27/12/2022
NZ-Greek composer John Psathas shot to worldwide attention when his music was heard more than a billion people during the
Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. The NZ Arts Foundation Laureate has achieved a level of international
success unprecedented for a NZ composer,having reached concert audiences in more than 50 countries on 7 continents,even
Antarctica. He is now also considered one of the three most important living composers of the Greek Diaspora.
In 2019 Psathas closed the door on 25 yearsof university teaching to devote all his time to composing,and to embark on a
return to performing onstage.
He has collaborated on a Billboard classical chart-topping album with System of a Down front man Serj Tankian, has written
feature-film scores, collaborated with the Grand M***i in Paris’s Grand Mosque, crossed into jazz in projects with luminaries
Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, and collaborated on an e-book project with Salman Rushdie. Few composers cross the
boundaries of musical genres to the extent that Psathas does, and with such ongoing global success. His journey is best
described as an explosion of collaborations with artists from dozens of musical traditions spanning Asia, Europe, North and
South America, Africa, and Australasia.
Percussion has always been a strong feature of Psathas’ output, with a consistent schedule of new percussion commissions
from many of the world’s top players. COVID-19 also served to further broaden the scope of his work, with the 2020 release of
long-distance collaborative albums It’s Already Tomorrow, and Last Days of March.
www.johnpsathas.com
Make sure to spread the word and buy your tickets for Mahi Toi's first concert, Natures!!!
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2023/natures/wellington
