Eva Lydia Tzouganaki on Teaching, Performing, and Musical Excellence

Eva Lydia Tzouganaki was awarded the Platinum Prize and the Distinguished Musicality Special Award in the Romantic B (Over Age 17) category of the 2025 Season 2 World Grand Prix International Music Contest.

Can you introduce yourself and share how you got into music?

I am Eva Lydia Tzouganaki ( 25 years old) , a piano Teacher at the Municipal Conservatory of Rethymno, Greece. I started playing the piano at 6 years old. I received my piano degree with distinction from the Hellenic Conservatory in 2022, under the guidance of my professor Diana Naghi to whom I owe my progress.

Could you tell us more about your award-winning work?

I always enjoyed performing pieces from the romantic period. Michail Glinka and his variations on the nightingale theme by Alyabev which i performed are a remarkable example of Russian romantic style.

For the preparation of my performance I practiced hands separately often and I applied dotted rhythms on the technically demanding passages. Though it sounds lyric and simple, I would say that this piece is very demanding and complicated. I performed this piece with dexterity and relaxed hand movement in passages such variation cantabile with the remark " abbandonando la mano" and the coda which requires rapid and delicate movement in the left hand when overlapping the right hand. I also wanted to portray the nightingale's song and chirping in my interpretation. Finally I wanted to convey my expressivity during my performance.

Would you like to share your experience participating in our competition and anyone you'd like to thank?

I was honoured to receive Platinum prize and distinguished musicality special award in the world grand prix competition. Though it is my first time participating in a WOMCO competition I have sent often my student's in WOMCO competitions and I have received many teacher's awards following their prizes. As for my own success I would like to thank my professor Diana Naghi and my students who inspire me with their progress.

Biography

I started playing the piano at 6 years old. In 2010 I received second place in the Muse international competition. I received my piano degree with distinction from the Hellenic Conservatory in 2022. I started teaching piano at the municipal Conservatory of Rethymno in 2022. During the years 2023-2024 I attended and received my Piano teacher's course UK certification. During the years 2024 and 2025 many of my students have won prizes at WOMCO competitions. Namely 2 of my students ages 7 and 11 won silver prizes at the Beethovinci online competition in their age category in season 2 2024. An other 15 year old student won silver prize at the UK International Music Competition in the étude category with l' orage by Bugmuller season 1 2025. An other student of 12 years old won silver prize at the Bizet online competition in the baroque category with Scarlatti aria k32 in season 2 2025. Finally an other student won silver prize at the Couperin International Music Competition in the Sonata category with Beethoven Sonata op. 49 no 1 . Thanks to my student's awards I am included in WOMCO's list of exceptional music teachers. Finally in 2025 I started my master' s degree on Music Education.

Work

• 2022-2023 Piano teacher at the Conservatory of municipality

• 2023-24 of Rethymno, Crete

• 2024-

Studies

• 2023 - Degree in philosophical and social studies – UOC

• 2022 - Piano degree of The Hellenic Conservatory

• 2025 - Started my master's degree on music education- UNIC

Foreign Languages

• 2021 - French C2 Delf

• 2014 - English Β2 CAMBRIDGE

• Russian (Russian Mother)

Piano Achievements and Development:

• 2010 - Second place in piano at international music competition “The Muse”

• 2023 - Participation in a masterclass in Rethymno by Christina Ralea organized by Μουσικός Καρπός

• 2023-2024 - PTC course UK ( piano teacher's course)

• 2024 - Tes safeguarding Child protection in Education( music)

• 2024 - Teacher's award from Beethoven International Music Competition UK,

  after 2 of my students won silver medal

• 2025 - Teacher award from UK online competition following my student's

  silver prize in the étude category with L' orage by F. Burgmuller

  ( 15 years old)

• 2025 - My student won 3rd place at the Pianissima UK competition

  Lille, France ( 8 years old)

• 2025 - Teacher award from the Georges Bizet International Music Competition following my student's silver prize in the baroque category with Scarlatti aria k32 ( 12 years old)

• 2025 - Teacher award from Couperin International Music Competition following student's silver prize in the Sonata category with Beethoven Sonata op 49 no.2

• 2025 - Platinum prize and distinguished musicality special award from the World Grand Prix International Music Contest for my interpretation of Glinka's variations on the nightingale theme

  
  

#MusicCompetition #TalentedMusician #AwardWinningPerformance