PhD Candidate Wins Second Prize at Prestigious International Dimitris Mitropoulos Competition

Leeds School of Arts is delighted to announce that Euripides Bekos, PhD candidate in Music Composition, has been awarded Second Prize at the 17th International Dimitris Mitropoulos Competition for Composers for his orchestral work "IDUNN." The work was performed by the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra under conductor Miltos Logiadis on November 2, 2025, at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall before a distinguished international jury and live audience.

The competition attracted over 90 submissions from composers worldwide. The jury, chaired by renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun, also included David Bruce, Michalis Oikonomou, Christos Hatzis, Christos Samaras, and John Psathas. The Dimitris Mitropoulos International Competition was established in 1996 to commemorate the centenary of the great Greek conductor and composer, and has been supported over the years by distinguished figures including Luciano Berio, George Crumb, Sir Neville Marriner, and Cristóbal Halffter. First Prize was awarded to Daniel (Jingyang) Cui (China), Second Prize to Euripides Bekos (Greece), and Third Prize to Giulio Soldo (Italy).

This marks Euripides's second major international prize during his doctoral studies at Leeds Beckett University. In 2019, while a PhD candidate, he won the International Nikos Skalkottas Composition Prize and the Prize for Best Greek Composer under 35 at the same competition, awarded by the Athens State Orchestra.

Euripides has recently completed and submitted his PhD thesis, which focuses on composition for large symphony orchestra and electronics in ambisonics format, under the supervision of Dr. Nikos Stavropoulos, award-winning electroacoustic music composer. He is currently awaiting his viva examination.
In addition to his doctoral research, Euripides teaches Advanced Music Theory at the Municipal Conservatory of Larissa, Greece, where he has been inspiring students since 2015.

About Euripides Bekos

Euripides Bekos (b. 1991) is a composer, researcher, and educator praised for his "impeccable compositional craftsmanship and orchestration" (George Leotsakos) and "well-balanced economy of expressive dimensions, beautiful, radiant orchestration" (Giannis Svolos). His work has garnered significant recognition, including the Nikos Skalkottas International Prize (NEOTTIAN, 2019), the Best Greek Composer Under 35 Award from the Greek Composers' Union and Athens State Orchestra, 2nd Prize at the 17th International Dimitris Mitropoulos Composition Competition, (IDUNN, 2025), First Prize in the 1st Chamber Music Composition Competition in Memory of Theodore Antoniou (ELYSIAN, 2020), and Second Prize in the Greek National Opera's Art Song Competition (L'ENFANT, 2021). In 2024, he received the Diploma for Pedagogical Excellence at the XI International Composition Competition (Smederevo).

His compositions have been commissioned and performed by leading institutions including the Athens State Orchestra (Palingenesis for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution, L'Avenir de l'oiseau en cage), Greek National Opera, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, and Phasma Music (distributed by NAXOS). His works have been presented across Greece, Austria, Germany, Poland, and the UK.

Bekos studied at the Municipal Conservatory of Larissa (Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, Band Orchestration Degrees) and earned his composition degree from the University of Macedonia. He has studied with E. Kikou, G. Kyriakakis, A. Zervas, and Ch. Samaras, among others, and has attended numerous seminars and workshops with internationally acclaimed composers. He completed his PhD research at Leeds Beckett University (UK), focusing on composition for symphonic orchestra, electronics, and immersive audio under the supervision of Nikos Stavropoulos.
 
Central to his compositional work is the pursuit of immediacy in musical expression through the integration of diverse musical elements within a postmodern framework. Electroacoustic music and immersive audio also constitute significant fields of research as dramaturgical and expressive tools.