København K, Denmark

A retro-futurist story of utopian politics, ideological conflicts, supernatural leaders and totalitarian spectacle. Cyberpunk queer pirates against rainbow homo-capitalist normies. Revolution vs reformism; logic vs affect. The trappings of post-internet identity politics through a contemporary take of the myth of Orpheus.

  •  24/9/2022 03:00 PM
  •   77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX, UK

A Queer Sci-Fi Video-Opera by the conceptual duo FYTA based on the opera Orfeo by Monteverdi

  •  5/9/2022 07:00 PM - 6/9/2022 07:00 PM
  •   Elenis Zografou 3, Thessaloniki 546 34, Greece

Art installation - performance

  •  2/9/2022 09:00 PM - 3/9/2022 08:15 PM
  •   Nea Peramos, Greece

Rafi music theatre company, Oros Ensemble, composer Apostolis Koutsogiannis, poet Marios Hatziprokopiou and artist Petros Touloudis, work together to narrate stories from the lives of ''Koutalianoi'' (the refugees strongmen from Asia Minor)

  •  2/8/2022 09:00 PM
  •   Lemnos, Greece

In this project, designed especially for the 2nd Kournos Music Festival, Michalis Siganidis, one of the most idiosyncratic musicians of the Greek scene, meets the sax player Guido de Flaviis and the soprano-performer Lito Messini , to recount the story of the Greek wrestler Panagis Koutalianos, a refuggee from Koutali, a man of Herculean ower , who traveled all over the world as a weight lifter and wrestler.

  •  19/5/2022 08:30 PM - 29/5/2022 10:00 PM
  •   4 Trikoupi Charilaou Street, Athens

Theatre play based on the film by Alain Renais and Marguerite Duras.

  •  22/12/2021 04:00 PM - 23/12/2021 08:00 PM
  •   25is Martiou 25, Thessaloniki, Greece

Puppet Opera based on the opera by W.A.Mozart.

  •  18/12/2021 06:30 PM - 19/12/2021 08:30 PM
  •   Chania, Greece

The Rafi music theatre company, the Ventus Ensemble, the sound design collective Akoo-o and the artist Sophia Vlazaki, work together to tell the story of a turkish tekke in Chania (Crete) that became an orphanage for boys since the Minor Asia Catastrophe. Audio walks, in situ live music and art installations evoke memories and open a dialogue between the local community and the history of the building.

  •  10/9/2021 07:00 PM - 11/9/2021 07:00 PM
  •   Delos, Mykonos, Greece

A hymn to light, life and survival, through endurance and persistence. The director Nikos Diamantis with visual artists Kostas Zafiropoulos and Thanasis Makris create a Utopia of beauty and love in the ruins of Ancient Delos. Cast : Director-Dramaturg: Nikos Diamantis Translations: Theodoros Stephanopoulos Original texts: Christos Chrysopoulos Costumes: Asi Dimitropoulou Music: Nikos Vassiliou Choreography: Konstantinos Michos Visual artists : Thanasis Makris, Kostas Zafiropoulos Lyre: Aspasia Anogiati Actors: Dimitris Kataleifos, Andreas Kolisoglou, Ioanna Makri, Lito Messini, Danai Beri, Danai Papoutsi, Homer Poulakis, Konstantinos Michos, Vaggelis Rokkos, Jenny Scarlatou

  •  18/8/2021 09:00 PM - 19/8/2021 09:00 PM
  •   Kos, Greece

Lyric performance based on the book Iatrosophia by Ioannis Stafidas, published in 1380. Remedies for the body , the mind and the soul , a treasure of popular wisdom and therapeutic knowledge. Rafi Music Theatre Company collaborates with the composer Nikos Galenianos and the sculptor Malvina Panagiotidi in an attempt to reconnect with the witchery, the enchantment and the absurd. Lito Messini - soprano Anastasia Kotsali - mezzo soprano Nikos Spanatis - contra tenor Kostas Zigkeridis - accordeon Dimitris Tigkas - bass

