Fusing together his contemporary and classical background, London-based, Greek guitarist and composer Stelios Kyriakidis aims to create music for guitar that is as understated as it is stirring. Influenced by neoclassical, folk and film music elements, Stelios is equally at home in writing music as he is performing it on stage, seeking to deliver an organic and transcendent experience in his live shows.
Stelios has been interviewed and had his music featured on BBC Radio London. The Minor7th magazine stated that “Stelios has a delightful way of creating bright, shimmering melodies that you want to hear again”. One of his latest pieces, Copenhagen, entered the iTunes United Kingdom Classical Charts at no.34. The Music Dances When You Sleep blog described his music as “it's as if the guitar itself has a voice, whispering stories of love, loss, and hope to those who are willing to listen”.
Stelios has performed in the USA, UK, Germany and Greece in places such as the 21st Century Guitar Conference (Indianapolis, USA), Green Note (London, UK), King’s Place (London, UK), Somerset Jazz Festival (UK), Handmade & Recycled Festival (Athens, GR), Bavul Cafe (Berlin, DE), Inspiring Futures (Sheffield, UK) and Arion Festival (Lesvos, GR), among others.
With three EPs to date, Stelios’s debut full-length album, 508 Days, is out on October 6th. The work features storytelling pieces along with short, song-like ones, arranged chronologically and making the album similar to an audio diary. 508 Days reflects an exploratory period in Stelios's life, when he left his solitary and relatively isolated six-month stay in a Greek seaside village and went back to the world, first busking in Europe and then moving back to London.
PRESS
...the piece exhibits finest playing skills along with a musicality that is glowing with talent, intent and a deep understanding of universal beauty.
...it is just so lovingly conceived and played to perfection...while the melody is melancholy and has a sense of yearning. What a talent he is.
Kyriakidis has a delightful way of creating bright, shimmering melodies that you want to hear again.
THE MUSICIAN,
SPRING 2018
Recorded live, this EP of hypnotic pieces showcases his fluency while remaining beautifully understated.
Optica’s third movement, Night, was the highlight for me – a wonderful melody over a hauntingly simple backdrop of repeated plucked strings. Fabulous…
A subtle soundscape crafted and performed by Stelios Kyriakidis replicates the thudding of a heartbeat... the live music has a particular importance in reaching the audience. It's certainly a stronger production for it.