Evanthia Rebutsika
She was born in Kato Achaia, Patras. From a very young age, she was exposed to film music, as her father was a cinema owner. At the age of six, she began violin lessons at the Patras Conservatory. She studied at the Athens Conservatory, the Greek Conservatory, and the Ecole Normale De Musique in Paris. From a young age, she performed in concerts with her siblings as a quartet in Greece and abroad.
She composed music for the TV series “You Decide,” “Stone Lions,” “Athens-Thessaloniki,” “Throne Room,” “Great Greeks,” “Alma Libre,” among others, and for theatrical productions like “Spoon River Anthology,” “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” “The Whales of August,” “Autumn Story,” “Swell,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Teacher with the Golden Eyes,” “Trap,” “Da,” and more.
She has composed music for many documentaries, including Lydia Karra’s “Voice of the Aegean,” Takis Papagiannidis’ “Plundering a Blood-Stained Country,” which won the first prize at the London Greek Film Festival, Giorgos Demir’s “PONTOS,” and Eftychia Fragou’s “The Unlost Homeland,” which has received numerous awards, including a music award from the ROME INTERNATIONAL MOVIE AWARDS and the CANNES INDIES CINEMA AWARDS. For the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, she composed music for the documentary “I Recognize You by Your Face” directed by Konstantinos Pilavios and the documentary “Arcadia 1900, The Campaign of the East” directed by Kostas Spyropoulos.
She composed original music for the “Athens Olympic Museum” and “The Ellinikon” productions, and together with lyricist Lina Nikolakopoulou, they composed the song “Hellenism,” a hymn for the Greek diaspora.
Her contributions to film are significant. The music she composed for Tassos Boulmetis’ film “A Touch of Spice” won the State Award at the Thessaloniki Festival, and the film’s soundtrack gained international recognition. She reunited with Boulmetis to compose music for his films “Notias” and “1968.”
She collaborated with Turkish director Çagan Irmak on the soundtrack for the film “MY FATHER AND MY SON,” which won the “Soundtrack of the Year” award from Bosphorus University’s radio station, and the same year she received the “Discovery” award from the World Soundtrack Academy. She has worked on films in Istanbul with notable Turkish directors such as Yüksel Aksu, Çagan Irmak, and Hasan Kiraç, with significant works including “Ulak,” “Birlesen Gonuller,” “Nadide Hayiat,” “Iftarlik Gazoz,” and others.
Important stops on her tours include:
– Moscow International Book Fair
– Celebration of 25 years of Patriarch Bartholomew’s Throne (Imbros)
– “A Touch of Spice” at the Roman Agora during the 2004 Olympic Games
– Rishon Lezion International Spring Festival (Israel)
– Alexandria Patriarchate (Egypt)
– Halki (Turkey) under the aegis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
– Lincoln Center in New York (USA)
– “Amalia Altin Portakal” International Film Festival (Turkey)
– Cairo Opera House (Egypt)
– Sibiu (Romania), European Capital of Culture
– European Parliament, presentation of the music for “A Touch of Spice”
– Turin International Book Fair (Italy)
– Tel Aviv Museum of Modern Art (Israel)
– Holocaust Remembrance Day, Hebrew Union College, New York (USA)
– Beth Shalom Synagogue, Athens
In 2012, the Patriarch of Alexandria awarded her the Gold Lion of Alexandria and the Saint Mark’s Medal for her cultural contributions. In 2011, she was named a Benefactor by the Ecumenical Federation of Constantinopolitans. She has received special awards from refugee municipalities for her music in “A Touch of Spice” and for promoting Greek-Turkish friendship through culture.
She has collaborated with notable lyricists such as Lina Nikolakopoulou, Aris Davarakis, Eleni Zioga, and Michalis Ganas, with her songs being performed by renowned artists such as Nana Mouskouri, Elli Paspala, Marios Frangoulis, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Cihan Okan, Alkistis Protopsalti, Karoline Lavelle, Natasha Theodoridou, Giorgos Margaritis, Giannis Kotsiras, Giorgos Perris, and Dilek Kots.
Many of her albums have achieved gold and platinum status.