Matthaios Tsahourides

Instrumentalist - Winner 2005

Matthaios Tsahouridis was born in Veria, Greece. His amazing dexterity in playing traditional instruments have been widely praised, culminating to his winning the First Prize in a Pan-Hellenic Music Competition, organized by the Greek Ministry of Education at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis) in 1996. In 1997, he was awarded a scholarship by Iera Mitropolis Verias in order to continue his music studies at Goldsmiths University.
In 2003 he was awarded a scholarship by the 'Michael Marks Charitable Trust' for his doctoral research in the field of Performance Practice. Since December 2007, Matthaios holds a PhD in Performance Practice (titled: 'The Pontic Lyra in Contemporary Greece'), the first PhD in the UK referring to the performance practice of non-western traditional musical.
In 2006, Matthaios was the co-artistic director for the opening ceremony of the International Byzantine Congress of London with Lady Marina Marks as Chairman and HRH The Prince Charles as Patron. In March 2007 he performed at the Porchester Hall (Bayswater, London) with Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam). His appearance as a solo artist at the Art Palace Centre of Suleimaniye in Iraq (16-2-09), makes him the first Greek musician to ever visit and perform in Iraq.