About Me
Yiannis Chatzis was born in 1952,in Brasna of Thessaloniki.After he had finished high school,he started his studies in the mechanology department of the "Democretos technical school".Although he had started guitar lessons in the "Macedonian music school"of Thessaloniki,he got fascinated by rhythm and as a resault of that he started practising in drums and take part to many rock bands in Thessaloniki. In 1970,he met with the pianist and composer Sarantis Cassaras and the chief music director Solon Michaelides.These meetings influensed a great deal,Chatzis's course in music. In 1977,both Chatzis and Cassaras, moved in Athens where took part in concerts and theatrical place.He got registered in Nikos Coratzinos school of percussions and at the same time he started studying ancient writings referred to ancient Greek music(Aristoteles,Pythagoras and others)and of course, contemporary writings of Solon Michaelides. In 1980 he cooperated with three of the most famous and importand greek composers :Mikis Theodorakis(concerts all over Greece) Manos Chatzidakis(theatrical play "Pornography") Dionysis Savvopoulos(concerts all over Greece,Cyprus and the huge concert in the Olympic Stadium of Athens). In 1982 Yiannis's meeting with George Dalaras was the starting point of a continuous and succesfull cooperation which ended in 1990.This cooperation involved over 500 concerts in Greece and abroad(USA,Russia,Europe, Australia,Africa).At the same time he met with Christos Nikolopoulos,famous and importand Greek composer,and took part in many concerts with him and made hundreds of recordings as well. Yiannis Chatzis as a percussionist and a drummer,has recorded over 4.000 songs and music themes for the cinema,theater and tv shows. In 1999 he got member of the Greek Music State Orchestra(K.O.E.M.) under the direction of the chief music director and composer Stavros Xarchakos. The repertory of the orchestra is taken care of the director himself,presenting his own plays and other Greek composers as well.K.O.E.M. is the jewell of Greek music advancing and performing these plays in a unique way all over the world. In 2002 Yiannis Chatzis took his first steps as a composer when he presented his first play entitled "ISE EN",in the ancient theater of Delphi in cooperation with the cardiologist and composer Thanassis Dritsas and the +kinisis strings ansamble.The reason was taken by "Chalkeophono",the ancient four cymbal disk percussion instrument,first made by Pythagoras's student Yppasos. The remake of the instrument was evolved by the constructor of Greek ancient instruments Nikos Bras.The play was also performed in the Mansion of Music in Athens in the scope of the mathematical and cultural olympiad in 2004 and in secondary performance in 2006. Yiannis Chatzis as a member of KOEM he also took place in the ending ceremony of 2004 olympic games,in the olympic stadium of Athens,under the direction of Stavros Xarchakos.Yiannis remains a member of KOEM until nowadays!!!!
