About
I was born in 1988 in Thessaloniki, and I grew up in Athens. I studied classical guitar and music theory in various private conservatories since I was 10 years old, and graduated in 2008 with a performance degree in guitar, and degrees in advanced harmony and counterpoint.
My university education comprises of three degrees: a Bachelor and Master of Arts from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2006-2011), where I studied music composition in the class of Christos Samaras, a Master of Music from Boston University (2011-2013), where I studied music composition in the class of Joshua Fineberg, and a PhD in Theory and Music Composition from New York University (2013-2019), where I studied music composition with Elizabeth Hoffman, Jaime Oliver, and Louis Karchin. At the same time as my doctoral studies in music, as an inter-consortium exchange student I had a chance to study continental philosophy at the New School for Social Research (2014-2016) close to professors of philosophy such as Jay Bernstein, Simon Critchley, and David Carr, among others.
My dissertation, Luigi Nono and the Metaphysics of the Avant-Garde, was an inter-disciplinary project that explored the late work of Luigi Nono through the lens of the theories of the avant-garde, Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, and Heidegger’s early and late work. My academic research lies at the intersection between music composition, musicology, music analysis, art history, and continental philosophy. Theories of post-humanism, new materialism, and the work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty have been recently added to my current research plans.
I am the recipient of major international prizes in music composition, including the prestigious Henri Lazarof Commission Prize and the First Prize in Toru Takemitsu Award, among a long list, in addition to important fellowships for academic or artistic research, including the Onassis Foundation Fellowship Award, Leventis Foundation Fellowship Award, New York University Mellon Dissertation Fellowship Award in the Humanities, New York University H. M. MacCracken Fellowship Award, Boston University College of Fine Arts Tuition Scholarship, IKY Scholarship Award, Eleni Gatzoyiannis Scholarship, and Gerondelis Foundation Scholarship.
My compositional output consists of 44 works, the most accomplished of which are Bacchae’s Voice, a concert-long (65’) music theater work based on Euripides’ tragedy Bacchae commissioned by the Greek Ministry of Culture (2021); Fragile, a 32-min-long chamber work commissioned by Brandeis University for Sound Icon (2021); Stereo Fonie, a work for two singing accordionists and two singers commissioned by the Darmstadt Summer Courses for the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart (2021); DUST, a short music drama (25’) based on Lord Byron’s love poetry commissioned by the Greek National Opera (2020); Bacchae Paralipomena, a major chamber work (40’) commissioned and premiered by loadbang ensemble in New York City (2018), Institution Imaginaire, another major chamber work (45’) for string quartet commissioned and premiered by Momenta Quartet in New York City (2017), and two large orchestra works, one commissioned by the Athens State Orchestra (2014) and the other commissioned and awarded by the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Tokyo Opera House (2012).
My compositional skills have been honed by the very diverse sorts of groups and people I have written for and by the extensive experience I have had of high quality professional performances. These include commissions by prestigious institutions such as the Greek National Opera, the Greek Ministry of Culture, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Athens State Orchestra, Orchestra of the League of Composers, Boston University Orchestra, Sofia Soloists String Orchestra, in addition to commissions and close collaboration with well-established ensembles of new music in the US and abroad such as Momenta Quartet, JACK quartet, Mivos Quartet, Sound Icon, Talea Ensemble, loadbang, Dal Niente Ensemble, mdi Ensemble, Yarn Wire, TAK Ensemble, ALEA III, Wild Rumpus, Stuttgart Neuevocalsolisten, Garage Ensemble, Curious Chamber Players, Suono Giallo, Namascae Lemanic Ensemble, Next Mushroom Promotion, Popocatepetl Percussion Duo, Konus Quartett, Thailand Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Ergon Ensemble, dissonArt Ensemble, Greek Ensemble of Contemporary Music, IAMA, Idée Fixe, GuitArte Ensemble, and with conductors or soloists such as Jeff Means, Noahiro Totsuka, Theodore Antoniou, Vladimiros Simeonides, Loukas Karitinos, Miltos Logiadis, Christos Kechris, Ryoko Aoki, Angèl Chemin, Yoshiko Hannya, Andreas Fischer, and Amy Advocat.
My professional experience has also been significantly enriched by a large number of selections of my music works and invitations I have received to attend renowned international festivals such as Darmstadt International Summer Course in Darmstadt, Germany (2021, 2012), Mixtur in Barcelona, Spain (2021), St. Petersburg International New Music Festival reMusik.org, Russia (2021), Sounds of Wander in Milan, Italy (2018), Avaloch Farm Music Institute in New Hampsire, USA (2017), Il Suono Contemporary Music Week in Citta di Castelo, Italy (2016), Composit New Music Festival in Rieti, Italy (2016), June in Buffalo in the University at Buffalo (2016), Northwestern University New Music Festival (NUNC 1 in Chicago, USA (2014), Program Voix Nouvelles, Session de Composition in Fondation Royaumont, France (2013), Musiikin Aika Festival in Vitasaari, Finland (2013), and Takefu International Music Festival, Japan (2013). I have also attended masterclasses or seminars of music composition with composers and teachers such as Pierluigi Billone, Brian Ferneyhough, Toshio Hosokawa, Chaya Czernowin, Hans Thomalla, Salvatore Sciarrino, Beat Furrer, Philippe Leroux, Oscar Bianchi, Raphaël Cendo, Mark Andre, Fabien Lévy, Stefano Gervasoni, Francesco Filidei, Rebecca Saunders, and Serjej Newski.
I have been invited to give lectures about my music or other topics of compositional interest by Northwestern University of Chicago, New York University Department of Music at GSAS, New England Conservatory in Boston, Aetopouleio Cultural Center of Athens, a joint conference of Harvard and Tufts Universities, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Manhattan School of Music.
I currently live in Athens, Greece, I work as adjunct faculty at the Athens Conservatory College of Music, and pursue post-doctoral fellow research at the Department of Music Studies of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Education
Artistic Prizes
Fellowships and Academic Awards
Residencies / Festivals
Invited Talks
Teaching
Collaborations
Discography
Education
Ph.D. New York University
Graduate School of Arts and Science, Department of Music
Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory and Composition (2013-2019)
(Class of Elizabeth Hoffman)
M.M. Boston University
College of Fine Arts, School of Music
Master in Music Composition (2011-2013)
(Class of Joshua Fineberg)
B.A. & M.A Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)
School of Fine Arts, Department of Music
Bachelor of Arts & Master of Arts (2006-2011)
(Class of Christos Samaras)
Diploma Municipal Conservatory of Moschato (Greece)
Department of Guitar
Diploma of Proficiency in Classical Guitar (2008)
(Class of Nikos Chatzieleftheriou)
Degree Music College Conservatory of Thessaloniki (Greece)
Department of Music Theory
Degree in Counterpoint (2006-2008)
(Class of Giorgos Sakkalieros)
Degree. Municipal Conservatory of Moschato (Greece)
Department of Music Theory
Degree in Classical Harmony (2003-2006)
(Class of Chryssa Grenda)
Artistic Prizes
(2021) Winner of the 2nd Henri Lazarof International Composition Competition
Commission for a new work for clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano
(2020) Grand Prix Winner, Second International Competition of Composers New Music Generation
for symphonic composition (Kazakhstan)
(2020) Winner of the Call Miniatures for Revolution by the Greek National Opera
Commission for a new dance video with original music (Greece)
(2020) Finalist, International Percussion Premiere Night 2nd Edition, Trieste (Italy)
(2017) Prize Winner, loadbang’s 6th Commission Competition
Commission of a new work: Bacchae: Paralipomena
(2015) 1st Prize, ALEA III International Composition Competition
(2013) Prize Winner, Wild Rumpus Commissioning Project
Commission of new work: DreamPlay, for six performers
(2013) Finalist, Ninth Thailand International Composition Competition
(2012) 1st Prize, International Composition Competition Toru Takemitsu (judge: Toshio Hosokawa)
(2012) Winner of TAKEFU Composition Award, TAKEFU International Music Festival (Japan)
(2012) Finalist, International Composers’ Pyramid: Sounds Festival (UK) & Coupe de Vents (France)
(2012) 1st Prize, Fifth National Composition Competition D.Dragatakis (Greece)
(2012) 3rd Prize, International Composition Competition Synthermia (Greece)
(2011) 1st Prize, Eleventh National Composition Competition Y.A. Papaioannou (Greece)
(2010) 2nd Prize, Sofia International Composition Competition for string orchestra (Bulgaria)
(2010) 2nd Prize and Special Award, Antonin Dvorak International Composition Competition (Czech Republic)
(2009) 2nd Prize, Third National Composition Competition Dimitris Dragatakis (Greece)
(2009) Finalist, Seventh National Competition Festival of Chamber Music (Greece)
(2008) Honorable Mention, Sixth National Competition Festival of Chamber Music (Greece)
Fellowships and Academic Awards
(2018-2019) Mellon Dissertation Fellowship Award in the Humanities, New York University
(2013-2018) H. M. MacCracken Fellowship Award, New York University
(Summer 2018) NYU Global Research Initiative Dissertation Writing Fellowship (NYU Paris)
(Spring 2018) NYU Global Research Initiative Fellowship (NYU Athens)
(Spring 2017) NYU Global Research Initiative Fellowship (NYU Berlin)
(2013-2017) Onassis Foundation Fellowship Award (Athens/New York City)
(2013-2016) Leventis Foundation Fellowship Award (Greece/Switzerland)
(2011-2013) College of Fine Arts Scholarship in Boston University
(2011-2013) IKY Scholarship (State Scholarship Foundation)
(2012-2013) Eleni Gatzoyiannis Scholarship
(2011-2012) Gerondelis Foundation Scholarship
Residencies / Festivals
(2022) Teatri del Suono: Festival di musica e culture contemporanee, in Trieste, Italy.
New Work for Popocatepetl Percussion Duo.
(2021) Darmstadt International Summer Course, in Darmstadt, Germany.
New work for Neuevocalsolisten and accordionists from the class of Krassimir Sterev.
(2021) Mixtur, in Barcelona, Spain.
