The bass Vassilis Kostopoulos was born in Athens, Greece in 1976.He
studied and still does with the leading mezzo-soprano Lina Tentzeri.
His music education started at the age of 8 with classic guitar and
music theory. Simultaneously with his engineering studies at the
National Technical University of Athens (N.T.U.A) in the Faculty of
Mining and Metallurgical Engineering (up to a Master's degree) he was
accepted to the Hellenic Conservatory (after two years of intensive
vocal coaching at the Music Department of the N.T.U.A. under the
guidance of the conductor and director Vassilis Makridis) from which he
obtained his singing Diploma in 2001 with "Excellent Unanimously and
First Prize".
In September 2001, he was accepted under a two-year full-fees
scholarship on the Opera Course of the Royal Academy of Music in London
where he studied more operatic roles under the coaching of the baritone
Glenville Hargreaves, concluding his two-year long studies with
"Distinction". He was also awarded the "Diploma of the Royal Academy of
Music" (Dip.RAM) for outstanding performance.
In 2003-4 he was member of the National Opera Studio
(http://www.nationaloperastudio.org.uk/)
at which, as a scholar of "The Friends of Covent Garden", he studied
additional operatic roles.
His operatic roles so far cover twenty-four principal bass parts in most
Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti and Mozart Operas. (Check CV for full list).
Vassilis is very grateful towards his teacher, Lina Tentzeri and the
Alexandros S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, whose three-year-long
generous support made his abroad studies possible.
