Argiris, Spiros
Argiris, Spiros
Argiris, Spiros, Greek conductor; b. Athens, Aug. 24, 1948; d. Nice, May 19, 1996. He studied piano with Alfons Kontarsky and received training in conducting in Vienna from Swarowsky and in Fontainebleau from Boulanger. Thereafter he appeared widely as a guest conductor in major opera houses in such locales as Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Rome, Monte Carlo, Paris, Miami, Baltimore, and Montreal. He also was engaged as a conductor with leading orchs. in Europe and North America. In 1986 he became music director of the Festival of Two Worlds in Charleston, S.C., and Spoleto, Italy. He resigned his post in 1992 in the wake of the dispute between the festival’s founder, Gian Carlo Menotti, and its board. In 1987 he was made music director of the Trieste Opera and in 1988 of the Nice Opera. From 1991 to 1994 he also served as music director of the Teatro Bellini in Catania. In 1993 he resumed his association with the Festival of Two Worlds in Charleston.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire