Manolis M.

Cretan lyra, Constantinopolitan Lyra, mandolin, Cretan laouto

• I teach all ages and levels
• Repertoire from Crete and all over Greece
• Knowledge of European theory and harmony, maqam, Byzantine notation and rhythmology

Students I work with

Students of all ages and levels.
Possibility of teaching with or without sheet music.

A few words about Manolis

Born in Athens in 1989 and comes from Tymbaki, Heraklion, Crete.

Manolis began his involvement in Greek traditional music from an early age, beginning at the age of 9 to learn the Cretan lyra. He studied under Manolis Pirgolakis, Zacharias Spyridakis, Leonidas Klados and Spyros Sifogiorgakis. Manolis is a graduate of the Experimental Music High School of Pallini, where apart from the Cretan lyra, he was also taught Constantinopolitan lyra under Stratis Psaradellis. Manolis graduated from the Department of Music Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, specializing in Ethnomusicology. He completed Music, Culture and Communication postgraduate studies at the same department in the field of Ethnomusicology via the Interdepartmental Music Studies University. His field of research is Cretan musical tradition, while the subject of his dissertation was "The Cretan musical tradition of today, an ethnomusicological approach to the contemporary Cretan music scene". He is also a graduate of Byzantine Music under Theofanis Soulakelis as teacher, and a Fugue graduate under Professor Konstantinos Skordilis. At the same time, Manolis continues his personal study of the bowl-shaped lyras (from Creta, Constantinopolis, Thraki, Drama, Karpathos, Dodecanese, Bulgaria, lower Italy etc) and instruments considered to pair with the Cretan lyra: Mandolin and lute.

Manolis has performed with the Music Ensemble of Greek Traditional Music for the Department of Music Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Student Orchestra of Greek Traditional Music at the Athens Conservatory, as well as the Traditional Music Orchestra of the Melody Spirit Institute.

He has performed with a large number of Greek traditional music groups, with performances at panhellenic and international festivals, and has collaborated on discographies and concerts with notable artists, such as Christos Tsiamoulis, Katerina Papadopoulou and others.

Since 2007 he has taught Cretan lyra, Constantinopolitan Lyra, Cretan laouto & mandolin at music conservatories and online.

Teaches in both English and Greek.