Christina Athinodorou (b. 1981) is a Greek-Cypriot composer whose catalogue comprises of more than sixty works to date, for instrumental, vocal and electronic forces. Her music has been featured in festivals including the Venice Biennale, Grafenneg, ISCM World New Music Days etc, and performed by the Tonkünstler Orchester, Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, Athens State Orchestra, Ensemble Aleph, Klangforum Wien etc. She received commissions from Radio France, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, La Monnaie/De Munt and others. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Christina studied composition, and also conducting. She completed a doctorate in composition at the University of London and she also took courses at the UNT, CNSMD de Lyon, ΙEMA Frankfurt and IRCAM. She held residencies at the CAMAC and the Cité des Arts in Paris, and in parallel she read byzantine music. She is also active as a conductor (Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, London Sinfonietta etc). Christina is an invited member of ENOA.

About the piece

One of the most vivid memories from my first visit at the Rotonde of Galerius in Thessaloniki was the sound and movement of dozens of swallows, flying in circles and in varying speeds over this striking monument, in a dramatic sky.

This sight of watchfulness and hearing of birds over the monumental Rotonde, inspired Erot(onde)as (2019), the three-minute work for ensemble, which unfolds in waves (onde) of varying speeds, poetically posing questions (ερωτώντες, questioners) in a ‘speaking’ manner, and responding to what one considers to be Έρως (Eros) in a continuous state of vigilance.