With outstanding participation, a rich program, exceptional ensembles, and both local and internationally renowned soloists, the 28th Musical May Festival concluded successfully. The festival was co-organized by the Philharmonic Society Conservatory of Patras (est. 1892) and the I. & E. Topalis Foundation (est. 1988), which aims to promote the cultural development of students at the University of Patras.

The artistic direction of the program was led by composer and professor of advanced music theory, Vasiliki Filippaioy, who originally conceived the idea of the festival.

All events took place with free admission in the iconic concert hall of the Philharmonic Society, which dates back to 1902.

This year’s highlights included:

• Wednesday, May 7 – In the Paris–Bruxelles section, works by C. Franck, P. Sarasate, C. Debussy, and E. Ysaÿe were performed by Faidon Miliadis (violin) and Thodoris Iosifidis (piano).
• Friday, May 9 – In the Jazz Night titled The Inner Voice, the audience enjoyed performances by Giorgos Tsolis (piano), Haris Pegiazis (double bass), and G. Maniatis (drums).
• Thursday, May 15 – Zetta Zachou delivered a lecture titled “On the Occasion of a Student Project: Palamas, His Music, and the Roses in His Poetry.”
• Friday, May 16 – The Omicron 2Duo, consisting of Giorgos Scrivanos (flute) and Giannis Efstathopoulos (guitar), performed works under the general title Through the Balkans… by A. Ourkouzounov, D. Sparavalo, D. Bogdanović, Béla Bartók, M. Tadic, A. Thomas.
• Thursday, May 22 – The Duo Horn–Piano, with Filippos Papadopoulos (horn) and Nina Metaxa (piano), presented works by W.A. Mozart, R. Glière, and P. Hindemith.
• Friday, May 23 – For the third consecutive year, the festival featured the special section Musical May Meets the Youth, which was established in recognition of the high caliber of the Conservatory’s students, including scholarship recipients of the I. & E. Topalis Foundation (which subsidizes part of the tuition fees for University of Patras students enrolled at the Philharmonic Society Conservatory).
  In this section, Gerasimangelos Stanitsas (guitar), Nektaria Moucha (guitar), and Nikoleta Tsiri (guitar) performed works by J.S. Bach, L. Brouwer, A. Piazzolla, A. Barrios, and C. Domeniconi, including tributes to the 100th anniversaries of M. Hadjidakis and M. Theodorakis.
• Sunday, May 25 – Daphne Panourgia (soprano), Giannis Petridis (guitar), and Alexandra Christodimou (guitar) presented works by M. Hadjidakis, M. Theodorakis, and Th. Antoniou.
• Wednesday, May 28 – The festival concluded with a piano recital by Myrto Babarakou, performing works by L. van Beethoven, F. Chopin, A. Scriabin, H. Cowell, and G. Konstantinidis.