PLAY LYRA

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I'm Matthaios Tsahouridis
I'm a musician.

I was born in Veria, a small town in northern Greece.

Throughout my childhood, the Pontic lyra was a constant ‘feature’ in our household, due to my father’s Pontic roots.

The first time I held in my hands the instrument that would become my best friend for the rest of my life was at the age of seven, after watching my grandfather play at one of our family gatherings and celebrations.

It took a lot of time and dedication, but it all paid off after a few years when at twelve people began to take notice of my playing and I was invited to participate in the recording of a vinyl album.

As a teenager, I entered the Pan-Hellenic music competition organised by the Greek Ministry of Education in Athens where I won the first prize. This led to the start of my academic education in London by winning a scholarship from the Diocese of Veria.

In London, I completed my masters degree in Ethnomusicology and my PhD in Performance Practice. In my studies I had the chance to collaborate with a number of excellent world class musicians.

In 2005 I was awarded the first prize of the best UK performer of the year by the British Arts Foundation.

Since coming back to Greece, for the last few years I have been based in the city of Thessaloniki, a great melting pot for my instrument, the Pontic lyra.

Currently, I am performing as a solo musician, as well as a group member appearing in a variety of cultural events around Greece and the world, always promoting Greek culture and of course the instrument I love, the Pontic lyra.