Performers

Step into a world of rich musical traditions and boundary-blurring soundscapes with Dr. Spyros Koliavasilis is a masterful multi-instrumentalist, velvet-voiced vocalist, and guardian of Mediterranean and East-ern musical heritage. Trained in classical technique and fluent in the expressive language of makam (modal scales), Spyros brings electrifying depth to every performance. Whether weaving haunting melodies on oud, laouto guitar, hybrid fretless electric sitar, or the Cappadocian lyra, he effortlessly bridges traditional Greek, rebetiko blues, Ottoman classical, folk, and jazz influences into a mesmerizing, genre-defying experience. Every note tells a story—and once you hear him, you’ll want to follow the journey wherever it leads.

During his more than 15 years in the United States, Dr. Koliavasilis has garnered widespread acclaim, most recently being honored by the State of Maryland with the 2025 Heritage Award. He received Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) Apprenticeship Grant recognition as a Master Teacher of traditional Greek music three times and was placed on the juried MSAC Performing Artist Touring Roster. His notable performances at esteemed venues—such as the US Library of Congress, Embassies of Cyprus and Greece, Washington and Takoma Park Folk Festivals, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, University of Maryland, Hill Center, Creative Cauldron Theater, and Virginia Beach Globally Inspired Gatherings World Music Series—attest to his enduring impact representing the traditional sounds of Greece and the Mediterranean.

His instruments of choice among the more than 18 that he plays are his beloved oud, the kemane (Cappadocian lyre), and laouto guitar. He teaches these and other instruments (e.g., Bouzouki, Baglama, Lyra, Lavta) at his Maryland-based Mediterranean Notes Music School.