Distinguished composer, Eleni Karaindrou, receives the title of doctor honoris causa of the Department of Music Studies

The distinguished composer, Eleni Karaindrou, was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the Department of Music Studies of the NKUA’s School of Philosophy. The ceremony took place on Wednesday, 11 June 2025, at 19:00, at the Great Hall of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Addressing the honouree was the Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos.

Immediately afterwards, Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Musicology, Iakovos Steinhauer, presented the work and personality of the honouree.

This was followed by the awarding ceremony:

The Chair of the Department of Music Studies, Professor Anastasia Georgaki, read the Department’s Resolution, the Award, and the Honorary Diploma.

Next, the Dean of the School of Philosophy, Professor Dimitrios Drosos, invested the honouree with the gown of the School.

The ceremony culminated with a speech delivered by the honouree, Ms Eleni Karaindrou.

The event closed with a short musical programme by the chamber orchestra of the Department of Music Studies, conducted by Pavlos Kordis, with arrangements by Alexandros Kapsokavadis. The songs featured Afroditi Chatzimina, while the guitar solos were performed by Dimitris Kokkinos and Alexandros Kapsokavadis, who delivered distinctive compositions with precision and sensitivity.

In his address to the honouree, the Rector of the University of Athens, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things, the following: ‘Eleni Karaindrou’s work transcends borders. She has collaborated with several notable directors of world cinema, and her music has travelled to every corner of our planet. The distinctions she has received are numerous, testifying to the recognition of her work and the depth of her contributions to music. In 1992, she was presented with the Fellini Award for Best Composer in Europe. In 2002, the President of the Hellenic Republic granted her the Gold Cross of the Order of Honour. And in 2014, the French Republic conferred upon her the insignia of the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of her lifetime achievement’.

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis