Mozart’s Costa violin visited Athens on the occasion of the inauguration of the International Community (Koinon) of Academies, held at the Academy of Athens on 9–10 February 2026. The visit took place following the initiative of the International Mozarteum Foundation and Mozarteum Hellas.
Special Presentation – Sunday, 8 February 2026
On Sunday, 8 February, Mozarteum Hellas organized a special presentation of Mozart’s Costa violin. On this occasion, Yiannis Iatrou became the second Greek violinist, the first Greek male, and the youngest Greek violinist to perform on Mozart’s Costa violin.
The violin was presented by Ulrich Leisinger, Director of Research (Research / Mozart Institute) at the International Mozarteum Foundation. In addition to Yiannis Iatrou, Anja Morgenstern and Nina Patrikidou also performed on the historic instrument.
The exclusive event was attended by H.E. Cagatay Erciyes, Ambassador of Türkiye, H.E. Yussef Dorkhom, Ambassador of Palestine, H.E. Rui Macieira, Ambassador of Portugal, H.E. Ju-seong Lim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Micheline Matadi, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sonja Harreither, Consul of Austria, who delivered a welcome address. Many members of Mozarteum Hellas were also present.
Finally, Mozarteum Hellas awarded Dr Ulrich Leisinger and Dr Anja Morgenstern an honorary plaque for their outstanding contribution to the promotion of the Organisation’s goals and activities.
International Community (Koinon) of Academies Inaugural Symposium – Monday, 9 February 2026
On Monday, 9 February, Mozart’s Costa violin was presented by Dr. Ulrich Leisinger and performed by Nina Patrikidou (violin) and Evgenia Votanopoulou (piano) at the Academy of Athens, during the International Community (Koinon) of Academies Inaugural Symposium.
That same evening, at the gala dinner held at the Acropolis Museum, the Mozarteum Hellas Ensemble performed works by Mozart using the Costa violin. The ensemble consisted of Nina Patrikidou (Mozart’s Costa violin), Evgenia Votanopoulou (piano), Anastasia Pramateftaki (violin), and Krystalia Gaitanou (viola).
The program included KV 636, KV 630, and KV 648. Notably, KV 648 was performed for the first time on Mozart’s Costa violin.
During the gala dinner, Dr. Leisinger and Dr. Iatrou had the opportunity to present Mozart’s Costa violin to the Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic, Olga Kefalogianni, and to the Founder and President of the Delphi Economic Forum, Symeon Tsomokos.
For the first time, Mozart’s Costa violin was presented on Greek television. Nina Patrikidou (Mozart’s Costa violin) and Yiannis Iatrou (violin) — the only two Greek violinists to have performed on Mozart’s Costa violin — appeared on the leading news television station SKAI TV, on the program Live You.
This marked the third visit of Mozart’s Costa violin to Greece, following:
- Its inaugural reception by Mozarteum Hellas on 2 May 2019 in Ekali
- Its exhibition on 24 September 2023 at the Palace of the Grand Master, in the Medieval City of Rhodes, where thousands of visitors admired the instrument and later experienced its sound during a concert in the monumental courtyard of the Palace
