Oud virtuoso Giannis Koutis will perform toegther the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra…

Giannis Koutis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 1985.

In Athens, he immersed himself in the study of the oud for four consecutive years under the virtuoso oud player and composer Haig Yazdjian. He holds a diploma in Byzantine Music, having graduated from the National Conservatory of Athens with the highest honors and a First Prize, under the guidance of the late Christos Hadjinikolaou. He studied Epirus polyphonic singing at the “Fivos Anogeianakis” Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments. He also studied at the Pythagoreio Conservatory of Athens, where he earned his Classical Guitar degree with honors, under the guidance of the soloist and composer Kostas Grigoreas. Additionally, he holds a Classical Guitar Diploma from ABRSM. In 2016, he completed his postgraduate studies (Master on Music/Ottoman Music/Oud Performance) at Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam, under the supervision of the internationally renowned Ney Master Kudsi Erguner (UNESCO Artist for Peace).

He has participated in concerts and festivals around the globe (Qatar, Uzbekistan, Las Palmas, Spain, Venice, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Russia, Denmark, Switzerland, Paris, Hong Kong, Sweden, Algeria, Istanbul, Ankara, Greece, Cyprus, etc.), both as a soloist and in collaborations with ensembles, presenting, among other things, his own compositions. He has collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Kudsi Erguner, Ross Daly, Omar Farouk Tekbilek, Alkinoos Ioannidis, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra among others. He has participated in numerous recordings, mainly focusing on the Modal Music of the Eastern Mediterranean.

He has composed music for films, theater productions, and advertising projects while in 2023 the “Kentriki Insurance” published his book under the title “The Musical Instruments of the Eastern Mediterranean”.

He currently lives and works in Cyprus as a musician and teacher, while continuing to perform in concerts around the world. He also maintains an ongoing research in the field of unpublished Byzantine Monastic musical manuscripts.

Concept, Direction of behalf of MiklagårdArts: Ceyda Berk-Söderblom

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Conductor: Yan Huichang

Five-string pipa : Fang Jinlong

Satsuma-biwa : Akiko Kubota

Oud : Giannis Koutis

Four-string pipa : Zhang Ying

Guqin : Wang Youdi

Guan : Qin Jitao

Duduk : Ma Wai-him

Shakuhachi : Sun Yongzhi

Programme

Movement I – Prelude: Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves for Chinese orchestra

Movement II – The Civil Category: Gems from the Book of Songs for five-string pipa & orchestra

Movement III – The Martial Category: The Overlord Lays Down His Armour for four-string pipa & orchestra

Movement IV – Interlude: A Gentle Breeze for guqin, guan and duduk

Movement V – The Heroic Spirit: Heart of the Ocean for satsuma-biwa, shakuhachi & Orchestra

Movement VI – A Shared Musical Overture for oud & orchestra

Movement VII – Postlude: Sailing Across Vast Seas for four-string pipa, five-string pipa, satsuma-biwa, Oud & orchestra