  •  12/7/2021 09:00 PM
  •   Lemnos, Greece

Lyrical Performance on the book by Rigas Velenstinlis (tribute to the bicentennial of the greek revolution). What do Voltaire and the French May have in common? Rigas and Lorenzo da Ponte? Gluck and Gilbert Becaud? Rafi Music Theatre Company after its collaboration with Pereaus Municipal Theatre, continues the research on the book The School of Delicate Lovers by Rigas Velestinlis and presents a performance specially designed for Lemnos Island. Lito Messini - soprano Anastasia Kotsali - mezzo soprano Kostas Zigkeridis - accordeon Guido de Flaviis - saxophone with the participation of the MEAS Lemnos theatrical group

  • 12.00
  •  2/4/2021 07:30 PM - 24/4/2021 07:30 PM
  • Online Event

A digital game of identities for avatars and solitary individuals across the globe - World Premiere (March 3rd, Centre Pompidou) *NEW DATES* 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 of April

  • 5.00
  •  14/3/2021 12:00 PM - 31/7/2021 11:59 AM
  • Online Event

*REGISTRATION STILL OPEN UNTIL JULY 31ST* A hilarious exotic opera by the forerunners of Monty Python and Marx Brothers, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado (1885) in a successful co-production of the GNO Alternative Stage with the Rafi music theatre company, conducted and re-orchestrated by Michalis Papapetrou and directed by Akillas Karazisis. Its creators, William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, leading lights in the field of English comic opera, were inspired by the atmospheric Far East and composed this acerbic satire on the socio-political mores of the 19th century. Violence, corruption, populism, hypocrisy and puritanism are all in the firing line of this ingenious artistic duo, who satirise their times with humour and lightheartedness. Filmed at the GNO Alternative Stage at the SNFCC on 30 December 2017. Greek subtitles available.

  • 5.00
  •  14/3/2021 12:01 AM - 31/7/2021 11:59 PM
  • Online Event

*REGISTRATION STILL OPEN UNTON LULY 31ST* The fascinating new opera for young audiences Prince Ivan and the Firebird by the leading Greek composer and director Theo Abazis was presented with great success by the GNO Alternative Stage. Βased on a well-known traditional Russian tale which was also the inspiration for Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet, the work is an ideal introduction to the world of opera from a composer versed in the language of modern music and theatre. Filmed at the GNO Alternative Stage at the SNFCC on 30 December 2017. Greek and English subtitles available.

  •  14/9/2020 08:00 PM
  • Online Event

Aède of the Ocean and Land A Play in Seven Acts by Noor Inayat Khan Directed by Elli Papakonstantinou*Music by Shirish Korde*Video Artistry by Stephanie Sherriff Featuring Dashon Burton, Jen Zetlan & Emily Pulley Monday, September 14, 2020 1 pm New York, 6 pm London, 7 pm Athens ***A Zoom Live Music-Cinema Event***

  •  10/8/2020 09:15 PM
  •   Manessis Estate Porto Heli

Η παράδοση στη λόγια μουσική. Ρεσιτάλ με τραγούδια των Γ.Κωνσταντινίδη, Ν.Λαμπελέτ, Γ.Λαμπελέτ, Μ.Καλομοίρη, Σπ.Σαμάρα, Μ.Ravel κ.ά. τραγούδι: Λητώ Μεσσήνη πιάνο: Σταύρος Διαμαντόπουλος Songs by Greek classical composers soprano: Lito Messini piano: Stavros Diamantopoulos

  •  5/8/2020 09:00 PM - 5/8/2020 10:30 PM
  •   Dodoni Ancient Theatre

How does one sing about one’s desires and fears? To what extent are humans natural and to what extent are they spiritual? How does living with animals affect us? How much does it liberate us? Rafi, one of the most dynamic Greek music theatre companies, returns to the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, together with the avant-garde performance group Nova Melancholia, this time at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, with Michelangelo Falvetti’s elegant Baroque oratorio Il diluvio universale (The Great Flood). Presented in Greece for the very first time, the oratorio of this provocative Sicilian priest caused a sensation when it was originally performed. Inspired by the Biblical story of the Great Flood, its protagonists are natural elements such as water, fire and air rather than Biblical figures. The directorial duo brings to the fore a number of current issues and causes. Audiences will be carried away by a seductive blend of period instruments, oriental maqam and animal sounds, with virtuosos Michalis Siganidis and Harris Lambrakis improvising and sweeping us off our feet as if they were modern-day troubadours. With Greek and English surtitles The performance will also be presented at the Dodoni Festival

