Mikis Theodorakis the greek composer of Zorba the Greek

Mikis Theodorakis, the composer of Zorba the Greek

No one who has heard the wonderful bouzouki melodies written by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis for Zorba the Greek will ever forget them.

Mikis Theodorakis has infused the soul and spirit of the Greek people into all his musical works.

He is also a militant who today, as a member of his country’s parliament, continues a struggle for freedom and justice which began when he joined the wartime resistance as a teenager and has taken him more than once to prison or into exile.

Mikis Theodorakis was born on July 29th 1925 on the Greek island of Chios. Fascinated by music already as a child, he taught himself to write his first songs without access to musical instruments. In Pyrgos and Patras he took his first music lessons, and in Tripolis, he formed a choir and gave his first concert at 17.

Mikis Theodorakis has written more than 1000 songs and song-cycles, unforgettable melodies that have become part of the immortal heritage of Greek music.

Mikis Theodorakis UNESCO Honours

UNESCO honoured acclaimed Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis with the International Music Price, for his work and commitment to peace and understanding among nations.

Theodorakis is one of the most loved and respected artists in Greece, both for his activities in the resistance against the dictatorship, as well as his work in popular Greek music.

Read more about Greek Composers

Related pages about Mikis Theodorakis:

• Mikis Theodorakis
• Zorba the Greek
• Unesco honours Mikis Theodorakis