Aris Antoniades
Praised for the “spiritual heights, the drama, the tension” of his music, “immersing the listener into a world of sound” (The National Herald, NYC), composer Aris Antoniades creates works for everything from Symphony Orchestras to Jazz Big Bands. He has written/arranged for eight-time Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria, the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Greece (ERT), twenty-eight-time golden and platinum album vocalist (IFPI Greece) Alkistis Protopsalti, as well as other influential artists of the Greek industry, including Michalis Hatzigiannis, George Perris, Costas Cacoyannis, and X-Factor (Greece) judges George Theofanous and Mariza Rizou.
Among his most distinguished concert works are his Chiaroscuro for symphony orchestra, which was recorded and broadcast by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation; his Nostos for saxophone and piano, co-commissioned by the University of Sydney and the Australian ensemble HD Duo, which was featured in the group’s album Music of the Commonwealth published by Da Vinci Classics in November 2021; and his Toccata & Fugue for church organ which was performed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC. In the jazz medium, Aris has composed a set of original works inspired by Cypriot folklore music. This set was featured in several festivals, including the Kypria International Festival of Cyprus. More notably, his original Afro-Cuban Jazz arrangement of Lalo Schifrin’s famous Mission Impossible Theme was performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York (Jazz at the Lincoln Center) in the presence of the late conga master Cándido Camero.
Aside from concert works, Aris has written extensively for film and theater, having scored seven short films, including the film Bizone whose title theme is available on all major streaming platforms. His theater credits include collaborations with Broadway veterans, such as composer/pianist Andrew Gerle and director Joe Locarro – Aris provided orchestrations for their show Tony Awards: The Early Years. In Cyprus, he recently composed original music for the Greek experimental play Women of Soil, directed by Ermina Kyriazi.
As of January 2021, he is the artistic director and principal conductor of the TrakArt Pops Orchestra in his homeland, Cyprus. In that capacity, he has music-directed several big productions all around the country. One of his most notable collaborations as a conductor was with internationally acclaimed Greek composer and pianist Stefanos Korkolis and golden album vocalist (IFPI Greece) Sofia Manousaki. Aris led a live performance of their album: I Should Like to Relate This Memory, based on poetry by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy.
A recipient of the Fulbright award, Aris completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Classical Composition at the Manhattan School of Music in NYC, where he studied with Mark Stambaugh, receiving the Provost’s Award for Academic Excellence upon graduation. He is honored to have been the recipient of the Manhattan School of Music International Advisory Board and the A. G. Leventis Foundation scholarship awards. Aris is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Education of the University of St. Louis, Missouri.