  •  31/7/2020 09:30 PM - 1/8/2020 09:30 PM
  •   Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus

How does one sing about one’s desires and fears? To what extent are humans natural and to what extent are they spiritual? How does living with animals affect us? How much does it liberate us? Rafi, one of the most dynamic Greek music theatre companies, returns to the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, together with the avant-garde performance group Nova Melancholia, this time at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, with Michelangelo Falvetti’s elegant Baroque oratorio Il diluvio universale (The Great Flood). Presented in Greece for the very first time, the oratorio of this provocative Sicilian priest caused a sensation when it was originally performed. Inspired by the Biblical story of the Great Flood, its protagonists are natural elements such as water, fire and air rather than Biblical figures. The directorial duo brings to the fore a number of current issues and causes. Audiences will be carried away by a seductive blend of period instruments, oriental maqam and animal sounds, with virtuosos Michalis Siganidis and Harris Lambrakis improvising and sweeping us off our feet as if they were modern-day troubadours. With Greek and English surtitles The performance will also be presented at the Dodoni Festival

  •  14/3/2020 08:30 PM
  •   STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER , 364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea

To εννοιολογικό ντουέτο ΦΥΤΑ διασκευάζει την όπερα Ορφέας του Κλάουντιο Μοντεβέρντι για την Εναλλακτική Σκηνή της ΕΛΣ. Η διασκευή ακολουθεί δοµικά αφηγηµατικά στοιχεία του αυθεντικού κειµένου, αλλά τοποθετεί τη δράση στο κοντινό µέλλον µιας χώρας σαν την Ελλάδα, ανοίγοντας θέµατα όπως οι ριζοσπαστικές πολιτικές και η έννοια της «επανάστασης» στον ύστερο καπιταλισµό, η σχέση «ανατολής» και «δύσης», οι µύθοι του ελληνισµού, καθώς και οι τρόποι που νεοσυντηρητικές πολιτικές µπορούν να οικειοποιηθούν δικαιωµατικούς λόγους των ΛΟΑΤΚΙ κοινοτήτων. - The conceptual duo FYTA reworks Claudio Monteverdi’s opera for the GNO Alternative Stage. The reworking follows structural narrative elements of the original text, but sets the action in the near future of a country like Greece, raising issues such as radical politics and the notion of “revolution” in late capitalism, East / West relations, the myths of Hellenism, as well as ways neo-conservative politics can appropriate the human rights discourse of LGBT communities.

  •  5/2/2020 07:00 PM
  •   Amerikis 10, Athens, Greece

Master Class is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. As such, the play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. Alternately dismayed and impressed by the students who parade before her, she retreats into recollections about the glories of her own life and career. Included in her musings are her younger years as an ugly duckling, her fierce hatred of her rivals, the unforgiving press that savaged her early performances, her triumphs at La Scala, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. It culminates in a monologue about sacrifice taken in the name of art. In the leading role of Maria Callas the famous greek artist Maria Nafpliotou. Staged by Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos. SECOND SEASON

  •  11/10/2019 09:00 PM - 20/10/2019 11:00 PM
  •   Makri 4, Athens, Greece

ODC ensemble-Elli Papakonstantinou-Tilemahos Mousas. An immersive opera which mixes traditional performance with cutting-edge technology and emerging neuroscience, the production draws narrative inspiration from Sophocles' classic tragedy Oedipus Rex. A 2018-19 Fulbright Artist's Award recipient and visiting scholar at Stanford University; 2018-19 "Music Theatre Now" international award recipient, Elli Papakonstantinou creates her own visually striking, lyric adaptation and explores engaging audiences in a new radical way. By using new technologies which turn the audience into the actual chorus of the opera, the piece rediscovers the community at the heart of a political performance, as it was in the ancient times.

