Teaching
Dionysios is a Professor of Historical Stagecraft at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, teaching period acting, rhetorical delivery and gesture at the Vocal Studies and Historical Performance Departments.
He started his classical singing studies at the Philippos Nakas Conservatoire in Athens and his acting studies at the Theatre of Changes drama school, before reading music at City, University of London, with performance tuition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Robert Dean. He studied opera performance at the City Opera course at City Lit and the Morley Opera School, and performed with the British Youth Opera. He graduated with an MPhil in Music Studies from Clare College, University of Cambridge, and he worked as a visiting research fellow at Houghton Library, Harvard University. He is currently finishing his DPhil in Music at New College, University of Oxford, researching historical acting and rhetoric, and teaching academic tutorials on eighteenth-century opera.
In 2012 he was offered the directorship of the Opera Ensemble at City, University of London, where he gave undergraduate music students theoretical and practical training in operatic performance. In the summers of 2013, 2014 and 2015 he worked as a tutor of historical stagecraft at the Baroque Opera Studio, University of Burgos, Spain. In 2014 he founded Theatron Novum, a student theatre and opera production company at the University of Oxford, offering acting training to young performers and experimenting with the revival of period acting. He has also worked as a historical acting coach for Benslow Music, Dowland Works, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, the International Rameau Summer School, and the University of Newcastle.
As a performer Dionysios has sung in 161 shows (participating in 46 opera productions and singing 23 principal roles), which allowed him to acquire an intimate understanding of the technical and emotional challenges performers face, becoming an effective teacher. His directing career has also given him extensive experience in working with performers of any age and level. He has directed twenty theatre and opera productions in the UK and abroad, ranging from an opera with 40 children performers aged 5 to 13 (Ulysses and the Wooden Horse, 2015) to a pastiche with top-level professionals that have previously sung at the Royal Opera House (Casanova’s Conquest, 2016), and from a play with eight actors in a small studio theatre (The Doctor in Spite of Himself, 2015) to a large dramatic opera with a company of 60 actors, singers, dancers and acrobats at the Oxford Playhouse (The Fairy Queen, 2016).
Dionysios is fascinated by the enormous power historical concepts of rhetorical delivery can offer to business leaders in today’s corporate world and the profound effect they can have on marketing. In August 2017 he taught oratorical techniques to an EMBA class at the Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He has since developed a keen interest in exploring in greater depth the ways in which his research could also be applicable to business. He is the founder and programme director of the Oxford Academic Advancement Centre, an educational company offering bespoke academic and cultural study-abroad programmes in Oxford. He has taught academic tutorials at Christ Church College, University of Oxford, and he is a tutor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s Department of Academic Studies.
Dionysios is a member of Equity with full public liability insurance, and holds the EduCare Child Protection in Education Level 2 certificate. He offers private acting coaching for opera singers and actors, and he runs historical acting workshops and audition clinics. To be kept updated with all the upcoming courses and workshops, and receive interesting articles and free learning resources you can subscribe to Dionysios’ mailing list
Dionysios teaches in Oxford, London and online via Zoom, though due to the pandemic all face-to-face teaching is at the moment suspended, and all coaching is currently taking place online until further notice. For more information and to book an online lesson please get in touch.
He started his classical singing studies at the Philippos Nakas Conservatoire in Athens and his acting studies at the Theatre of Changes drama school, before reading music at City, University of London, with performance tuition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Robert Dean. He studied opera performance at the City Opera course at City Lit and the Morley Opera School, and performed with the British Youth Opera. He graduated with an MPhil in Music Studies from Clare College, University of Cambridge, and he worked as a visiting research fellow at Houghton Library, Harvard University. He is currently finishing his DPhil in Music at New College, University of Oxford, researching historical acting and rhetoric, and teaching academic tutorials on eighteenth-century opera.
