He was born in Athens. He graduated from the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens with First Prize and a gold medal. He completed his postgraduate studies (Master of Music) with professors Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Renate Kretschmar-Fischer with distinction, at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany. He has performed recitals and chamber music concerts in Germany — in Detmold, Hannover, Bielefeld, Wittmund, Paderborn, Essen, Dortmund, Herford, Bochum — as well as in Gdansk, Poland.
He actively participated in numerous piano masterclasses (with P.B. Scoda, B. Berthold, Duo Ganev, J. Mounieur, and at the summer sessions of the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, Austria, with professor J. Paratore). He worked at the Opera School of the Detmold Academy and the School of Fine Arts in Gütersloh.
In Greece, he has performed at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron), the B. & M. Theocharakis Foundation, the International Artistic Center and Conservatory Athenaeum, the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, the Parnassos Literary Society, the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, and at festivals such as Heraklion Festival (Crete), the Rethymno Renaissance Festival, Chania Festival, Symi Festival, Corfu’s Municipal Theatre (as part of DIPETHE), the Mytilene Municipal Theatre, the Historical Museum of Hydra, the “Altar Hall” of the National Archaeological Museum, the Epigraphic Museum, and other events across Greece.
He has performed as a soloist with the chamber orchestra of the Detmold Academy and with the Experimental Symphony Orchestra of Rethymno. A significant highlight was his concert under the August Full Moon in 1999 on the island of Delos, under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. He also received distinction in a competition organized by EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association), which hosted a solo recital in his honor. In Istanbul, he gave a recital at the Patriarchal Great School of the Nation, where he was awarded honorary plaques for his artistic contribution by the school director.
Many of his recitals have received enthusiastic reviews in the national press (“Kathimerini,” “Diastixo,” “Estia,” “Efimerida ton Syntakton,” “Dimokratia,” etc.). At an event organized by the Society for Macedonian Studies in Thessaloniki in September 2018, he performed in honor of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
He has given piano seminars for students of all levels at conservatories throughout Greece. He maintains numerous collaborations with lyrical singers in both classical and contemporary repertoires, ranging from opera, Lieder, jazz, and tangos to works by Greek composers. He is a member of the jury for the nationwide piano competition of musicArte. He has also participated in musical-theatrical performances and staged readings alongside actresses Marietta Rialdi, Olga Tournaki, Andromachi Davlou, Magda Mavroyianni, and Mania Papadimitriou.
He has worked as a piano teacher at the music school of Gütersloh (Germany), the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens, and the Municipal Conservatory of Peristeri. Since 2015, he has been teaching piano at the conservatory and arts center “Musical Horizons.”
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The experience of attending a concert by pianist Aris Graikousis is multifaceted. There is such a profound investment in the way music can reach and envelop the audience that the atmosphere becomes dense, and the result borders on osmosis. Vatopoulos Nikos.
Kathimerini.
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He is a musician of exceptional sensitivity, with an innate ability to convey his musical interpretations with great finesse. A highly communicative artist, he draws the listener in effortlessly, making it a pleasure to hear and follow him. Anatol Ugorski.
Ρωσία.
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His musical dialogue is always precise and thoughtful, marked by constant dedication and genuine passion. His orchestrational mastery, combined with his graceful ease on stage, allows him to captivate even the most demanding audiences. Jean – Efflam Bavouzet.
Γαλλία.