Helle, The Opera

Helle, The Opera, an original work by Christos Salatelis with music by Janos Agocsi, inspired by the Modern Greek philosopher and educator Helle Lambridis (1896-1970)

Event time:  7:30-8:30pm (Doors open at 7:15pm)

Join us for this innovative production, which brings together scholarship and artistic creation, exploring Lambridis’ intellectual legacy through music, poetry and performance.

The opera will be performed as a tribute to Christos Salatelis, a Reading PhD student, who very sadly passed away on 24th April 2026, to honour his memory and celebrate the remarkable work he leaves behind.

Christos was a PhD student in Languages and Cultures, and wrote the libretto for Helle, The Opera. ‘Helle’ is based on the life of Helle Lambridis (1896-1970), a modern Greek philosopher, educator, and at one time collaborator and romantic partner of the acclaimed novelist, Nikos Kazantzakis.

Christos worked closely with the Hungarian composer, Janos Agocsi, on the music, raised funds, and arranged to have the opera staged on campus, before he died aged 55 in April.

Although Christos will not be in the audience to witness it, members of his family and loved ones are expected to attend.

Christos came to Reading as a mature student, having completed his studies in Art History at Birkbeck, University of London, obtaining a First-class BA (Hons) degree in 2016, and the Mo (Maureen) Price Award for the Best BA Dissertation, and then a MA with Distinction in 2018.

His PhD in Reading was on education through art, looking in particular at the English educator Sir Alec Clegg. Christos’ PhD was funded by a prestigious scholarship from the Arts and Humanities Council (AHRC), having won the studentship of the SWW Collaborative Doctoral Award on  ‘Nature, imagination, and tradition in progressive education: The role of art in Sir Alec Clegg’s (1909-1986) conception of children’s education and its legacy.’

Christos was also a key student member of the Society for Modern Greek Studies. He had been organising the Society’s annual research colloquium in Reading, but did not live to enjoy the fruit of his work. This colloquium is a major event for researchers on Modern Greece who come together from around the world to present and discuss their work.  

Christos became interested in Lambridis’ work as a progressive educator in his home country of Greece. Lambridis spent twenty years in the UK (1939-59), initially coming with a British Council scholarship to study the British education system. 

During her life, Lambridis was active in left-wing Greek politics and was a published writer of fiction and on archaeology. The Elli Lambridi Philosophical Library was established in her name in Athens after her death in 1970.

As Lambridis’ work has only recently started to come to prominence, Christos intended the opera to share it more widely.

Helle, The Opera will explore Lambridis’ legacy through music, poetry and performance.