Greek band Melisses, DJs Alex Cruz and
Jonathan Toubin; and Dimitris Kalantzis with his
quintet and Kamerata. Music journalist Kafka
(Katerina Kafentzi), following up on her personal
project “Kafka Takes Notes”, will present and
coordinate Q&A sessions between the audience
and the artists, which will be held before the live
acts.
The Festival’s dance section features the radical
and daring choreographer Elizabeth Streb, in a
performance that challenges the physical limits of
dancers, and Apostolia Papadamaki in collabora-
tion with Heidi Latsky Dance.
In the field of visual arts and architecture, Robert
Storr and a team of acclaimed curators will present
“Only Connect”, inspired by the motto by British
novelist E.M. Foster, a selection of video and per-
formances that address the concept of “being con-
nected” at a time when the communication among
people –as individuals, groups, communities, or
nations– is being severely tested.
During the SNFestival, the exhibition “Renzo
Piano Building Workshop – Piece by Piece” will
also be on show, including models, drawings,
photographs and videos from architectural proj-
ects by the international firm Renzo Piano
Building Workshop, realised during the last 30
years. The presentation of the exhibition at the
SNFCC marks the completion of a tour that com-
menced in 2013 at the Gagosian Gallery in New
York, where the show was solely funded by the
SNF. In the meantime the exhibition was present-
ed at the Palazzo della Ragione, Padua, in 2014
as part of the International Biennial Architecture,
and at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai, in
2015.
The SNFCC’s visionary architect, Renzo Piano,
will visit Athens once again, this time to talk about
his work, philosophy and inspiration with the New
York Times architectural critic Michael
Kimmelman.
The Greek National Opera (GNO) and the
National Library of Greece (NLG) will play a key
role in the Festival. The GNO will participate in the
programme with a production by its new artistic
director Giorgos Koumendakis, and a dance
piece choreographed by its ballet director Antonis
Foniadakis, performed by members of the GNO
ballet, as well as independent dancers. Similarly,
the NLG will present a series of lectures and an
interactive exhibition on reading.
Guided tours, movie screenings, discussions,
creative and recreational programmes for chil-
dren, and the amazing magic tricks of internation-
ally acclaimed magician Mark Mitton, will com-
plete this week of events, which aspires to be a
large and open celebration of getting together,
fun, and optimism.
Admission to the events is free for all.
The Summer Nostos Festival is held with the
exclusive support of the Stavros Niarchos
Foundation.
About the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (
)
is one of the leading private international philan-
thropic organisations worldwide, making grants in
the areas of arts and culture, education, health,
sports, as well as social welfare. The Foundation
funds organisations and projects that are expect-
ed to have a tangible, lasting and positive impact
on society at large, focusing on vulnerable groups
such as children and the elderly, and are also dis-
tinguished for their strong leadership and sound
management. The Foundation is also actively
supporting projects that foster public-private part-
nerships as an effective means for serving public
welfare. In 2012, the Foundation, in addition to its
regular donations, embarked on three major grant
initiatives totalling 300 million euros (378 million
US dollars) aiming to provide relief support
against the severe effects of the deepening
socioeconomic crisis in Greece, and to help
address the critical issue of youth unemployment.
Since the launching of its operations in 1996, the
SNF has donated a total of 1.6 billion euros (1.9
billion USD), through 3,719 grants to non-profit
organisations in 111 nations around the world.
The year 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the
Foundation’s philanthropic activity.
The Foundation’s largest single donation is the
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
(SNFCC), in Athens. The total budget of the proj-
ect amounts to 630 million euros (867 million US
dollars) and includes two donations of 5 million
euros (6 million USD) each to the National Library
of Greece and the Greek National Opera respec-
tively, aiming to support the two organisations’
relocation to their new premises. Designed by the
Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) archi-
tectural firm, the project includes the new premis-
es of the National Library of Greece and of the
Greek National Opera, as well as the Stavros
Niarchos Park. The SNFCC is a testament and a
commitment to the country’s future, as well as a
short- to mid-term economic growth driver.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is a grant-mak-
ing organisation only. The SNF does not solicit or
accept donations from individuals, corporations or
other organisations. Even though the SNF does
not make grants to individuals or provide individ-
ual scholarships, individuals benefit through the
numerous programs and actions of the non-profit
organisations that it supports. To find out about
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