Born in 1960 in the village Dipotamos, Kavala, Macedonia, of Pontic parents· his father was a church cantor. In 1976 he began playing the Pontic lyra in feasts and other musical events and, since 1981, he has taken part in numerous concerts. In the same year, he enrolled at the Evgenidio Conservatory of Athens.
During the same period, he released his first album called Anadromi ston Ponto (Retrogression in Pontus). Since then he has released a total of 45 albums either alone or in collaboration with other musicians. He has traveled to many countries performing and playing the traditional music of Pontus and has collaborated with well-known artists, taking part in numerous concerts throughout Greece. He has also composed music for Pontic theatres and events.
In 1988 he formed ‘Lyra’ (The Pontic Lyra Faculty of Learning) in Kallithea, Athens, a school for teaching traditional instruments – with emphasis on the Pontic lyra. He has given seminars on Pontic music in Greece and abroad and is a professor at the Department of Traditional Music of the Technological Educational Institute of Epirus in Arta.
Sources: www.trapezounta.com, www.pontosworld.com
