{"id":20460,"date":"2026-08-29T05:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T05:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/29\/athena-andreadis-to-perform-olympic-anthem-at-flame-ceremony\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T05:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T05:39:00","slug":"athena-andreadis-to-perform-olympic-anthem-at-flame-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/29\/athena-andreadis-to-perform-olympic-anthem-at-flame-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Athena Andreadis to Perform Olympic Anthem at Flame Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-first=\"S\">\n<h3>Internationally acclaimed Greek singer-songwriter Athena Andreadis will perform the Olympic Anthem at the Lighting and Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, after the Hellenic Olympic Committee selected her for the prestigious role.<\/h3>\n<p>The ceremony will take place on September 10, 2026, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.<\/p>\n<p>The selection represents a major honour for Andreadis, whose acclaimed music career spans seven albums, international awards and collaborations with some of the world\u2019s most respected artists.<\/p>\n<p>Her distinctions include a Grammy Award for her contribution to Leonard Cohen\u2019s album <em>You Want It Darker<\/em>, specifically the song \u201cTraveling Light\u201d, as well as a Best Singer-Songwriter Album award at the Independent Music Awards in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>The performance will also fulfil a personal dream for Andreadis, who will bring her own orchestral approach and interpretation to the Olympic Anthem, composed by Spyros Samaras with lyrics by Kostis Palamas for the revival of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.<\/p>\n<p>One hundred and thirty years after its historic connection with the Athens Games, the anthem will once again resonate at the Panathenaic Stadium, this time in Andreadis\u2019 voice.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">An international career spanning music, film and television<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Andreadis has performed sold-out concerts internationally and achieved high positions on British, American and Greek music charts.<\/p>\n<p>Her songs have featured in international television series, films, television commercials, BBC radio broadcasts and US programmes on networks including NBC and CBS, as well as on Netflix.<\/p>\n<p>Her music also featured in the Visit England campaign during the London Olympic Games.<\/p>\n<p>Channel 5 and Sky Arts have produced documentaries about her work, while major publications have praised her music. <em>Billboard<\/em> described her work as \u201cunique and powerful\u201d, while <em>The Guardian<\/em> called it \u201cbrave and original\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Andreadis has worked with acclaimed artists, producers and songwriters including Billy Steinberg, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Leonard Cohen. She has also shared the stage with internationally renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli.<\/p>\n<p>Her debut album, <em>Breathe With Me<\/em>, came out in 2007. She followed it with <em>Peeling Apples<\/em> (2012), <em>\u0393\u03ae\u03b9\u03bd\u03bf\u03b9 \u0386\u03b3\u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03b9<\/em>(2014), her only Greek-language album, <em>Ready for the Sun<\/em> (2017) and <em>Outside of Time<\/em> (2020), which she describes as her most mature recording work to date.<\/p>\n<p>She also released the single <em>Hands On Glass<\/em> in 2021 and has released two EPs, the earlier <em>Snapshot<\/em> and the forthcoming <em>Uncovered<\/em>. She recorded her two most recent albums with Grammy-nominated producer Ethan Allen.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Collaboration with Leonard Cohen<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>One of the defining moments of Andreadis\u2019 career came through her collaboration with Leonard Cohen on the legendary artist\u2019s final album, <em>You Want It Darker<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Andreadis performed \u201cTraveling Light\u201d on the album, with production by Cohen\u2019s son, Adam Cohen.<\/p>\n<p>She has also undertaken sold-out tours and performed at major concert halls and festivals around the world, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Troubadour and Glastonbury in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>In Greece, she has performed at the Athens Concert Hall with Dimitra Galani and contributed vocals to an album by Giannis Markopoulos. She also appeared at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre with Marios Fragkoulis and performed at major US festivals including SXSW.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Environmental and charitable work<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Andreadis has also used her music to support environmental and humanitarian causes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rolling Stone<\/em> has highlighted her environmental work as an ambassador for the Plastic Pollution Coalition in the United States, alongside figures including Jeff Bridges and Bonnie Raitt.