Fotis Koutsothodoros

Fotis Koutsothodoros was born in Lamia, Greece, and has study the guitar with D.
Kontogiannis and Costas Cotsiolis at the Concervatories of Lamia and Athens.
He is a graduate with Bakkalaureat and Magister Diplom of the University
“Mozarteum” of Salzburg, Austria near M. Seidel (guitar) and J. Huebsher (sector of
old music) while distracting, upon the recommendation of the university, the award
for the best graduate of the year (Wurdigungpreis) from the Ministry of Arts and
Sciences of Austria. It was the first time that, this distinction was given to a guitarist of
this educational institution. He has also attended courses close to S. Fontaneli
(Conductor Contemporary Orchestra Mozarteum), L. Brouwer, E. Fisk and M.
Barrueco.
Even from his earliest musical steps, he took part in several national and international
competitions earning 14 International distictions as a guitarist and as a composer.
He has recorded CD”s including pieces by V. Asencio, M. Llobet, R. Gerard, E. Pujol,
A. Jose, the guitar Sonatas by J.Turina, J. Rodrigo, M. C. Tedesco , M. M. Ponce and
the pieces for violin and guitar by N. Paganini(including the trio for guitar violin and
cello), the Rossinianas by M.Giuliani , the 36 caprices by L. Legnani and transcriptions
of late Baroque composers such as G. F. Telemann, J. Duphly, G. Brescianelo on period
instruments. His educational activity except from long-term collaboration with
musical institutions of Thessaloniki, Lamia and Kavala, also includes teaching at
events concerning the guitar and chamber music while many of his students have been
awarded repeatedly in important competitions.
An important part of his activities is the performing of the guitar repertoire on baroque
and classical-romantic period instruments with special emphasis on the works of early
romance. He is a PhD Candidate in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Historical
Musicology.
Since 2014 he is the founder and the artistic director of the International Guitar
Festival of Thessaloniki. He is also the Artistic Director of the Municipal Conservatory
of Kavala and the Conservatory of North Greece in Thessaloloniki.