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Nanouka Fragia-Spiliopoulou

Soloist, Mezzo-Soprano
She was born in Smirne in 1910 and died in Athens in 2000. She studied at the Hellenic Conservatory under Kimon Triantafyllou and Maggie Karatza, graduating in 1935 with First Prize and honors. She debuted at the Olympia Festival interpreting a minor role in the Tales of Hoffmann [Les contes d 'Hoffmann], conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos (1931). In 1933 she sang in St. Matthew Passion [Matthäuspassion] along with Alecos Kontis’ Palladion Choir. She participated in oratorio and opera performances with the Athens Choir and the Athens Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Later on she collaborated in concerts of the Athens State Orchestra under Philoctitis Economides at the Olympia Festival and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, staging the Athens premieres of oratorios and choral works, including Bach’s Mass in B minor (or Great Catholic Mass) [h-Moll-Messe, BWV 232] (1938), Mozart’s Requiem (1940), Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice [Orfeo ed Euridice] (1941), Messiah (1943), Symphony No. 9 (1944), King David [Le roi David] by Honegger (1947). She made her GNO debut in 1946-1947 as Nicklausse and Mother [The tales of Hoffman/Les contes d'Hoffmann] and in the opera Martha [Martha]. In 1951 she participated in the performance of Petros Petrides’ oratorio Saint Paul (Odeon of Herodes Atticus). During the period 1949 to 1954 she appeared in New York, Russia and Germany, giving recitals in concert halls and radio stations. Until about 1965, she continued to give recitals in Athens and other Greek cities interpreting lieder, mélodies and Greek songs. Many Greek composers composed songs for her. She taught singing at the Hellenic Conservatory for half a century (1945-1995). A tribute to her by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) (23/9/2013) containing 1955-1964 recordings is posted on the Internet.