  •  25/9/2019 09:00 PM - 29/9/2019 09:00 PM
  •   BAM Fisher 321 Ashland Place Brooklyn, NY 11217

ODC ensemble-Elli Papakonstantinou-Tilemahos Mousas. An immersive opera which mixes traditional performance with cutting-edge technology and emerging neuroscience, the production draws narrative inspiration from Sophocles' classic tragedy Oedipus Rex. A 2018-19 Fulbright Artist's Award recipient and visiting scholar at Stanford University; 2018-19 "Music Theatre Now" international award recipient, Elli Papakonstantinou creates her own visually striking, lyric adaptation and explores engaging audiences in a new radical way. By using new technologies which turn the audience into the actual chorus of the opera, the piece rediscovers the community at the heart of a political performance, as it was in the ancient times.

  •  27/8/2019 09:00 PM - 10/9/2019 09:00 PM
  •   Attica open air venues

New Open Air Venues: Δελφοί – Λαογραφικό Μουσείο Χρισσού, Χρισσό –22 Ιουνίου 2019 Παπάγου – Κηποθέατρο Παπάγου –11 Ιουλίου 2019 Πετρούπολη – Θέατρο Πέτρας, Σκηνή «PeterBrook» –16 Ιουλίου 2019 Βριλήσσια – Θέατρο «Αλίκη Βουγιουκλάκη» – 17 Ιουλίου 2019 Αίγινα – Λαογραφικό Μουσείο – 20 Ιουλίου 2019 Χαλάνδρι –Θέατρο Ρεματιάς –27 Αυγούστου 2019 Βύρωνας –Θέατρο Βράχων, Σκηνή «Άννα Συνοδινού»– 29 Αυγούστου 2019 Κηφισιά – Αίθριο Δημαρχείου Κηφισιάς – 3 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019 Ηλιούπολη–Δημοτικό Θέατρο «Δημήτρης Κιντής»– 9 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019 Νέα Σμύρνη – Άλσος Νέας Σμύρνης – 10 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019

  •  31/5/2019 09:00 PM - 9/6/2019 09:00 PM
  •   Aristoteleion Theatre, Thessaloniki

Master Class is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. As such, the play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. Alternately dismayed and impressed by the students who parade before her, she retreats into recollections about the glories of her own life and career. Included in her musings are her younger years as an ugly duckling, her fierce hatred of her rivals, the unforgiving press that savaged her early performances, her triumphs at La Scala, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. It culminates in a monologue about sacrifice taken in the name of art. In the leading role of Maria Callas the famous greek artist Maria Nafpliotou. Staged by Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos.

  •  23/5/2019 08:30 PM - 30/3/2019 11:00 PM
  •   STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER , 364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea

THE FIRST LOVE Nikos Chatziapostolou 23, 24, 29, 30 May 2019 Greek National Opera Alternative Stage Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center A co-production with the "Rafi" music theater company Starts at: 20.30 |

  •  3/5/2019 08:30 PM - 4/3/2019 10:00 PM
  •   STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER, 364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea

Music Theater FROGS Opera Chaotique & Merlin Puppet Theatre 03, 04 May 2019 Starts: 20.30 The Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera launches the 2018/19 season with a special adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy Frogs presented from the surreal perspective and with the utterly subversive humour of an eccentric duet: the Opera Chaotique and the renowned Merlin Puppet Theatre company – which creates and animates puppet worlds in Greece and abroad since 1995.

  •  3/3/2019 02:00 AM - 22/12/2019 11:00 PM
  •   Amerikis 10, Athens, Greece

Master Class is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. As such, the play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. Alternately dismayed and impressed by the students who parade before her, she retreats into recollections about the glories of her own life and career. Included in her musings are her younger years as an ugly duckling, her fierce hatred of her rivals, the unforgiving press that savaged her early performances, her triumphs at La Scala, and her relationship with Aristotle Onassis. It culminates in a monologue about sacrifice taken in the name of art. In the leading role of Maria Callas the famous greek artist Maria Nafpliotou. Staged by Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos.

