Ion Marmarinos

Ion Marmarinos (b.1975) is a Greek composer based in France. His music has been described as “mesmerizing…the music emerges completely fresh, its inspiration fully honored” [Fanfare Magazine] “self-contained well-defined…with a strongly characterized writing style…some of the most up – and – coming composers of today” [RMN Classical], “hauntingly engaging” [classikON], “instore one dimension théâtrale’’ [ResMusica], “one musique tout en volutes, Avec de belles atmosphères, toute de douceur” [Thierry Vagne], and “one of the highlights of the show” [The Guardian]

Inspired primarily by phenomena, imagery, and patterns of temporal formations in nature while at the same time focusing on the presence and absence of memory, his music narrates stories of contrasts of complex structures. They attempt to create an experience of temporality that gradually camouflages the conscious perception of an organized time and therefore one that becomes personal to the listener. 

Ion’s music has received numerous awards and distinctions such as the Matan Givol international composition competition (Israel), the Bruno Maderna international composition competition (Ukraine), the Kaleidoscope international composition competition (USA), King’s College London’s Collaborate and Engage innovation award (UK), the Ablaze Records’ New Choral Voices Series international competition (USA), RMN Classical’s Contemporary Chamber Music international competition (UK), Petrichor Records’ international competition (USA), PARMA Records’ international competition for orchestral works, (USA, Czech Republic), Artistes en Herbe international composition competition (Luxembourg), Juventas international composition competition (USA), and the Ierapetra and Zografou national competitions for original theatrical score (Greece).

His compositions have been performed internationally, among others by the Lumina String Quartet, The Winds of The Americas, Lontano, EXAUDI, L’ Ensemble Alternance, L’ Ensemble Court – Circuit, Meraki Chamber Players, Unicamp Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Contemporary Orchestra, Vertixe Sonora Ensemble, Phoenix Ensemble, Roadrunner Trio and Coro Volante, in England, France, Italy, Ukraine, The Netherlands, America, Brazil, Australia, and Greece in venues such as the Frederick Lowe Theatre (New York), The Black Box Theatre (New York), Salle Cortot (Paris), Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Italy) the Lviv Philharmonic Hall (Ukraine) and the Verbrugghen Hall (Australia). Working primarily in Greek and American independent productions, he occasionally composes music for the theatre, short films, and contemporary dance.

Ion began his musical studies at the age of 5. At the age of 9, he started composing while studying piano and Hindemith theory at the Athenaeum conservatoire in Athens. He continued his musical studies in New York, London, and Paris with Justin Dello Joio, Rob Keeley, and Michel Merlet. He holds a Ph.D. in composition from King’s College London, a Certificat de Perfectionnement in composition from L’ École Normale de Musique de Paris “Alfred Cortot”, an MA in composition from New York University, an MBA from the State University of New York at Albany and a BSc in business from the American College of Greece where he also studied psychology and mathematics. 

He taught composition, theory, and percussion in England, America, and Greece, at King’s College London, The National conservatoire of Greece, Delfiko conservatoire, and Athena conservatoire, at musical institutions and secondary schools in New York as well as privately.

His music is published by the Composers Edition and distributed worldwide by Ablaze Records, RMN Classical, Naxos Music Library, and Albany Records of America.

Awards

Finalist at the 2020 – 21 Juventas international composition competition/call, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Third prize: 2020 Artistes en Herbe international composition competition, vocal–choral category, Luxembourg.

Winner at the 2019 PARMA Recordings international competition/call for Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestral category, New Hampshire, USA.

Winner of the 2019 Petrichor Records international competition/call for new music recordings – Chamber ensemble category, USA.

Winner of the 2019 Petrichor Records international competition/call for new music recordings – Vocal/Choral category, USA.

Honorable mention: 2019 RMN Chamber Music Recordings international competition. Featured in the album of RMN Classical, Focus On. London, UK.

Finalist at the 2019 Kaleidoscope international competition/call for scores. Selected among 2200 scores from 90 countries. Los Angeles, California, USA. 

Winner of the 2018 RMN Chamber Music Recordings international competition. Selected among 50 pieces from around the world to be included in the RMN Classical’s CD Contemporary Chamber Music, Vol. 8. London, UK.

Winner of the 2018 Ablaze Records’ international competition, New Choral Voices CD, Vol. 4. Selected among 73 pieces from around the world; distribution in more than 60 countries by Naxos Music Library, Albany Records, iTunes, and Amazon.com. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 

Finalist at the “2018 Kaleidoscope international call for scores”. Selected among 2200 scores from 76 countries. Los Angeles, California, USA. 

Finalist at the “2018 Bruno Maderna international composition competition”. Lviv, Ukraine.

Honorary mention: “2018 Matan Givol international composition competition” among 60 scores from 24 countries. Tel Aviv, Israel. 

Innovation award: King’s College London – “Collaborate and Engage”, an interdisciplinary project, which featured “Sacretum”, a piece for vocal ensemble based on women’s data of their menstrual cycles. London, UK, 2017.

Nomination for best original score for theatrical play: August Strindberg’s “The Father” – National Festival of Ierapetra, Crete and National Festival of Zografou, Athens, 2013. 

Third prize: The Lumina String Quartet workshop and competition for the piece “Ta Kohylia Tou Efialti” for string quartet. New York University, New York, New York, USA, 2005. 

Distinction: The Wind of The Americas workshop for the piece “En – Spasis” for wind septet, New York University, New York, New York, USA, 2005.