Eleni Karaindrou

Eleni Karaindrou was born in a Greek mountain village called Teichio. She studied piano and music theory at the Hellenic Conservatory in Athens, history and archaeology at the University of Athens, and ethnomusicology and orchestration at the Sorbonne and the Scuola Cantorum in Paris. Since 1975, Eleni Karaindrou has composed works for more than 20 feature films, approximately 40 plays, and numerous television productions. She primarily collaborated with Greek directors, most notably with Theo Angelopoulos, with whom she maintained a regular creative partnership since 1983. Other projects brought her together with Harold Pinter, Chris Marker, Jules Dassin, Margarethe von Trotta, and others. Karaindrou has won numerous awards and accolades, including the State Music Award of Greece for her composition for "Eternity and a Day," the Dmitris Mitropoulos Award for her theatre music (1994–96), and the Fellini Award from Europa Cinema, Italy. In 2002, she received the Golden Cross of Honour from the Greek President for her lifetime achievements. In 2004, her music for "The Weeping Meadow" was nominated for the European Film Award. Eleni Karaindrou has been recording for ECM since 1991. In close collaboration with producer Manfred Eicher, she arranges and revises her stage and TV compositions for release on CD. Her albums released to date on ECM include "Music for Films," "The Suspended Step of the Stork," "Ulysses’ Gaze," "Eternity and a Day," "Trojan Women," "The Weeping Meadow," "Elegy of the Uprooting," and "Dust of Time". 10/2009