In June 2016, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, will host the original cultural event under the title Metamorphosis: The SNFCC to the World.
As the SNFCC comes to life, it transforms itself into an open and accessible space for everyone, and this four-day event will embrace performances and other programs by internationally renowned artists from Greece and around the world. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano, consists of the new facilities for the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO), as well as the creation of the 210,000 m² Stavros Niarchos Park.
The SNFCC gets introduced to the world in its entirety, as visitors will have for the first time the opportunity to enter the new facilities of the GNO and the NLG, as well as to enjoy the Stavros Niarchos Park in its full scale. These open and free-admission events will take place from Thursday June 23rd to Sunday June 26th. Limor Tomer, General Manager of Concerts & Lectures at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, acts as the Events’ Performance Curator, while the internationally acclaimed, experimental artist Laurie Anderson will be the guest Artistic Director for the program.
Additionally, Robert Storr, Dean of Yale School of Art, with curators Barbara London, Kalliopi Minioudaki and Francesca Pietropaolo will present the video art program during the events.
The programming will include, among others, guided tours, concerts, art installations and performances, as well as educational and athletic events for children and families, including the evening race SNF Run–Running into the Future. Through this multifaceted program spanning four days and nights, the SNFCC transforms into a live, public space of exploration, experimentation, and expression both for artists and visitors alike, through the offerings of culture, education and sports.
The events will take place in various locations of the project, as the SNFCC aspires to become a meeting point between Greek and foreign artists—some of whom will present their work to the Greek audience for the first time —and a hub which will facilitate creative partnerships between them.
The first artists to be announced follow below:
Laurie Anderson, the pioneering artist and musician, will present an experiential performance to the visitors of the SNFCC,
the Syrian musician, Omar Souleyman, will present a concert of Syrian folk music, enhanced with pop and punk elements, the American-Iraqi musician Amir ElSaffar, along with the Two Rivers Ensemble, will present a special “idiom” of Jazz music, filtered through the melodies of traditional Iraqi music, Xylouris White, the duo of legendary Cretan musician Giorgos Xylouris and the Australian Jim White, compose melodies from an imaginary world that does not obey to any music norm,
Greek artist Eleftheria Arvanitaki will give a special concert, and a series of musical happenings will be organized in collaboration with the Athens Conservatoire, among which some of the leading names of the Greek jazz scene will showcase their exceptional musical perspective.
Additionally, the innovative contemporary classical piece “Water Passion, after St.Matthew”, by internationally renowned Chinese composer Tan Dun, will be presented to the Greek audience for the fist time.
This year’s programming follows on the heels of the events held in June 2015 at the Stavros Niarchos Park—which welcomed approximately 40,000 visitors—and mark a big celebration for the creation of an important project for Greece, while it aspires to communicate the message of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and invite audiences of all ages, to experience the universal nature of the project.
All events are free and are supported through an exclusive grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Notes to editors:
The detailed program of the 4-day event Metamorphosis: The SNFCC to the World will be announced soon.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), as a whole (buildings and open spaces), can accommodate up to 32,000 visitors at any given time. Of these, 4,000 visitors can be hosted inside the buildings of the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO), including performance halls, lobby areas, the Lighthouse, etc.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is the largest single gift of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to the Greek State, and it includes the construction and complete outfitting of new facilities for the National Library of Greece (NLG) and the Greek National Opera (GNO), as well as the creation of the 210,000 m² Stavros Niarchos Park. The events Metamorphosis: The SNFCC to the World will offer the public the opportunity to get acquainted with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), before it begins its operation under the Greek State, which as its future owner will be responsible for the project’s management and operation.