In 2012 he was offered the directorship of the Opera Ensemble at City, University of London, where he gave undergraduate music students theoretical and practical training in operatic performance. In the summers of 2013, 2014 and 2015 he worked as a tutor of historical stagecraft at the Baroque Opera Studio, University of Burgos, Spain. In 2014 he founded Theatron Novum, a student theatre and opera production company at the University of Oxford, offering acting training to young performers and experimenting with the revival of period acting. He has also worked as a historical acting coach for Benslow Music, Dowland Works, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, the International Rameau Summer School, and the University of Newcastle.
As a performer Dionysios has sung in 161 shows (participating in 46 opera productions and singing 23 principal roles), which allowed him to acquire an intimate understanding of the technical and emotional challenges performers face, becoming an effective teacher. His directing career has also given him extensive experience in working with performers of any age and level. He has directed twenty theatre and opera productions in the UK and abroad, ranging from an opera with 40 children performers aged 5 to 13 (Ulysses and the Wooden Horse, 2015) to a pastiche with top-level professionals that have previously sung at the Royal Opera House (Casanova’s Conquest, 2016), and from a play with eight actors in a small studio theatre (The Doctor in Spite of Himself, 2015) to a large dramatic opera with a company of 60 actors, singers, dancers and acrobats at the Oxford Playhouse (The Fairy Queen, 2016).
Dionysios is fascinated by the enormous power historical concepts of rhetorical delivery can offer to business leaders in today’s corporate world and the profound effect they can have on marketing. In August 2017 he taught oratorical techniques to an EMBA class at the Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. He has since developed a keen interest in exploring in greater depth the ways in which his research could also be applicable to business. He is the founder and programme director of the Oxford Academic Advancement Centre, an educational company offering bespoke academic and cultural study-abroad programmes in Oxford. He has taught academic tutorials at Christ Church College, University of Oxford, and he is a tutor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s Department of Academic Studies.
Dionysios is a member of Equity with full public liability insurance, and holds the EduCare Child Protection in Education Level 2 certificate. He offers private acting coaching for opera singers and actors, and he runs historical acting workshops and audition clinics. To be kept updated with all the upcoming courses and workshops, and receive interesting articles and free learning resources you can subscribe to Dionysios’ mailing list
Dionysios teaches in Oxford, London and online via Zoom, though due to the pandemic all face-to-face teaching is at the moment suspended, and all coaching is currently taking place online until further notice. For more information and to book an online lesson please get in touch.
Testimonials
“he has the gift of the human touch and is able to translate his deep intellectual understanding of the historical sources into something which is practical, fun, down-to-earth and immediately understandable and applicable”
- Marie Vassiliou, Professor of Voice, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
“he is hugely knowledgeable but most importantly he manages to enthuse others and enables students to use their creative freedom to take historical techniques and make them their own”
- Fane Henderson, Head of Music, Benslow Music Trust
“Dionysios’ remarkable passion and impressive expertise on historical movement and gesture brought the music to life and his coaching transformed the performance of every singer”
- Annabel Williams, Student Chair, Schola Cantorum of Oxford
“his particular way of bringing historical acting to life in his workshops and in rehearsals made me discover and learn – in a very human and understandable way – what it really meant to do baroque acting”
- Sofia Kirwan-Baez, Student, Theatron Novum, University of Oxford
“working with Dionysios has been a wonderful, fabulous, magical and absolutely terrific life experience”
- Ana Bau Fernández, Student, Baroque Opera Ensemble, University of Burgos
Please click here to see more testimonials.
- Marie Vassiliou, Professor of Voice, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
“he is hugely knowledgeable but most importantly he manages to enthuse others and enables students to use their creative freedom to take historical techniques and make them their own”
- Fane Henderson, Head of Music, Benslow Music Trust
“Dionysios’ remarkable passion and impressive expertise on historical movement and gesture brought the music to life and his coaching transformed the performance of every singer”
- Annabel Williams, Student Chair, Schola Cantorum of Oxford
“his particular way of bringing historical acting to life in his workshops and in rehearsals made me discover and learn – in a very human and understandable way – what it really meant to do baroque acting”
- Sofia Kirwan-Baez, Student, Theatron Novum, University of Oxford
“working with Dionysios has been a wonderful, fabulous, magical and absolutely terrific life experience”
- Ana Bau Fernández, Student, Baroque Opera Ensemble, University of Burgos
Please click here to see more testimonials.
