Spiros Mazis was born in Corfu-Greece 1957. He obtained his Diploma in composition with Yiannis Ioannidis with Distinction and First Prize. In addition, he attended composition seminars with Theodore Antoniou in Greece and Marco Stroppa and Tristan Murail in Hungary, where he also attended Computer and Electronic Music seminars, with David Waxman and Andrea Szigetvari.

Many of his works have been distinguished in composition contests, such as, his work “Barrier” for 15 musicians, in the competition of the “House of Fine Arts and Letters” in Athens, 1987, his work “With the stream of the Nile” for solo piano, at the International Composition Competition of Paris Concours de Composition Prix Voya Toncitch, 1987 and recently, his work “Pindar’s Hymns” for lyric soprano, mixed choir and orchestra selected for performance in the “Musical Olympics” competition 2004.

Works for orchestra have been performed in Greece and abroad by orchestras as: Greek Orchestra of Colours, Bulgarian String Orchestra Beograska, Italian Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of Meran, American String Orchestra of Charleston, Louisiana Symphonietta, German Symphony Orchestra of Marburg, Helvetian String Orchestra Santa Maria, German woodwinds orchestra from Langenargen, German Symphony Orchestra of Neckarsulm, and Bavarian Classic orchestra.

His compositional technique consists of material extracted from two sets of either sixteen or forty-eight notes. He also uses micro intervals. Most of his works are based upon extramusical ideas that derive from contemporary views of Physics and Mathematics, which are transferred with as much fidelity as possible, to the musical structure. His first work in which he exploits the connection between music and mathematics was “Nine Variations on an Arithmetical Sonic Geometrical Plan” in 1985.

He is the Founder and Director of the “Classical and Contemporary Music” Conservatory, which he inaugurated in 1995. He is a member of the Union of Greek Composers and the founder and president of the Greek Composers Artistic Forum (G.C.A.F.).

(Contribution by Spiro Mazis <spmazis@otenet.gr>.)