Audition Cafe

Introduction

Greek violinist Rafailia Kapsokavadi has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Hailed as “gifted with self-discipline, diligence and reliability, she knows how to set goals and achieve them.” (Daniel Phillips, Professor at The Juilliard School and Mannes School of Music).

Rafailia is the recipient of several international awards such as the Alion Baltic International Festival, 1st Prize at the Prague Summer Nights International Young Artists Music Festival and Performance Excellence Award and 1st prize/Audience Award at the Pärnu International Music Festival in the summer of 2021.

Rafailia has been performing with orchestras in both Europe and USA, including the MOUSA Greek orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, Johnson City Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Tallinn Philharmonic in Estonia, Mannes Orchestra, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra and Chelsea Symphony, among others.

Deeply passionate about collaboration, Rafailia has had the pleasure of performing with such prominent musicians as Albert Markov, Sergei Stadler, Stanislav Pronin, Omiros Yavroumis, David Russell, Ivry Gitlis, Alissa Margulis, Leila Josefowicz, Stefan Jackiw and others. She has performed in venues and festivals such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, DiMenna Center etc.

An advocate of community engagement and music education, Rafailia was selected for the Mannes School of Music Community Performances and Partnerships Program’s Ensemble Fellowship, through which her string quartet created interactive educational programs for audiences throughout New York.

Rafailia received her Bachelor of Music from the Hayes School of Music in North Carolina and her master’s degree from Mannes School of Music as the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship at the New School, studying with Daniel and Todd Phillips. Prior to that, she studied with Omiros Yavroumis at the Thessaloniki Conservatory of Music. Past summers have taken her to the Eastern Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, Taos School of Music, the Meadowmount School of Music and Classical Bridge Music Festival.

Rafailia is currently performing on an Italian violin by Pietro Antonio Dalla Costa, generously on loan from a Charitable Trust.