My name is Alkis Karmpaliotis. I was born in 2006 and live in New York, and I am a rising freshman at the University of Chicago. I am deeply passionate about classical music and opera, and I credit my parents and music instructor, Dr. Carol Ann Aicher, for introducing me to them. When I was 12, I founded AppreciateOpera.org to share that passion with the world and encourage other children to give opera a chance.

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About Appreciate Opera

 

In 2019, I started working on a "How to Appreciate Opera" guide, with the ultimate goal of growing opera's audience and making it more accessible to the public. Over the next few years, I would continuously expand upon my Appreciate Opera Guide, write over forty articles covering everything from operatic history to performance reviews, and create opera-themed quizzes.

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Some of my most popular articles are:

• "Ranking the Top Ten Orchestras in the World" (100,000+ views)

• "Ranking the Top Ten Opera Houses in the World" (40,000+ views)

• "Where to Sit at the Metropolitan Opera" (50,000+ views)

 

I have also had the pleasure of interviewing several influential musicians, scholars, and administrators — all of whom I reached out to either through social media or by contacting their agencies — including four GRAMMY winners. I conducted my first interview in 2020, and have since added six more:

• Peter Gelb — General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera

• Anthony Roth Costanzo — GRAMMY-winning counter-tenor

• Lawrence Brownlee — world-renowned Tenor

• Andrew Litton — Music Director of the NYC Ballet and GRAMMY winner

• Mark S. Doss — GRAMMY-winning Bass-Baritone

• Dr. Gundula Kreuzer — musicologist and Acting Chair of the Yale Department of Music

• Michael Repper — GRAMMY-winning conductor

• Antonello Manacorda — world-famous conductor

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In September 2023, I began accepting articles from guest writers. Now, AppreciateOpera.org has a staff of four dedicated columnists, including fellow high schoolers, college students, and adults. Later that year, I was approached by an advertising company to write an official review of a new children's book, Welcome to the Opera: Discover the Enchanting World of Opera with Mozart's "The Magic Flute" — which I published on my website. In 2024, I was hired by the classical music marketing agency UnisonMedia to review New York's PROTOTYPE opera festival, during which I was given free tickets and press access.

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Since its foundation, AppreciateOpera.org has been on the constant rise. From February 2019 to January 2021, the site garnered a measly 7,000 unique visitors, but since then, the site has been viewed by over 500,000 individuals. As of June 2023, AppreciateOpera.org has nearly 4,000 subscribed members. I hope to maintain this upward trajectory and inspire more people to appreciate opera along the way.

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About Alkis!

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My favorite composers are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Verdi, and Richard Wagner, and my favorite operas are Die Zauberflöte, La Traviata, and Tristan und Isolde.

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I am also an avid fan of modern musical theater. In the summer of 2023, I interned at the Kaufman Music Center Summer Musical Theater Workshop, where I helped young kids (aged 6-7) learn music and theater. The experience was life-changing; I got to meet amazing people, perform in incredible original shows, and, most importantly, inspire and teach young kids to love and appreciate music.

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In 2024, I was invited by Dr. Marc Dickey to co-teach an Intro to Music course at California State University, Fullerton. I taught four classes on operatic history, covering Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, and contemporary composers. My work as a Teaching Assistant taught me about the value of sharing my passion with others and inspiring other young people to go to the opera.

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In addition to music, I also love writing and journalism. In August 2020, I authored my first article for OperaWire.com, the largest opera website in the world, "How Young People Can Get Interested in Opera," and I am currently an OperaWire contributing columnist. In early 2023, I became the Editor-in-Chief of my school newspaper, The Fieldston News, as a sophomore.

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Regardless of where life takes me, music will always hold a firm place in my heart.