Miller Outdoor Theatre: Haydn & Dvořák

Greek conductor Dionysis Grammenos first established himself internationally as a clarinetist, winning a place on the 2013-14 ECHO Rising Stars program, which led to performances with major orchestras in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. As a conductor, he is regularly praised for his instinctive musicianship, the clarity and efficiency of his conducting, and his proficiency for shaping the sound of the orchestra.
In 2016, he received a Conducting Fellowship at Aspen Music Festival and since this time has conducted widely both in the concert hall and opera pit, including a last-minute invitation at the Megaron Athens to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of Brahms 4, receiving acclaim from players and audience. This performance with the Houston Symphony marks his U.S. debut.
In recent seasons, Dionysis has conducted orchestras from Vienna to Thailand, with soloists such as Khatia Buniatishvili, Renaud Capuçon, Daniel Ottensamer, and Anna Fedorova.
Passionate about opera, he made his opera conducting debut in Würzburg with Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, after assisting with productions at Canadian Opera Company. In 2021-22, he was principal conductor of English Touring Opera’s production of Puccini’s La bohème; and in 2023, he made a successful debut at Nevill Holt conducting Rossini’s La Cenerentola.

Dionysis is founder and artistic director of the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO). Under his leadership, the GYSO joined the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras and was invited to perform at the opening concert of the Young Euro Classic Festival at the Berlin Konzerthaus, and was re-invited in 2023. Orchestra in Residence at the Megaron in Athens, the GYSO will perform at Carnegie Hall in November 2024, under Dionysis’s direction.

Trained as a clarinetist at the University of Music “Franz Liszt” in Weimar, in 2008, he won the Grand Prix d’Eurovision from the European Broadcasting Union as well as the title European Young Musician of the Year, the first wind player to receive this title. He studied conducting at the Würzburg Music University. In 2018, he was selected for the European Young Leaders program, which aims to engage the most promising talents in initiatives destined to shape Europe’s future.

Cellist Charles Seo was appointed cellist of the Houston Symphony in the summer of 2018 at age 22. Previously, he served as principal cellist in the Colburn Orchestra. Charles, who made his solo orchestral debut at age 10, has performed as guest soloist with the Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and San José Chamber Orchestra.

He is silver medalist of the 2014 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and bronze medalist of the 2014 Stulberg International String Competition. In 2013, he was the gold medalist of the Houston Symphony League Concerto Competition, the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition, the Schmidbauer International Competition, and the 30th Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition. Charles performed Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with Christopher O’Riley on NPR’s From the Top.

Charles has collaborated with cellists Lynn Harrell, Robert deMaine, Clive Greensmith, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Jian Wang, Myung-wha Chung, Lluís Claret, Li-Wei Qin, Bion Tsang, and Laurence Lesser. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School, where he studied with Ronald Leonard and Clive Greensmith.