He has performed extensively as a recitalist and chamber musician in Greece, England, Germany, and Switzerland. As a soloist, he has appeared with esteemed ensembles, including the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras, the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra in London, and the Stuttgart Academy Symphony Orchestra. His achievements include third prize at the Bubenreuth International String Quartet Competition in Germany and first prize at the HELEXPO Chamber Music Competition in Thessaloniki.
Since 2003, he has been Principal First Violinist and Assistant Concertmaster of the Athens State Orchestra. Alongside his orchestral career, he is an active educator, teaching violin at several conservatories in Greece. His dynamic career reflects a dedication to both performance and pedagogy, establishing him as a leading figure in the Greek classical music scene.
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29 December 2024 18:30
Biography
Nikos Mandylas earned his violin diploma in 1990 from the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens with highest honors, unanimous distinction, first prize, and a medal of excellence under the mentorship of the esteemed professor Stelios Kafantaris, with whom he continued lessons until 2000. In 1991, he pursued postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, funded by the “Mousigetis” Foundation. In 1993, he continued his studies with an IKY scholarship at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, receiving a postgraduate diploma in chamber music in 1995 under the Melos Quartet, a violin postgraduate diploma with distinction in 1997, and the prestigious soloist diploma (Solisten Klasse) in 1999 from Wilhelm Melcher’s class. He has participated in violin masterclasses with Z. Bron and H. Harutyunian, chamber music seminars with H. Buchberger at the Frankfurt Academy, and string quartet seminars with members of the Amadeus, Alban Berg, Bartholdy, and Cleveland Quartets.
Born in Corfu, Nikos began violin lessons at the Philharmonic Society and the Corfu Conservatory. He has given recitals and chamber music concerts in Greece, England, Germany, and Switzerland and has performed as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras, the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra in London, the Stuttgart Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Nafplio Festival Orchestra, the University of York Orchestra, the Corfu Municipal Symphony Orchestra, the Patmos Festival Orchestra, the Old Philharmonic Society Orchestra of Corfu, the Athens Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and the Music Educators Association Orchestra of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, among others. He received third prize at the Bubenreuth International String Quartet Competition in Germany (1993) and first prize at the HELEXPO Chamber Music Competition in Thessaloniki (1994).
He has been a member of the EEC Youth Orchestra and the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland. In 2007, he earned a viola diploma with highest honors and first prize from the Fhaethon Conservatory in Alexandroupolis. He has recorded chamber music works for the Third Program of Hellenic Radio and is a member of the Diapason Piano Trio and the Quintarco String Quintet. Since 2003, he has held the position of Principal First Violinist and Assistant Concertmaster with the Athens State Orchestra.
Nikos taught violin and viola for twenty years (2002-2022) at the Argos Municipal Conservatory and has been teaching at the Ionian Conservatory of Corfu since 2002. In 2013, he taught violin at the University of Surrey’s Music Department in England. Since 2015, he has been teaching violin and viola at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory and, since 2018, at the American College of Greece-Deree. His students have frequently won awards at national competitions.