  •  28/2/2019 08:00 PM - 1/3/2019 10:00 PM
  •   Vass.Sophias & Kokkali Athens 115 21

OPERA – MUSICAL THEATRE A contemporary Greek musical in three parts: The Ghost – The Woman Buried Alive – The Vampire An Athens Concert Hall commission Venue: Alexandra Trianti Hall Dates/ Time: 28 February & 1 March 2019/20:00

  •  20/6/2018 09:00 PM - 25/6/2018 09:00 PM
  •   Adrianou 96, Athens, Greece

Opera in three acts by W. A. Mozart / Libretto by Giambattista Varesco . Following their successful presentation of the operetta Mikado at the Alternative Stage of the National Greek Opera, the Rafi Music Theatre Company, one of the most active theatre companies in Greece, collaborates with Amalia Bennett. On commission by the Company, Bennett directs Mozart’s rarely performed masterpiece Idomeneo. Visual artist Petros Touloudis will design the sets and costumes. Written in 1871, Idomeneo is Mozart’s first mature work. Inspired by Metastasio’s poetry and Gluck’s elegant classicism, the opera revolves around the fall of Troy and the travails of the eponymous young king of Crete. Idomeneo tackles the issue of generation gap and how each generation deals with history and the past. Several artists have been inspired by the opera. Richard Strauss musically adapted the opera in 1931. In 2008, the contemporary German poet Roland Schimmelpfennig wrote the performance/poem Idomeneus. Mozart’s Idomeneo has been presented in Greece twice: first, in 1955, in a Greek National Opera production, and also in 2011, in concertate form by Jérémie Rhorer’s music ensemble. With Greek surtitles

  •  21/12/2017 08:30 PM - 30/12/2017 08:30 PM
  •   STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER, 364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea

THE MIKADO Gilbert and Sullivan Comic Opera Co-production with the “Rafi” music theater company 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30 December 2017 In a co-production with the “Rafi” music theater company, one of the most active companies of its kind in recent years, the Alternative Stage presents one of the most popular music theater works of all time in a Greek premiere; the exotic comic opera The Mikado (1885).

  •  22/10/2017 11:00 AM - 6/7/2020 11:00 AM
  •   STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTER,364 Syggrou Avenue, Kallithea

PRINCE IVAN AND THE FIREBIRD Thodoris Abazis Children’s opera Abazis’ new opera Prince Ivan and the Firebird is based on a well-known traditional Russian tale which was also the inspiration for Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet. The work is aimed at children aged 5 to 12, and is an ideal introduction to the world of opera from a composer versed in the language of modern music and theater. Sofianna Theofanous has penned the libretto while sets and costumes are by Kenny MacLellan.

  •  14/1/2017 08:00 PM - 16/1/2021 08:00 PM
  •   Athens Concert Hall Megaron

The director and choreographer Zoe Hatziantoniou has joined forces with the ‘Rafí’ Musical Theatre Group to produce this version of the romantic melodrama by Pavlos Carrer entitled Frosyni or Ali Pasha’s Revenge. This masterpiece of the Heptanesian School is presented live for the first time since it was last staged one hundred years ago, in a production that brings together a mixture of creative and pioneering forces from the domestic art scene. Love and death, youth and old age, power and submission, the interplay between man and woman, faith and obedience: these are the themes which structure Zoe Hatziantoniou’s directorial approach in this, her first collaboration with the ‘Rafí’ Musical Theatre Group. Director: Zoe Hatziantoniou Arrangement – Musical direction: Michalis Papapetrou Set & Costume designer: Petros Touloudis Lighting designer: Alekos Yiannaros Video: Stathis Athanasiou Assistant director: Andreas Andreou Music Coaching: Thanos Marghetis Singers: Sotiris Triantis, Lito Messini, Yiannis Filias, Anastasia Kotsali, Yiannis Selitsaniotis Musicians: Guido de Flaviis, Antonis Hatzinikolaou, Charis Pazaroulas, Angela Giannaki, Giorgos Lolas

  •  28/7/2016 09:00 PM - 28/7/2016 09:00 PM
  •   National Theatre Greece , 22-24 Agiou Konstantinou St 104 37, Athens

