A noted composer of classical music and performer of Greek Folk music, Nickitas J. Demos holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Masters Degree in composition with a minor in clarinet performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and a Bachelor of Music degree in clarinet performance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His award winning compositions have been presented throughout the United States and internationally by some of the finest orchestras and chamber ensembles in the world including performances by the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta Chamber Players among many others.
Demos currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Composition at the Georgia State University School of Music. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies and is the holder of the Eula C. and Andrew C. Carlos Family Founding Chair for Contemporary Greek Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University. In addition to the Greek Islanders, he is also the Artistic Director of the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble and the Composer-In-Residence and Artistic Board Member for Bent Frequency, a professional contemporary chamber music ensemble.
Dr. Nickitas J. Demos
Musical Director, The Greek Islanders
The Greek Islanders are comprised of a core of highly gifted professional musicians:
Established in 1982, Nick Demos & the Greek Islanders have appeared frequently before audiences throughout the United States. The group has been featured at Greek Festivals, Conventions and Conferences associated with the American Hellenic Education Progressive Association (AHEPA) as well as affairs associated with the 1996 Centennial Olympiad in Atlanta. Members of the group also performed at two events honoring His All-Holiness, Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople during his historic visit to the United States in the fall of 1997.
The ensemble has given numerous concert performances including concerts with the acclaimed Nashville Chamber Orchestra in 2000, the Romeiko Vocal Ensemble at the 1996 DeKalb International Choral Festival in Atlanta, the Troupe Hellas Dancers at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta in 1997 and 2000 and with the Northwest Georgia Winds in 2004 in Rome, GA. In August, 2006, the group was featured at the 2006 Conference of the International Clarinet Association.
Aside from the concert hall, the band has provided entertainment for numerous private affairs in 11 states and over 40 cities in an area stretching from Cleveland, OH to West Palm Beach, FL to Dallas, Texas.
