(1964–2025) | He was born in Angelokastro, Agrinio. In his family only his grandfather, Yannis Kountouris, played the clarinet. He was a self-taught musician whose main instrument was the clarinet, with a repertoire focused primarily on music from Roumeli and Epirus. His style showed influences from Yannis Vassilopoulos and Vassilis Saleas, and, based on his recordings for the Third Programme of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, he was regarded as one of the notable performers of his generation, with particularly interesting results in improvisation.
A highlight of his career was his selection by Mikis Theodorakis to perform orchestrated works for clarinet — an invitation extended after numerous auditions of prominent clarinetists. He was also active as a teacher, dedicating considerable time to his students and helping to cultivate a new generation of talented performers who later appeared in various musical ensembles.
He also played the flute (flogera) and zourna, and crafted flutes himself. He loved improvisation and frequently experimented with new musical ideas and sound worlds.
Source: Yiorgos E. Papadakis’ archive