New work for Garage Ensemble.
(2021) St. Petersburg International New Music Festival reMusik.org, Russia.
New work for Konus Saxophone Quartet.
(2018) Sounds of Wander, in Milan, Italy.
Performance by Emsemble mdi.
(2017) Avaloch Farm Music Institute, New Hampsire, USA.
Residency with and performances by loadbang.
(2016) Il Suono Contemporary Music Week, Citta di Castelo, Italy.
New work for Ensemble Suono Giallo.
(2016) Composit New Music Festival, in Rieti, Italy.
New work for Ensemble mdi.
(2016) June in Buffalo, University at Buffalo.
New work for Dal Niente Ensemble.
(2014) Northwestern University New Music Festival (NUNC 1), USA.
Performance by Mivos Quartet.
(2013) Program Voix Nouvelles, Session de Composition, Fondation Royaumont, France.
New work for Namascae Lemanic Ensemble.
(2013) Musiikin Aika Festival, Vitasaari, Finland.
New work for Curious Chamber Players.
(2013) Takefu International Music Festival, Japan.
New work for Next Mushroom Promotion.
(2012) Darmstadt International Summer Course, Darmstadt, Germany.
New work for dissonArt ensemble.
Commissioning Composition Workshops for Students
(2012) ALEA III Workshop for Young Composers, Boston, USA
New Work for ALEA III New Music Ensemble
(2010) 10th Music Composition Workshop of Athens’ Megaron for young composers
New Work for Dissonart Ensemble.
(2009) 3rd Music Composition Workshop of Thessaloniki’s Megaron for Young Composers.
New York for Greek Ensemble of Contemporary Music.
Invited Talks
(2022) Northwestern University of Chicago
Presentation of my compositional work. Invited in the Composers’ Forum.
(2022) New York University Department of Music at GSAS
Embodying Materiality and Enacting a Lived-Sound-Space: From Fragile Sounds to the Fragile World from the Perspective of a Composer. Invited Lecture.
(2022) New England Conservatory in Boston.
Presentation of my compositional work. Invited in the studio of Stratis Minakakis
(2018) Aetopouleio Cultural Center of Athens: Mozart and Deconstruction. Guest Lecturer
(2016) Harvard and Tufts Universities: The Historical Trajectory of Dialectical Listening and the Metaphysics of the Avant-Garde in the Work of Luigi Nono: An Application to A Pierre. Dell’ azzurro silenzio inquietum (1985). Presentation of paper in the conference Utopian Listening: Luigi Nono’s Later Electroacoustic Works –Technologies, Aesthetics, Histories, Futures.
(2016) Composit New Music Festival: Heidegger's Conceptions of Ecstatic Temporality and Nihilism as Means to the Redefinition of a Musical Avant-Garde. Riety, Italy, July 12, 2016. Invited Lecture for the Composers' Symposium.
(2015) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki: Techniques of Literature in the Service of New Music Composition: Allegory, Montage, Fragmentation, Delinearization. Guest Lecturer.
(2013) Manhattan School of Music: Presentation of my work. Guest Lecturer.
(2012) Greek Ministry of Education: The Role of Art in the Modern University: Seeking for Academic Excellence. Invited speaker for the conference “The Institution of Excellence in the Highest Education” organized by the program Academic Excellence.
Teaching
(2022-2023) Athens Conservatory Music College
Instructor, Associated Skills for Instrumentalists
Instructor, Associated Skills for Vocalists
(2016) New York University College of Arts and Sciences
Instructor, Music Theory III
Instructor, Music Theory II
(2015) New York University College of Arts and Sciences
Instructor, Harmony & Counterpoint
(2011-2013) Boston University School of Music
Instructor, Aural Skill Classes
Departmental Tutor of Music Theory
Collaborations
Orchestras
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Athens State Orchestra, Orchestra of the League of Composers, Boston University Orchestra, Sofia Soloists String Orchestra
String Quartets
Momenta Quartet, JACK quartet, Mivos Quartet
Ensembles
Sound Icon, Talea Ensemble, loadbang, Dal Niente Ensemble, mdi Ensemble, Yarn Wire, TAK Ensemble, ALEA III, Wild Rumpus, Stuttgart Neuevocalsolisten, Garage Ensemble, Curious Chamber Players, Suono Giallo, Namascae Lemanic Ensemble, Next Mushroom Promotion, Popocatepetl Percussion Duo, Konus Quartett, Thailand Ensemble of Contemporary Music, Ergon Ensemble, dissonArt Ensemble, Greek Ensemble of Contemporary Music, IAMA, Idée Fixe, GuitArte Ensemble
Discography
(2015) Traces
GuitArte Ensemble
Label: Ekfrassis Production
(includes Le Phantôme de Marseille, for five guitarists, two actresses, live video art, and lights, 2013, commissioned by GuitArte Ensemble)
Find Traces Here
(2012) Flute Dimensions
Ria Georgiadou
Label: Irida
(includes une petite oeuvre pour l’écho des rêves I, for alto flute and guitar, 2012, commissioned by Ria Georgiadou)
Find Flute Dimensions Here