Greek violinist Haliassas sees Türkiye as ‘second home’ – Turkiye Newspaper

Renowned Greek orchestra conductor and seasoned principal violinist, Nikos Haliassas, expressed his deep affinity for Türkiye, considering it his “second home.” Haliassas led the Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra during the inauguration of the 23rd Afyonkarahisar Classical Music Festival at the Afyonkarahisar New Museum.

Since 2000, Haliassas has held the position of principal violinist with the Athens State Orchestra and serves as the artistic director and principal conductor of the Athens Intrarti Orchestra. He has conducted various orchestras and ensembles both domestically and internationally, notably spearheading the Sinfonia International Music Festival, MusiKos, and Halki Festivals.

‘I admire Türkiye’

Expressing his delight at conducting the opening concert of the festival alongside the Bursa Regional State Symphony Orchestra for the third time, Haliassas commended the longevity of the festival in a small city like Afyonkarahisar. He marveled at the Afyonkarahisar New Museum and its impressive collection of ancient artifacts.

Reflecting on his previous performances in Antalya and Adana earlier in the year, he expressed his admiration for Türkiye, noting the striking similarities between Greek and Turkish civilizations.  “I admire everything in Türkiye. Our civilizations resemble each other in character,” Haliassas said.

Source: AA