George Zervos was born in Cairo (Egypt) and moved to Athens in 1961, where he studied piano and theory at the Hellenic and Orpheion Conservatories and composition under Yannis Ioannides. In 1981 he went to Paris (France), to conclude his post-graduate studies that included formalized music under Iannis Xenakis as well as musicology and aesthetics of music under Michel Guiomar and Daniel Charles. In 1982, he received the post-graduate diploma D.E.A. from the University of Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne, after submitting a thesis on the «Mathematical procedures in Bartok’s and Xenakis work». His thesis on «The crisis of theme in the work of the Second Vienna School composers: Schönberg, Berg, Webern» earned him a Ph.D. degree in Musicology from the University of Thessaloniki in 1995.
He has composed chamber and vocal music as well as works for orchestra. He has received commissions to deliver original compositions for organizations such as the Hellenic National Radio (Third Program), the Goethe Institute of Athens, the Athens Concert Hall. His works have been performed in Greece as well as in Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France and USA (Florence 1981, Sofia 1985, Naples 1987, Cannes 1987, Orleans 1987, University of Boston 1991, Louisiana 2004, etc.). The Hellenic National Radio has recorded certain works of his. In 1982, he was awarded the First Composition Prize in the Competition for Chamber Music organized by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Two of his pieces of music (the ballet “Eros and Psyche” and the “string quartet no2”) have recently been recorded by Warner Music and Agora.
G. Zervos has also published several articles on music in the 20th century (in international journals such as “Musik & Ästhetik”, “Musicologia”, “arts 8”), has given lectures and has participated many music conventions such as the «Composers Symposium» (Patras 1986), the National Congress of Music (Delphi 1987), the Symposium of Composers and Musicologists on «Contemporary Music at the end of the 20th century» (Goethe Institute 1991), “Nikos Skalkottas-Tage”(Konzerthaus, Berlin 2000), “Arnold Schönberg und Griechische Komponisten – in memoriam Iannis Xenakis” Symposium (Arnold Schönberg Center, Wien 2002), “Internationales Symposion zum 100. Geburtstag von Nikos Skalkottas” (Wien, 2004). He has taught music theory in several Conservatories as well as History of Music at the National School of Dance in Athens. He is Assistant Professor (teaching Music analysis and 20th century music) in the Department of Music Studies of the Athens University.
In 2002 he published two books: 1) Schönberg, Berg, Webern. The crisis of music through the crisis of the theme and the forms 2) Nikos Skalkottas and the European tradition in the beginning of the 20th century.
Publications of Giorgos Zervos. . .
