RESUME 

 about Manos

Manos Christofakakis is a bass from Greece who has been praised for the warmth of his voice and his acting skills. His wide vocal range allows him to interprete roles both for bass and bass-baritone. Since June 2021 he has added to his performance repertory 9 operatic roles and has performed in 5 different countries. He has appeared in opera festivals, theaters and concert halls in Europe and has been distinguished in international competitions. Moreover, he is the artistic director of the Lyric Theater of Crete.

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Among his recent operatic roles are Escamillo from Carmen by George Bizet at the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion in a co-production with Teatro Grattacielo from New York (May 2023) Bluebeard, from Béla Bartók´s opera "Bluebeard´s Castle" by the Lyric Theater of Crete (December 2022),  Figaro, from Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro", in two different productions, one by Lyric Theater of Crete in Heraklion and Siteia (August 2022) and one by Opera Panonnica at KMD Theater in Dubrovnik (June 2022), the title role from Mozart's Don Giovanni in Apollon Theater in Syros, by Teatro Grattacielo from New York & Sinfonietta Hellenica from Athens (April 2022),  Simone from Puccini's “Gianni Schicchi” at Kolarac Concert Hall in Belgrade (January 2022), La Voce di Nettuno from Mozart's “Idomeneo” at the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion in a co-production with Teatro Grattacielo from New York (November 2021), Guglielmo at Mozart’s comic opera “Cosi fan tutte” which he performed in several theaters in Croatia (Bjelovar & Vukovar) with Opera Pannonica Ensemble (September 2021) and also in Heraklion with the Lyric Theater of Crete (August 2021), Leporello at Mozart's “Don Giovanni” in an international tour that finished with a performance in Hungary with the Symphonic Orchestra of Szeged (June & July 2021) and later in KMD Theater in Dubrovnik (October 2021), the title role from Mozart's “Don Giovanni” at Vienna Opera Festival (2020), the title role from Xanthoulis' children opera “The Selfish Giant” that took place at the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion (2020), Uberto at Pergolesi's “La Serva Padrona” by the Lyric Theater of Crete (2019) etc.

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He has worked with well known conductors such us Myron Michailidis, Sándor Gyüdi, Toby Purser among others. He has attended several masterclasses and seminars with distinguished singers and professors such as Mária Temesi, Vladimir Chernov, Dimitri Kavrakos, Victoria Loukianetz, Noe Colin, Tassis Christoyannis and has attended opera academies (Vienna Opera Academy & Camerata Bardi Academy in New York, both with scholarship).

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His artistic interests include theatrical lighting design, stage direction, stage design and argentinean tango dancing and he has participated in productions in the capacities of the aformentioned fields.

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As far as his creative work is conerned, he recently co-directed and co-designed the stage of "Marriage of Figaro" in Heraklion and Siteia in August 2022 with Heather Tan in a production by the Lyric Theater of Crete that was part of the 2nd "Crete Festival" of the Region of Crete.  Moreover, he directed in August 2021 the world premier of the original Greek opera "Voskopoula", composed by Dionysis Papamitsos, in a production by the Lyric Theater of Crete that was part of the festival "Crete one history 5+1 cultures" of the Municipality of Heraklion.

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He has designed the lights of two Mozart's operas at KMD Theater in Dubrovnik, "Marriage of Figaro" in June 2022 and "Don Giovanni", in October 2021, the later together with Alexandros Politakis. Moreover, he designed the lights in an ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles in September 2021 and a contemporary theatrical mononlogue with live music, based on Yerma by F.G. Lorca in July 2022. In August 2019 he designed the stage at Pergolesi's Serva Padrona.
 

 In January 2020 he participated in the International Solo Singing Competition Lazar Jovanović in Belgrade, Serbia and in October 2020 in Lav Mirski Internatinal Singing Competition in Osijek, Croatia and was awarded First Prize and Second Prize respectively as well as special prizes.

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He has also performed recitals in several venues and festivals, such as the international chamber music festival Casa dei Mezzo at Makrygialos in Crete (2019). Moreover, he has sung Operetta, such as Piazzolla's tango-operetta "Maria de Buenos Aires", as well as Oratorio,  with most recent performance at Mozart's Requiem at the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion (April 2022).

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He holds a Master in Music from the Academy of Arts and Culture of Osijek, of Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, under the supervision of prof. Berislav Jerkovic and a Dipoma from Acropolis Conservatory in Athens, under the guidance of the tenor Zachos Terzakis, both of which he achieved with the highest academic grades.

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He has studied law and maintains a freelance law practice. He graduated from Athens Law School of the National & Kapodistrian University. He finished two law masters, one in Athens Law School and one in Frankfurt’s Institute for Law and Finance with distinction and was a visiting master student at Columbia Law School in New York with scholarship.

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