Niki Harlafti — music production and concert coordination assistant

Niki Harlafti is a Greek, Chicago-based composer. Her work pivots between sensitivity and violence, comedy and drama, musical and theatrical narrativity; it exists in the reflective space between the familiar and the unfamiliar. She is passionate about social justice and strives to make art in ways that reflect her values.

 Her works have been performed by Neue Vocalsolisten, loadbang, ~Nois, The Megalopolis Saxophone Orchestra, conductor Donald Nally (BCE), bassoonist Ben Roidl-Ward, guitarist Ruben Mattia Santorsa, saxophonist Thomas Giles, and others. Her music has been presented at LSO St.Luke’s (London), Onassis Stegi (Athens, GR), Roulette (NYC), Rambert Dance (London), Constellation (Chicago), the DiMenna Center (NYC), Musikinstitut Darmstadt (DE), IYCA Ticino (CH), June in Buffalo Festival (NY), ECCE Music Festival (FR), soon at impuls (AT), and at numerous international dance film festivals.

 Her recent projects include doRon eauTomb, a commission for violin and cello by the Onassis Foundation (GR | 2024), Tee Khe Theemen for five voices, premiered by Neue Vocalsolisten (CH | 2023), The Blood of Others for bassoon and electronics, premiered by Ben Roidl-Ward (U.S. | 2024), and the soundtrack for the awarded dance film Migdal by Anima Libera Dance Company (GR | 2022). In search of expressive means that transcend absolute music, she has collaborated with several poets, including Laura Mullen and Sun Yung Shin (U.S.), choreographers Mikaela Kanzafiri (GR) and Nancy Nerantzi (U.K./GR), film maker Christos Kapatos (GR), painter Francisco Ledesma (MX), and other visual artists.

 Niki holds a PhD in Music Composition from Northwestern University (Chicago), and a M.M. in Composition and Theory from New England Conservatory of Music (Boston). Her mentors include Hans Thomalla, Stratis Minakakis, Jay Alan Yim and Anthony Coleman.