Symposion and Yiannis Pantazis

Multi-Instrumentalist | Composer | Instrument Artisan
Co-founder & Co-owner of Symposion Cultural Center, Santorini, Greece

Biography
Born in 1978 in Grevena, Greece, Yannis Pantazis was raised in a musical family, with percussionist father and grandfather shaping his early passion for rhythm and tradition.

Musical Education

• Studied music theory and saxophone at Delidimos Lazaros Conservatory (Thessaloniki, 1997)
• Continued at Christos Papoulakos Conservatory (Larissa, 2002), expanding his musical range

Career Highlights

• Early performances with Captain Sung and his Electric Tangerine (2001) and ethno-Greek band Namaste (2005), touring across Greece and the Balkans
• Discovered the tsabouna (Greek bagpipe) in 2006, learning from a shepherd in Naxos and later reviving the instrument in Santorini
• Immersed in southern Italian traditions while studying in Grecia Salentina (2007)
• Elected to the Pan-Cycladic Folk Wind-Instruments Committee (2011), promoting traditional music

Cultural Preservation & Innovation

• Co-founded La Ponta (2012), a tsabouna workshop and exhibition in a Venetian castle in Akrotiri
• Released debut album Aylos Aulos (2013) and was nominated for a National Geographic Cultural Heritage Award
• Named an Olympic Mentor in Rome (2016)
• Co-founded the Symposion Cultural Center in Megalochori, Santorini (2018)

Recent Work (2020–Present)

• Created interactive performances blending Greek mythology with music
• Composed music for Gladiator II (Paramount, dir. Ridley Scott) and The Odyssey (Universal, dir. Christopher Nolan), also designing custom instruments for the films

Artisan Craftsmanship

• Built bespoke instruments for artists including Vangelis Papathanasiou, Brendan Perry, and Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance)

Collaborations & Recognition

• Participated in EU’s Folk Music in MusEUms project across Europe
• Composed for the National Drama Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (European Capital of Culture)
• Developed educational workshops linking mythology and music

Media Features
His work has been featured in:
BBC 2 (Scotland), OTE HISTORY, RAI3, TV5, ET3, National Geographic (UK), Sunday Times, SONGLINES, Chanter Magazine, and more.

In the artisan’s workshop, Yannis makes a remarkable array of traditional instruments alongside instruments of his own design, inspired by mythology and the role of music on Greece’s past. The instruments made in the workshop are featured in both the musical presentations and evening performances.