<\/p>\n<p>Her charitable work includes performances and songwriting for organisations such as Concern Worldwide. In New York, she has performed songs inspired by environmental pollution and global peace.<\/p>\n<p>She also participated in the LA Insight event at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles in support of mental health and performed for Save the Children campaigns in both the UK and Germany.<\/p>\n<p>Starbucks selected her albums for its stores as part of efforts to raise funds for local charities in Greece.<\/p>\n<p>Andreadis has also performed the US national anthem, \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d, at the Huffington Center at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">From Greece to Los Angeles and the world<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Her collaboration with Andrea Bocelli became another major milestone in her career. The internationally acclaimed tenor selected her as the only Greek singer to accompany him live, recognising her rare three-octave vocal range and her ability to move naturally between opera and pop.<\/p>\n<p>Andreadis has become an ambassador for Greek music internationally, building a musical bridge between Los Angeles and Greece.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Greece and now based in Los Angeles, she combines classical music and jazz training with a bilingual Greek-English repertoire and the ability to move between contemporary and operatic vocal styles.<\/p>\n<p>For her interpretation of the Olympic Anthem, Andreadis aims to preserve its dignity while giving its poetry renewed emotional immediacy.<\/p>\n<p>The closing invocation, \u201cImmortal Spirit\u201d \u2014 \u201c\u03a0\u03bd\u03b5\u03cd\u03bc\u03b1 \u03b1\u03b8\u03ac\u03bd\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd\u201d \u2014 represents the connection she seeks to create between the ancient roots of the Olympic Games, Greece, Los Angeles and a global audience united by the Olympic ideal.<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">New music coming in autumn 2026<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Andreadis will release her new EP, <em>Uncovered<\/em>, in autumn 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The project will feature her interpretations of earlier songs that reveal the musical influences and foundations of her career, including artists with whom she has collaborated or who have influenced her creatively, such as Leonard Cohen, The Rolling Stones and Nick Cave.<\/p>\n<p>The EP will also draw on her connection with classical music and, naturally, Greek music, which formed an important part of her musical upbringing.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<footer class=\"article-tags entry-footer\">\n<div>\n\t\t<strong>Tags:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\tAndrea Bocelli, Athena Andreadis, Dakar 2026, Greece, greek music, Greek singer, Hellenic Olympic Committee, Leonard Cohen, Los Angeles, Olympic Anthem, Olympic flame, Panathenaic stadium, Youth Olympic Games\t<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"category_container author-information\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<section id=\"authorpage\" class=\"authorpage\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/74a7af42a3ee68b1eb9b880b91e3e713144e269e50db87b04a35501c8e1351f8?s=164&amp;r=g\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/74a7af42a3ee68b1eb9b880b91e3e713144e269e50db87b04a35501c8e1351f8?s=328&amp;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-164 photo lazyload\" height=\"164\" width=\"164\" decoding=\"async\"\/>\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"author-content\">\n<h5>Kosta Papadopoulos<\/h5>\n<p>Kosta Papadopoulos is an editor at Greek City Times, covering Greek and international news, travel, sport, and entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/2026\/08\/29\/athena-andreadis-to-perform-olympic-anthem-at-flame-ceremony\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Internationally acclaimed Greek singer-songwriter Athena Andreadis will perform the Olympic Anthem at the Lighting and Handover Ceremony of the Olympic Flame for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, after the Hellenic Olympic Committee selected her for the prestigious role. The ceremony will take place on September 10, 2026, at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Athena Andreadis to Perform Olympic Anthem at Flame Ceremony\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/29\/athena-andreadis-to-perform-olympic-anthem-at-flame-ceremony\/#more-20460\" aria-label=\"Read more about Athena Andreadis to Perform Olympic Anthem at Flame Ceremony\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":1,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/athina.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-greece.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}