Stavros Xarchakos, Greek: Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος (born 14 March 1939) is a Greek

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

Biography

Stavros Xarchakos was born in Athens, where he studied at the

Athens Conservatoire The Athens Conservatoire () is the oldest educational institution for the performing arts in modern Greece. It was founded in 1871 by the non-profit organization Music and Drama Association. History Initially, the musical instruments that were ta ...

. He has family origins from the

Mani Peninsula The Mani Peninsula ( el, Μάνη, Mánē), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (Μαΐνη), is a geographical and cultural region in Southern Greece that is home to the Maniots (Mανιάτες, ''Maniátes'' in Greek), who cla ...

. He emerged in the Greek music scene around 1963, composing music for the theatre and cinema. Among his collaborators was lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos and singer

Nikos Xylouris Nikos Xylouris ( el, Νίκος Ξυλούρης, 7 July 1936 – 8 February 1980), Cretan nickname: Psaronikos ( el, Ψαρονίκος), was a Greek singer, Cretan Lyra player and composer, who was and remains to this day among the most renow ...

. In 1967 he went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. He stayed in Paris for four years, and then studied with David Diamond at the

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

in New York. He served as director of the National Orchestra of Greek Music. He was later involved in politics and was elected Member of the Greek Parliament twice, before becoming a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2000 to 2004. He was again a candidate for the European Parliament with New Democracy, in the elections of 25 May 2014, but was not elected.

Music

While he mainly composed in the style of Greek popular music, Laïka, Xarchakos also composed in the classical music genre. His music has been recorded to 42 albums, has been used in 21 movies and for 15 TV productions. Internationally he is known as the composer for the '' Rembetiko'' film score, composing the music for the Werner Herzog film '' Signs Of Life'', and composing the music for the 1983 BBC TV mini series, '' The Dark Side of the Sun''.

External links

* * 1939 births 20th-century classical composers 20th-century male musicians Greek classical musicians Greek film score composers Living people Male film score composers MEPs for Greece 1999–2004 Musicians from Athens 20th-century Greek musicians New Democracy (Greece) MEPs {{Greece-MEP-stub