(1924–2007) | A virtuoso santur player —as well as violinist, xylophonist, and percussionist— he was born in Maritsa, Rhodes, and died in Athens. He began music lessons at the age of 10 and, two years later, was already performing as a folk musician at weddings and village festivals on his island. He later studied violin at the Rhodes branch of the National Conservatoire (1939–1945).
In 1954 he settled in Athens, where he worked as a santur soloist with the Dora Stratou Ballets and continued his studies at the National Conservatoire under M. Kalomoiris and L. Zoras, as well as in percussion (xylophone and metallophone).
He initially collaborated with the Greek Dances Theatre “Dora Stratou”. In 1964 he joined the Light Orchestra of the EIR and later the ERT National Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until 1989, while also collaborating with the Greek National Opera Orchestra.
He worked with Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, and other major Greek composers, recorded music for theater and cinema, and performed extensively in Greece and abroad. He taught santur in both Athens and Rhodes, where, from 1987 onward, he directed the “National Music Workshop” of the Cultural Organization of the Municipality of Rhodes.
In addition to his numerous collaborations, he released several personal albums, leaving a significant legacy within the discography of Greek traditional music.
Source: Wikipedia (accessed 2025)
