Kostas Grigoreas, one of the most distinguished figures in the Greek guitar community – of whom Manos Hadjidakis once said: ‘Kostas Grigoreas is one of the most gifted Greek guitarists of our time. Contemporary in his understanding of the guitar and deeply cultivated musically…’ – has joined the Kalogeropoulos Conservatoire as Inspector of Guitar.
We welcome him warmly and look forward to a creative and fruitful collaboration!
Biography
Born in Athens in 1957, Kostas Grigoreas has studied guitar, advanced music theory, and music technology. He began his guitar studies at an early age with music teacher Yannis Andreopoulos, subsequently studying in the class of guitarist Dimitris Fambas at the National Conservatoire, from which he graduated with distinction. He studied music theory with Michalis Vourtsis, Nikiforos Nevrakis, and Petros Tsitsopoulos (Fugue Certificate).
He continued his postgraduate studies in England on a British Council scholarship, studying guitar and advanced theory at the Royal Northern College of Music with Gordon Crosskey, John Williams, and pianist and conductor Giorgos Hatzinikos, graduating with a Postgraduate Diploma of the University of Manchester.
His activities encompass concerts, composition, song accompaniment, recording productions, and teaching. His long-standing collaborations as a classical guitar soloist in concerts and recordings include some of the most important Greek composers and songwriters – among them Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Mamagkakis, Yannis Spanos, Christos Leontis, Notis Mavroudis, Michalis Travlos, Lena Platonos, and Kyriakos Tzortzinakis – as well as distinguished singers including Savina Yannatou, Aliki Kayialoglu, Maria Dimitriadi, Nena Venetsanou, Anna Parlapanau, Fléry Ntantwnaki, Lakis Pappas, Mariza Koch, and Haris Alexiou, among many other eminent Greek and international musicians.
He has performed in concerts and recorded for radio and television in most European countries, as well as in America, Africa, and the Far East.
A composer of ‘rich vision’ (in the words of leading music critic Giorgos Leotsakos), he has made a significant contribution to the repertoire of Greek instrumental music, with particular emphasis on the classical guitar – both as a solo instrument and as part of an ensemble. The greater part of his output has been performed in concert, recorded, and made available online, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Most of his works have been published, either in print by Papagrigoriu-Nakas or in digital form by the Swiss publisher Musicaneo and the French publisher Free-scores. In 2013, his composition ‘My Sky’ for two guitars was awarded first prize in a global composition competition with online voting organised by Free-scores.
He holds a notable presence in discography both as a composer and as a classical guitar soloist, with recordings for solo guitar, chamber music, voice and guitar, and numerous contributions to works by contemporary composers.
As a music educator, following the great tradition of Greek guitar virtuosi and teaching students of all ages, he has established a school from which a number of distinguished guitarists have emerged, most of whom are already pursuing successful professional careers.
He teaches and serves as Inspector of Guitar at the Pythagoreio and Experimental Psychiko Conservatoires in Athens, and at Polyrhythmia in Preveza, where he is also a principal organiser of the ‘Music Days of Preveza’. He serves as a jury member in international music competitions, and is a regular member of the Union of Greek Composers.
Together with Notis Mavroudis, he publishes ‘TaR – an online music journal with the guitar as its starting point’ (http://www.tar.gr/).
Official website: http://www.grigoreas.gr