Donemus Webwinkel — Taylor, Nestor

Nestor Taylor was born to a very prominent Greek family, in Melbourne, Australia. He studied piano, harmony and counterpoint at the Athens Conservatory with George Diamantis and composer, Menelaos Pallantios. He continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Francis Shaw and Robert Saxton, where he was awarded the following diplomas: ALCM in Conducting, LGSM in Composition, LGSM and GSMD in Choral Composition & Orchestration. He completed his M.Mus and M.Phil degrees in Composition at Royal Holloway under the supervision of John Woolridge and Peter Wiegold. In 2005, Taylor was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, which enabled him to carry out research as a composer at Yale University.
Taylor has held the posts of lecturer in Harmony and Composition in the Department of Music Studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, teacher of Music History at the State School of Dance & the Greek National Opera Ballet School; and Artistic Director at the Central Conservatory of Music in Athens.
He has also served as Head of International Relations, Casting Director and Artistic Advisor to the Director at the Greek National Opera between 2009 and 2016, whereas now he teaches music history and analysis to the Professional Ballet School at the same organization, allowing him to pursue a professional career as a freelance composer.
Taylor’s music has been extensively performed throughout Greece: Megaron Concert Halls in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greek National Opera, etc., and abroad: Purcell Room, Conway Hall in London as part of the Composers’ Ensemble, Kioi Hall in Tokyo with the NHKSO, the Great Philharmonic Hall in Odessa with the National Philharmonic, etc.
He has collaborated with the State Orchestras of Athens and Thessaloniki, the Orchestra of Colors, the Camerata Οrchestra of Friends of Music, the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Nuova Orchestra Ferruccio Busoni, Tokyo Ensemble, Chicago a Capella and the Lindsay Quartet, among others.
As a conductor of his own works he has appeared with the Greek National Radio Orchestra and the orchestra and chorus of the Greek National Opera.
Taylor’s concert music includes two piano concertos: “Concerto Romantico” & “Jigsaw” , music for large and medium-sized orchestras: “Pandemonium” , “Vocalise” ,” The Path of the Archangel” , chamber & choral music: “On a Ray of Winter Sun” , “And then it is Dusk” , “So Fades a Summer cloud away”, several song cycles, and music for solo piano and harp recorded for the Puzzle-Musik.
His work “And then it is Dusk” for mezzo-soprano and ensemble earned him first prize in the Mediterranean Composers’ Competition in 2002. “Voyage with Hesperus” received second prize in the National Chamber Music Competition of Greece in 2004.
Οne of his most recent creations, is the opera-oratorio “Eleni” (2019, libretto by Fergus Currie, based on the bestseller of Νicholas Gage).