wiser_guy

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 guided him into 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.

Later on and in an effort to improve his technique he took private lessons with the Russian concert pianist Marianna Aivazova and with the prestigious Nelly Semitecolo for ten years. Besides improving technique, this time gained him maximum benefits from the study of great composers like Debussy, Chopin, Beethoven 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 little daughter), Pantelis never got a degree in music of any kind. He holds a degree in Physics from the Athens University and also a MSc in Computer Automation from the same institution. Pantelis works as senior system software engineer for a very popular computer firm and spends the rest of his time with his family, his private studio and of course, his Boesendorfer.

Classically trained but deeply engaged with jazz, Pantelis subscribes to the axiom "a talented jazz pianist plays as if the music was written and prepared, while a 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.