In the field of music, as in other arts, for centuries, it was exceptionally rare for a woman to have a distinguished career in a leadership role, such as a conductor or a composer-creator.

Guided by the archival material of the Athens Conservatoire, we will explore stories of women who were associated with the Conservatoire and who excelled in paths traditionally walked only by men. In addition to music educators, performers, and composers, we will also meet women music critics and writers, founders of organizations, and conductors.

The Archive-Collection of Stathis Arfanis is the largest and most important private musical archive-collection in Greece. Rare recordings of Greek and foreign artists, photographs, autographs, and hundreds of archival items form a unique piece of global cultural heritage, now housed at the Athens Conservatoire.

The concept of musical tradition in Greece is more commonly associated with folk creation and practice. However, equally, if not more, important than folk music has been art music, what we conventionally refer to as “classical” music. The Archive of the Athens Conservatoire is an inexhaustible source of information for tracing the course of art music creation and practice in modern Greece. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to explore some of the stories hidden within the archival materials, which demonstrate that the tradition of classical music in Greece is not only immensely important, but also largely unknown.