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Dimitris Tsakas
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About Me
Dimitris Tsakas – Saxophonist, Composer, Educator, Curator,.Artistic director.
Dimitris Tsakas, a Berklee College of Music scholarship recipient, studied under jazz masters such as Andy McGee, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, and Steve Wilson. Over the past two decades, he has become one of Greece’s most prolific saxophonists, contributing to over 200 albums across various genres.
A sought-after performer, Dimitris has collaborated with esteemed Greek and international artists, including Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Haris Alexiou, Demis Roussos, and Maria Farantouri. His versatility has led him to major stages, from the 2004 Olympic Games closing ceremony to leading jazz festivals in Greece and abroad.
Dimitris is renowned for his work with Academy Award-winning composer Vangelis Papathanassiou. He is featured as a soloist on Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary and on the Stephen Hawking tribute, where music accompanied Hawking’s synthesized voice in a message beamed into space by the European Space Agency.
As a bandleader, he has performed at prestigious events, including the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, where he also composed music for theatrical productions. He made history in Greece by performing Charlie Parker with Strings as a soloist with the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra and bringing Dark Side of the Moon to life in a symphonic arrangement at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Dimitris has released four personal albums:
* Growing Up (recorded in New York)
* A Man Dreams (Minos EMI-Universal)
* Back of Beyond (premiered at the 2021 Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival)
* Conversation Helps (Hellenic Jazz Society, 2024)
Beyond performing, Dimitris is a dedicated educator, teaching saxophone and jazz harmony, as well as leading clinics and workshops throughout Greece. He serves as the cultural director of the Jazz at the Museum series at the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation. Since 2022, he has curated Live at the Plateia, a major part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, Greece’s most prestigious cultural event.
Praise for Dimitris Tsakas
“Dimitris has a beautiful sound on alto, a smooth approach, and a lot of lyricism.”
— David Liebman, on Growing Up
“Tsakas and his trio prove that amid a world of noise, genuine conversation still flourishes—and creates something beautiful.”
— Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz, on Conversation Helps
“We are all aware that there is no shortage of excellent saxophone players, but in the case of Dimitris Tsakas, he possesses the rare little something that makes a big musical difference.”
— Vangelis Papathanassiou
