-
Anastasia Christofakis, clarinet
Anastasia Christofakis is a Greek-American clarinetist who enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. Passionate about music, travel, and family, she has managed to weave these three topics into her life and career.
Anastasia is a co-founder of the chamber ensemble Meraki, dedicated to awakening cultural compassion through music. Meraki’s recurring focus is the music of “Essence” that evokes the culture and history of people through their folk sound and musical language. The ensemble plays music heavily rooted in the traditional musical idioms of the composers’ native countries, allowing the musicians to introduce new cultures and histories to audiences through music. They are recipients of Chamber Music America’s 2018 Classical Commissioning Grant for their current collaboration with award-winning composer, Jerod Tate.
Dr. Christofakis is an advocate for new music, believing strongly in the commissioning of new works, and is a member of new music ensemble What is Noise. Their debut album “Equivocal Duration” was released in 2019 through Centaur Records. What Is Noise is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is passionate about building community through music by performing culturally relevant concerts that connect audiences with musicians and composers of their time. The sextet remains a strong advocate for new music and educational outreach.
In addition, she was the winner of the Presser Music Award for her project relating to Armenian music. She has studied and conducted research in Armenia on their folk and contemporary music. Most recently she has been awarded an artist residency through the National Park Arts Foundation, hosted by Gettysburg National Military Park.
Dr. Christofakis is currently on faculty at Furman University and the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Acqui Terme, Piedmont, Italy.