Andreas Paragioudakis began his musical education in his home town of Rethymnon, Crete (GR). At the age of 10, he came into contact with the traditional instruments of his homeland, in particular the lyra. His interest in a comprehensive playing ability led him to learn the guitar and other plucked instruments (tzouras, baglama). In 1998, he composed theatre music for the play Yerma by Federico García Lorca. In 1999, he completed his piano studies in Greece with G. Kaloutsis with a diploma. In 2000, he moved to Austria to study piano pedagogy at the Mozarteum University of Music and Performing Arts in Salzburg with Prof. G. Kern. He completed his studies in 2004 and travelled to India for a year to study Indian classical music. He returned to Salzburg in 2005 to continue his studies at the ORFF-Institut. In 2006, he completed his master's degree in Elementary Music and Movement Pedagogy with distinction.
In 2007, he founded the creative company XTHESIS. Since 2012, he has realised numerous sound theatre productions such as the solo productions Zeitungsgeschichten, Emilio der Straßenkehrer and the two-person play Emilio & Ellie. In 2019, he directed the clown trio Palimo and the production Ene mene miste. His collaboration with choreographer and director Ela Baumann was formative for him.
Emillio the street sweeper (2014)
From 2018 to 2020, he generated the collective intercultural project Unter der Laterne, a "musical interplay between Orient and Occident" with 12 concerts across Vorarlberg and with the participation of 16 musicians from Central Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region. This resulted in two projects, the STALA Quartet with Florian King (double bass), Herbert Walser-Breuss (trumpet) and Martin Grabher (drums) and the SALINGARI Duo with Robert Bernhard (saxophone).
Since then he has collaborated with several musicians from Austria, Switzerland and Greece: Yiannis Papatzanis (percussion), Yiannis Polychronakis (double bass), Dimitris Sgouros (lyra), Nataša Mirković (vocals), Kristi Stassinopoulou (vocals), Stathis Kalyviotis (lute, electronics), Aja Zischg (vocals), Toni Eberle (guitar), Marcello Wick (vocals), Toni Majdalani (percussion), Dimitris Sideris (lute).
His teaching activities range from Austria to Greece. He has been a guest lecturer for Eastern Mediterranean music at the music workshop of the Glatt & Verkehrt festival in Lower Austria several times. He is a guest lecturer for elementary improvised singing at Klangwelt Toggenburg (CH), guest lecturer for free choral singing in collaboration with the University of Crete and the programme "Rhythm4edu" - The art of Rhythm in education, Guest lecturer for elementary singing at the private music university STELLA in Feldkirch (AT), lecturer in the field of further education for teachers and elementary educators at the Schlosshofen Institute and led workshop series in collaboration with the Vorarlberg Museum Bregenz, the Youth and Education Centre St. Pölten and the St. Pölten Music School. Arbogast and the Association RELIEFS in Lausanne (CH).
In 2022, together with Robert Bernhard, he founded the Soundblossom association in Austria, a "platform for the musical dialogue of cultures and an expressive meeting zone for all people". Through the association, he organised the world music festival SOUNDBLOSSOM at the Theater Kosmos in Bregenz in 2022, founded the SALINGARI Klangkollektiv, the SALINGARI Klangakademie and the project choir STIMMSINN.
He composes for small and large instrumental and vocal ensembles. In 2024, Paragioudakis composed a large work for 200 vocalists, string quartet, mandolin, lute and percussion.
In 2024, he organised the first music village ECHOANTHOS, a three-day music festival in his home village of Chromonastiri in Crete.
Discography
THE STREET SWEEPER (children's songs 2012)
SALINGARI (with Robert Bernhard 2020)
WOTSALA - The story of Orpheus and Eurydice ( With Marcello Wick 2020)
STALA - Shine ( with Florian King, Herbert Walser-Breuss and Martin Grabher Rheinland Records 2021)
TERRACOTTA PROJECT - Daphne ( With Yiannis Papatzanis and Yiannis Polychronakis Rheinland Records 2023)
For more information about the new releases, booking conditions and products feel free to subscribe on our mailing list or contact at aparagioudakis@gmail.com
He lives in Bregenz/ Austria