Greece 2 Euro 2016 Dimitri Mitropoulos

Dimitri Mitropoulos (01.03.1896 - 02.11.1960) was a well-known Greek composer, conductor and musician. As a young conductor he was already a top-class performer. He spent most of his life in the United States, where he became an American citizen in 1946. Because of his homosexuality living in America was not always easy. What was special about his way of conducting was that he did not use a baton, and no sheet-music was necessary! Dimitri Mitropoulos lived a simple Greek Orthodox lifestyle throughout his entire life. In the year 2016, it was 120 years since Dimitri Mitropoulos was born, and to commemorate this Greece has issued a special 2 Euro coin. On the coin is an image of Dimitri Mitropoulos looking to the left. On the left side of this image is the Greek text indicating 120 years since the birth of Dimitri Mitropoulos, including the Greek text meaning Greek Democracy, followed by the year 2016. The rest of the coin is filled with music notes. In the outer ring of the coin are the 12 stars of Europe.