Greek Festival 2016. Kornelios Selamsis. Leonce and Lena . Büchner’s play is considered one of the most important classic comedies of German Romanticism. The satire’s protagonists are the prince of the Kingdom of Popo, Leonce, and the princess of the Kingdom of Pipi, Lena. Determined to avoid an arranged marriage, the young people resolve—independently of one another—to run away to Italy. Once there, however, unaware of one another’s identities, they fall in love and marry. Charmed by the work, Kornelios Selamsis thought it a perfect match for the operatic idiom; presented as a fully-fledged opera, it has a poetic libretto by Giannis Asteris. Libretto: Giannis Asteris Direction: Argyris Xafis Set Designers: Eleni Papanastasiou, Giannis Kitanis Costumes: Ioanna Tsami Movement: Stavroula Siamou Light Designer: Sofia Alexiadou Répétiteur: Iason Marmaras Assistant to the Director: Konstantinos Kounellas Leonce: Tassis Christoyannis Lena, Rozeta: Theodora Baka Valerio: Haris Andrianos Governess: Lito Messini 8tetto vocal ensemble: Efterpi Katsamatsa, Peny Deligianni, Christina Michalaki (sopranos) Sofia Malama, Antonia Tzitzika, Anna Filandrianou (mezzos) Stratis Stil, Kostas Zambounis (tenors) Nikos Ziaziaris, Elias Kapantais (bass-baritones) Conducted by Giorgos Ziavras

Συνεντευξη με την Λητω Μεσσηνη

«Η όπερα είναι απόλαυση, δημιουργία, πειραματισμός, συνύπαρξη, πρόκληση, δύναμη, αυτογνωσία, συγκίνηση, επικοινωνία». - Λητώ Μεσσήνη

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Λητω Μεσσηνη: Τωρα οι ιδεολογιες ξεσκεπαζονται, τωρα βγαινουν οι αληθινες προθεσεις

Η Ειρήνη Αϊβαλιώτου συζητά με ανθρώπους της τέχνης για την κρίση του Covid-19.

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Η αγαπη για το λυρικο τραγουδι μας τροφοδοτει με πεισμα και εφευρετικοτητα, συνεντευξη στην Αναστασια Ριζου.

Η Λητώ Μεσσήνη, υψίφωνος και ιδρυτικό μέλος της ομάδας λυρικού θεάτρου «Ραφή», εξηγεί γιατί ο Ιδομενέας του Μότσαρτ που παρουσιάζεται στο Αρχοντικό Μπενιζέλων, αποτελεί μία από τις πιο ενδιαφέρουσες μουσικές προκλήσεις του φετινού καλοκαιριού.

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Οι Στοιχειωμενοι

Η Λητώ Μεσσήνη γράφει στο Quinta για τον ρόλο της στους "Στοιχειωμένους" του Δημήτρη Μαραμή

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Οι αλλες...Καλλας, της Τασουλας Επτακοιλη

Τα 4 κορίτσια του Masterclass μιλούν στην Τασούλα Επτακοίλη και το περιοδικό Κ .

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Οι ξεχωριστες φωνες των Στοιχειωμενων

Οι εξαιρετικά ταλαντούχοι ερμηνευτές Λητώ Μεσσήνη, Βασίλης Δημακόπουλος, Νίκος Ζιάζιαρης και Σταμάτης Πακάκης μάς γράφουν για το νέο μουσικοθεατρικό έργο «Οι στοιχειωμένοι» του Δημήτρη Μαραμή που παρουσιάζεται σε σκηνοθεσία Θάνου Παπακωνσταντίνου στο Μέγαρο Μουσικής Αθηνών.

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Η μερα μου στο πιατο

Μία από τις πιο ταλαντούχες νέες σοπράνο αποκαλύπτει στην Μικαέλα Θεοφίλου και το fnl-guide τις νόστιμες γαστριμαργικές της συνήθειες.

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Οι Ελληνιδες της οπερας που μαγευουν με τις φωνες τους

5 υπέροχα κορίτσια της όπερας μιλούν στο Ladylike.gr

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 Soprano Lito Messini was stoic and clarion-voiced as Oedipus, clearly identifying with the hero-cum-scapegoat for his people’s woes. Her voice, like all the others, was amplified to compete with the electric instruments, but its quality was readily apparent. 

