Pantelis literally started his life listening to his mother,
a piano teacher, play the Gaveau for hours each day. His mother was also his
first teacher although later he continued his study formally at a department of
the National Conservatory.
The archaic and unproductive teaching methods made him quit
and turn to keyboard playing with various bands. His last band, Synthesis,
recorded an LP and toured extensively but Pantelis soon returned to his
familiar acoustic piano environment.
The milestone in his musical life was his meeting with Marcos
Alexiou, a literal legend in the Greek and European jazz scene. It was the
first time that Pantelis realized the importance and impact of music in his
life. He studied with him for eight years jazz piano, modern harmony and jazz
improvisation. Marcos taught him musicality, freedom of expression and a
unified attitude towards sophisticated music.
During the nineties, Pantelis played jazz clubs, made radio
appearances, took part in jazz festivals and partnered with many Greek jazz
musicians. He also formed his own piano trio which helped him develop his
personal style and a more stable and intimate sound.
A few years ago, Pantelis decided to abstain from public
appearances in an effort to improve his playing and piano technique. He started
taking private lessons with the Russian concert pianist Marianna Aivazova and
continues until present. This hiatus was necessary in order to gain maximum
benefits from the study of great composers like Debussy, Chopin and above all,
Bach, the master technician.
Although music has been the half part of his life (the other
half is essentially his wife and 4-year old daughter), Pantelis never got a
degree in music from any source. He holds a degree in Physics from the Athens
University and also a MSc in Computer Automation from the same institution. The
implacable flow of everyday life demands a daytime job for any decent family
man. Pantelis works as senior system software engineer in a very popular
computer firm and spends the rest of his time with his family, his private
studio and of course, his Boesendorfer.
His long-term projects include the recording of all Joplin
rags together with other ragtime composers' works. He also plans on recording a series of
standards with his jazz trio and solo work.
Classically trained but deeply engaged with jazz, Pantelis
subscribes to the axiom "The talented jazz pianist plays as if the music
was written and prepared, while the talented classical pianist plays as if the
music was improvised".
He holds a liberal view where interpretation cannot be detained or even worse, dictated, and can be anything as long as it serves the purpose of art, to communicate feelings, to educate and to matter.