Zorzes Katris - Composer

Zorzes Katris is a Greek French composer born in Paris by Greek parents.

He began his musical studies at the Central Conservatory of Costas Klavvas with the Russian professor Olga Tokmakidou. He continued at the Athens Conservatory in the class of Charitos Kladakis, and later at the Royal Conservatory "Mal Maison" in Paris, while at the same time he completed his military service in the musical troupe of the French Presidency of François Mitterrand, officially undertaking the orchestrations of the military marches of the 8th Battalion of Paris.

He was admitted to the Ionian University in the direction of composition with the professor Joseph Papadatos, and later at the postgraduate level with the professor Mr. Dimitris Maragopoulos in the composition of music for the cinema and the performing arts.

At the age of 24 he composed his 1st bouzouki and orchestra concerto which was premiered at the Athens Concert Hall with the Orchestra of Friends of Music "Camerata" and a year later he met and collaborated very closely for the next years with the renowned Greek composer George Chatzinassios. Today he is both a composer and an orchestrator in major music organizations such as the Athens Concert Hall, the Herodus Atticus Theater, the Piraeus Municipal Theater, the Veakeio Theater, Salle Georges Brassens (France) Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Katia Dandoulaki Theater etc.

Some of his appearances and indicative collaborations are with : the Camerata Orchestra of Friends of Music of the Athens Concert Hall, the National Symphony Orchestra and Choir of ERT, the Mixed Choir of the Ensembles of the Municipality of Athens, George Chatzinassios with the ‘’Ode to Alexander the Great’’ at the Herodus Atticus Theater and at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt for the celebration of the 100 years of the Greek community etc. He has been commissioned to compose music for the cinema in Greece and abroad, as well as the Symphonic Rhapsody "The Jewel" under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

In 2013, he presented in world premiere at Syntagma Square his choral work for Synthesizers and choir "Ode to the Greeks" in collaboration with the mixed Choir of the Municipality of Athens under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens and UNESCO.

In 2016 he received a distinction for his music in Dinos Panagokos' film "Maria's Lullaby" and won the 2nd prize ''Silver Dionysus'' at the Drama Festival. He was selected at the Greek Film Festival of Los Angeles, Chicago and Barcelona. His works have been published by the publishing and percussion company Southern Percussion.

Zorzes Katris has been distinguished as composer in two International Competitions : won the 3rd prize for his music for Film Animation at the Athens Concert, as well as the 3rd prize at the international competition of Original Composition for Wind Band with the Philharmonic Orchestra N.X. Mantzaros in Corfu.

Since 2016 he has been collaborating with the Postgraduate Program of the Ionian University and proposes part of the educational programs "Composition for the Cinema, the Theater and the Performing Arts".

Up to date, the composer's essay, lists many international awards including the Best Original Score award in Los Angeles for George Leontakianakos' film "With New Eyes" in 2020.

1st Prize for Best Composer for Bella Bimba Documentary at the Cannes Short Film Festival in France, and also 1st Prize for Best Music at the Film Festival at the Eastern Europe Film Festival in Romania.

Also in 2021 it was unanimously agreed by the Athens Concert Hall Organization to be assigned the official music investment for the 30 Years of the Athens Concert Hall where it was officially screened with great success.

He is already preparing his new work, a three-act opera entitled "Ioannis Kapodistrias - the murder of an unfulfilled love" dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution.

Since November 2020, Zorzes Katris is represented worldwide by Musicentry.

Testimonials:

Myron Michailidis - Conductor, General Music Director of the Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra and Erfurt Theater, Artistic Director of the Cultural Conference Center of Heraklion :  "It is very rare nowadays to hear music that clearly reflects the sensitivity of its creator, music that you" see "in many colors, but always in the right proportions, music majestic but never pompous and, in the end, to be in front of an" honest relationship " between the composer and the work. And this is achieved, in the most ideal way, by Zorzes Katris."

George Chatzinassios - Composer : "Zorzes Katris combines with his music, the gray color of Central European music, with the blue color of the Eastern Mediterranean"

Andreas Pylarinos - Maestro : "A new page in the world of Cinematic Music"

Evangelos Arabatzis - Director of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Greece : "A rare musical personality of the 21st century....his musical legacy is an honor for the Greek Culture"