Greek composer and luthier Stelios Petrakis will unveil “Lyric,” his 10th album, on February 13, 2026, on Buda Musique/Socadisc.
“Music is a union. It is the union of the creator with his inner world, his experience, his vision, and his fellow musicians; of the work and the creator with the audience; and of the listeners among themselves. As in any union, someone has to take the first step. With the help of guest musicians, old and new friends whom I admire and with whom I am happy and grateful to be reunited, I attempt to interpret on the lyre pieces that are seemingly unrelated, pieces from near and far, pieces that are familiar but also “foreign” to knowledgeable listeners, yet which seem to be united by a common and profound bond. A friendly listener whom I did not know once said something to me that I consider to be the greatest compliment I have ever received for my music. He said to me: “Thank you for opening doors to the unknown for me.” So it is precisely these doors that I am trying to open again, and if I have succeeded in opening them even a little, that is enough for me. I hope to see you at my concerts so that we can share beautiful music together once again. Enjoy listening!”
Stelios Petrakis
On this new album, Stelios Petrakis (lyre, lute) is accompanied by talented musicians:
- Giorgis Xylouris: vocals;
- Bijan Chemirani: zarb, daff, bendir, karbas, broom;
- Sylvain Barou: Uilleann pipes, Armenian zurna, kaval, tulum, kanbazurna, flute;
- Maëlle Duchemin: harp;
- Pavlos Spyropoulos: double bass;
- Sakir Ozan Uygan: daouli;
- Michalis Kontaxakis: mandolin;
- Mattia Manco Gregoriadis: accordion;
- Samuel Mele: guitar;
- Antonis Voumvoulakis: guitar;
- Efrén López: mandolin, cuatro, davul
Biography Stelios Petrakis:
Composer and instrument maker, Stelios Petrakis was introduced to the art of the lyre at a very young age. He had many influential teachers during seminars and regular classes, masters of Eastern music such as Ross Daly, Talip Ozkan, Dr. L. Subramaniam, and many others. He has collaborated extensively in concerts and recordings with leading musicians on the international scene (Ross Daly, Chemiranis, Efren Lopez, etc.), with our traditional Cretan musicians (Giorgis Xylouris, Vassilis Stavrakakis), with Greek and international composers (Christos Leontis, Stamatis Spanoudakis, Stephanie Economou, Joseph Shirley) as well as with other musicians in recordings for films, albums, and concerts. Today, he is one of the leading representatives and innovators of traditional music, with nine solo albums and numerous international awards to his credit.
With his quartet, he takes Cretan music around the world, from India and Malaysia to the Théâtre de La Ville in Paris and Carnegie Hall in New York, and almost everywhere else, opening it up to an ever-wider audience. The highlights of his musical career include reaching the top of the World Music Charts Europe (July 2022) for the CD “Spondi,” the announcement of the CD “L’Art de la Lyra” as the best of 2016 on Radio France, as well as his sold-out concerts at the Théâtre de la Ville (Paris) and Carnegie Hall (New York).
In cinema, he has contributed extensively to the recordings for Nia Vardalos’ film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding vol. 3“ by Nia Vardalos with music by Stephanie Economou, the recordings for the film ”Killer Heat“ by Philippe Lacôte with music by Joseph Shirley, while the documentary ”Thalatta” by the University of Thessaloniki, which deals with overfishing in the Aegean Sea, was entirely invested with his own music.
As a luthier, he has his own workshop in Crete, where he makes lyres, lutes, baglamas, and other stringed instruments. His own creations are exhibited in musical instrument museums around the world, such as the Cité de la Musique in Paris, Japan, France, Poland, and Greece. Famous musicians from around the world play his instruments, such as Ross Daly, Efren Lopez, Kelly Thoma, Les Claypool, Sean Lennon, and Giorgis Xylouris.
He is a graduate of the University of Athens Law School and speaks English, French, and Turkish.