Rick Perdian
Seen and Heard International - September 2019

 Soprano Lito Messini exudes both power and personable humor as the Minister of Utopia, especially in a newly written solo song in which she advocates for “mature realism” vs fanaticism in “a declaration of proud compromise.” 

Anne E. Johnson
Classical Voice North America - Journal of the Music Critics Association of North America - January 2022

 The haughty, high-camp Hellas, deliciously acted and sung by Lito Messini, is the Goddess of the Great Greek Absurdity... 

Rick Perdian
Seen and Heard International - March 2022

 But then we reach Level Three [...] and we are lifted by Gofa’s lovely jazz phrasings and Messini’s beautiful soprano. 

Mark Rifkin
This Week in New York - September 2019

 Είναι πολλά τα σημεία που γελάς στο Master Class. Ειδικά όταν βγαίνει η τελευταία σοπράνο, η ανυπέρβλητη Λητώ Μεσσήνη. 

Λίνα Στεφάνου
Lifo - February 2019

 Η Λητώ Μεσσήνη σκιαγραφεί τη σοπράνο «Σάρον Γκράχαμ» με ευκαμψία, αυθορμητισμό και ευθυβολία. Νευρωτική, απολαυστική, γκροτέσκα στο φαντεζί της φόρεμα κινείται σαν μαριονέτα προκαλώντας γέλιο στο κοινό. 

Ντίνα Καρρά
OnlyTheater - January 2020

 Η Λητώ Μεσσήνη έχει εντάξει στον ρόλο μια σωματικότητα τόσο άρτια δουλεμένη, ώστε να μοιάζει με κούκλα κουκλοθεάτρου, έτοιμη να ραγίσει ανά πάσα στιγμή 

Γιώτα Δημητριάδη
texnes-plus - February 2019

 ...ενώ αυτόν [τον ρόλο] της Γκουβερνάντας, δοσμένης τυπικά ως κρυφο-ερωτομανούς γεροντοκόρης, τραγούδησε -και κυρίως υποδύθηκε θαυμάσια!- η υψίφωνος Λητώ Μεσσήνη. 

Γιάννης Σβώλος
efsyn.gr - September 2016

 Messini was a last minute stand-in and handled the role – including some difficult passages of coloratura – with more confidence than I would have expected. 

LietoFineLondon - June 2012

 Η Μεσσήνη ξεχώρισε για το προσεγμένο τραγούδι και το μέτρο της όλης παρουσίας της. 

Ευτύχιος Χωριατάκης
Αθηνόραμα - June 2012

 η ωραία, αβίαστη, σπάνιας καθαρότητας τονικά ακριβής λυρική φωνή της Λητώς Μεσσήνη ήταν ιδανική στον ρόλο της νεαρής και άδολης Μόνικας. Η τρυφερή μουσική που έχει προσφέρει στον χαρακτήρα αυτό ο Μενότι αναδείχθηκε με τον καλύτερο τρόπο. 

Νίκος Δοντάς
Καθημερινή - November 2013

 Η υψίφωνος Λητώ Μεσσήνη σκιαγράφησε ένα ιδανικό πορτρέτο της Μόνικας, με δροσερή φωνή, λεπταίσθητες αποχρώσεις που αντιδιέστειλαν ζηλευτά τις δύο σημαντικότερες άριες (βαλς, νανούρισμα) του έργου, κυρίως όμως με ανεπιτήδευτη δραματική αλήθεια. 

Ευτύχιος Χωριατάκης
Αθηνόραμα - October 2013

 Στην παράσταση που παρακολούθησα το ρόλο της Παραμάνας κρατούσε η Λητώ Μεσσήνη (υψίφωνος). Μοναδική φωνή, μοναδική κίνηση, μοναδική αίσθηση του χιούμορ. Μια καλλιτέχνις πλήρης. 

Ειρήνης Αϊβαλιώτου
Cat is art - Apri 2016
  • Athens, Greece