Teaching work
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (October 2018 - present)
Professor of Historical Stagecraft
National Student Opera Society (July 2020)
Historical acting and gesture workshop leader
Schola Cantorum of Oxford (February 2020)
Baroque movement and gesture coach for a masterclass with Emma Kirkby at Queen’s College Oxford
University of Newcastle (November - December 2019)
Tutor of historical movement
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (November 2017)
Historical acting coach and course leader of the Singing and Acting Handel course, with Andrew Radley
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China (August 2017)
Speaker and workshop leader on rhetorical delivery for students of the EMBA course
Hawkwood College, Stroud (May 2017)
Historical acting and interpretation coach for Dowland Works, with Emma Kirkby and David Miller
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (March 2017)
Historical acting coach at the Exploring 18th Century Comic Opera course, with Emma Kirkby and Zak Ozmo
University Church Lecture Series, Oxford (November 2016)
Speaker and leader of historical acting workshop
International Rameau Ensemble, London (August 2016)
Historical acting coach at the International Rameau Ensemble, with Christian Curnyn
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (April 2016)
Acting coach and stage director at the Baroque Opera Course
The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, University of Oxford (February 2016)
Historical acting workshop leader
International Rameau Ensemble, London (September 2015)
Historical acting coach and stage director at the International Rameau Ensemble with Christophe Rousset
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2015)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
New College, University of Oxford (April 2015)
Organiser and instructor of historical gesture of the Seminar on Historical Action, with Andrew Lawrence-King
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2014)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
Cambridge University Baroque Ensemble, Cambridge (February 2014)
Leader of seventeenth-century singing workshop
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2013)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
City, University of London (Oct 2012 - June 2013)
Coordinator, music and stage director at the City Opera Ensemble
Professor of Historical Stagecraft
National Student Opera Society (July 2020)
Historical acting and gesture workshop leader
Schola Cantorum of Oxford (February 2020)
Baroque movement and gesture coach for a masterclass with Emma Kirkby at Queen’s College Oxford
University of Newcastle (November - December 2019)
Tutor of historical movement
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (November 2017)
Historical acting coach and course leader of the Singing and Acting Handel course, with Andrew Radley
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China (August 2017)
Speaker and workshop leader on rhetorical delivery for students of the EMBA course
Hawkwood College, Stroud (May 2017)
Historical acting and interpretation coach for Dowland Works, with Emma Kirkby and David Miller
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (March 2017)
Historical acting coach at the Exploring 18th Century Comic Opera course, with Emma Kirkby and Zak Ozmo
University Church Lecture Series, Oxford (November 2016)
Speaker and leader of historical acting workshop
International Rameau Ensemble, London (August 2016)
Historical acting coach at the International Rameau Ensemble, with Christian Curnyn
Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin (April 2016)
Acting coach and stage director at the Baroque Opera Course
The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities, University of Oxford (February 2016)
Historical acting workshop leader
International Rameau Ensemble, London (September 2015)
Historical acting coach and stage director at the International Rameau Ensemble with Christophe Rousset
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2015)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
New College, University of Oxford (April 2015)
Organiser and instructor of historical gesture of the Seminar on Historical Action, with Andrew Lawrence-King
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2014)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
Cambridge University Baroque Ensemble, Cambridge (February 2014)
Leader of seventeenth-century singing workshop
University of Burgos, Spain (July 2013)
Teacher of historical acting and stage director at the Baroque Opera Studio
City, University of London (Oct 2012 - June 2013)
Coordinator, music and stage director at the City Opera Ensemble