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Dimitri Fotiadis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1967. In 1970 he settles in Sydney, Australia with his parents. Αt home everyone sang to the tune of guitars in the evenings. His mother brought with her the musical traditions of Smyrna and Epirus; his father the sounds of Pontus and Thessaly.
In 1975, Dimitri begins piano lessons, theory and composition with the Italian composer/conductor and teacher of music Guido Nicoletti who was the director of the Kalomiris Conservatoire of Alexandria in Egypt.
While growing up in the creative environment of the Greek Cultural Centre of Sydney, of which his parents are two of the founder members, Dimitri gained confidence and furthered himself in music, dance and drama. Meanwhile, he observed his parents in rehearsals and performances with the composers Themos Mexis and Timotheos Arvanitakis, where he became consumed with the desire to devote himself to Greek popular art music and more specifically, to composition which he begins in 1976.
In 1978 he takes part in the Melbourne Greek Song Festival performing his first composition, “The Partridge” with a ten piece orchestra in which he performs on piano and for which he receives the Encouragement Award. He was the youngest ever Greek Composer in Australia. In the years which followed he took part in many concerts, multicultural festivals and music evenings. More compositions and musical arrangements of Greek composers followed.
In primary school he is in the school choir and plays piano in school concerts. In 1980 he is a member of the Canterbury Boys’ High School Band, playing glockenspiel, drums, timpani, trumpet and electric piano. In the final year Dimitri also conducted the School Band. He successfully completes his High School Certificate and Music is one of the subjects, majoring in composition, performance (piano) and musicology.
In 1982, he organised the Greek Cultural Centre’s first youth orchestra in which he plays the piano and conducts.
In 1983 saw Dimitri conduct the concerts of the Greek Cultural Music Group of Australia, which is founded by his mother singer/poet, touring major cities of N..S.W. and Canberra.
Dimitri was awarded the Greek-Australian Presidential Award in 1983-84 by the Australian Government, which saw him travel to Greece to undertake studies at the State Conservatorium of Thessaloniki and at the School of Byzantine Music. During this time he comes into contact with Greek musical tradition where he researched Demotic and Rebetika music and the Classical music of Kalomiris and Scalcotta, Theodorakis, Hatzidakis, Loizos and Leondis. He takes his first lessons on the traditional instrument, sandouri with Mr Tasos Diakogiorgis. At the State Conservatoire, Dimitri studied piano with Mrs Eleni Papazoglou; theory and composition with Mr Costas Nikitas: and at the School of Byzantine Music he studied Byzantine music and chanting with Mr Hrisanthos Theodosopoulos.
While in Thessaloniki, Dimitri undertook the direction of the Sikies Council Cultural Centre’s Youth Music Group and conducted the group in numerous concerts throughout Macedonia and Thessaly. He also performed in piano recitals with his mother Maria Fotiadis presenting works by Greek-Australian composers Themos Mexis, Timotheos Arvanitakis and of his own.
Upon his return to Australia and enriched by his studies and experiences in Greece, Dimitris goal was to convey Greek musical tradition to young Greek-Australians and to the multicultural community at large.
During the 1985 Australian tour of popular Greek singer, Yiorgos Dalaras, Dimitri and the Greek Cultural Music Group of Australia were invited to perform as support act at the Hordern Pavillion.
During the same year, Dimitri recorded two of his compositions to be broadcast by Radio 2EA Sydney. In September, the then Premier of N.S.W, Mr Neville Wran, publicly acknowledged Dimitri for his innovative composition, ‘Peace’.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Greek Cultural Association of Sydney and as director of the Greek Cultural Music Group of Australia, Dimitri arranged and presented a concert in tribute to the great Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis on the occasion of the composer’s 60th birthday. The music group changed its name to ‘Romiosyni’ in Theodorakis honour.
In January 1986, Dimitri arranged the music of famous rebetika blues composer, Vasilis Tsitsanis, which was performed in Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra and met with great success. In February Dimitri first worked for the Hellenic Art Theatre and the director, Stavros Economidis by whom he was commissioned to compose original material for the ancient Greek comedy ‘Lysistrata’ by Aristophanes.
In August, Mikis Theodorakis’ ‘Epitaphios’ was arranged by Dimitri for the group ‘Romiosyni’. Several concerts were presented by the Greek Cultural Association, Modern Languages Teachers’ Association and Dr. Alfred Vincent (Senior Lecturer of the Modern Greek Department at Sydney University) for the Higher School Certificate students studying Modern Greek. The original song cycle was written for solo bouzouki but was re-arranged by Dimitris for a bouzouki duet. In November, Dimitri is commissioned to arrange the music for the Greek play ‘Karagiozis In Australia’ by Miltos Moutafidis for the Hellenic Art Theatre and directed by Stavros Economidis. Dimitri performs live on piano and synthesizer. His song ‘The Fighter’ featured in the short film ‘To Whom It May Concern’ by Eteoklis Chronopoulos, which was screened at the Sydney Film Festival the same year.
In March 1987, Dimitri is yet again commissioned to arrange and compose music for the Greek play ‘Karagiozis Strikes It Rich’ by Vaso Kalamara based on Aristophanes ‘Pluto’ for the Hellenic Art Theatre and directed by Stavros Economidis. The play is performed in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne with great success.
Later that year, Dimitri arranged the music of acclaimed Greek composer Manos Loizos. Concerts were staged in Sydney and Newcastle in conjunction with the Greek Cultural Centre, the Department of Modern Greek and the Student Greek Society of the University of Sydney. The concerts were performed by ‘Romiosyni’ and the Greek Cultural Centres Youth Choir.
In June 1988, the University of Wollongong SCAW Ensemble (an ensemble presenting contemporary music) presented ‘Chromatics’, a work composed by Dimitri in three movements for Flute, Bb Clarinet, Violin, Piano and Percussion and was conducted by Dr. Andrew Schultz. Two concerts were staged in Sydney and Wollongong. The same year the French Contemporary Duo, ‘Duo Contemporain’ perform one of his compositions, ‘Sirens’ for Bass Clarinet/Alto Saxophone and Marimba/Vibraphone.
In 1989 he receives the Bachelor of Creative Arts Degree from the School of Creative Arts of the University of Wollongong majoring in composition, conducting under the direction of Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz, David Vance, John Wayne Dixon and in Acting and Italian. As a student of conducting, Dimitri also attended rehearsals (as observer) of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Chief Conductor Stuart Challender. In continuation of his studies he receives the Degree in the Graduate Diploma in Education from the Sydney Institute of Education of the Sydney College of Advanced Education, of which he was employed as part-time lecturer in music at the Institute of Nursing Studies of the University of Sydney. He is also director/conductor of Coogee South Public School Band. In July of the same year, he makes his first recording presence.
He was commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission to take part in the children’s record series ‘From 0 to 9’ on which he arranged and performed a traditional Greek lullaby on piano and Sandouri. He is also invited by his lecturer Andrew Ford to write an article analyzing Mikis Theodorakis’ ‘Axion Esti’ for the A.B.C. 24 Hours magazine.
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In April, Dimitri takes part in the Greek Song Festival ‘Antipodes’ in Melbourne. He performed his original composition ‘Manna’ (Mother) which was awarded 2nd Prize. The festival was broadcasted by SBS Television. In May at the Sydney Institute of Education Graduation Ceremony at the Opera House, Dimitri conducted the performance of ‘Moonlight’ one of his own composition dedicated to his teacher, Guido Nicoletti. The performance was received so enthusiastically that the Vice-Chancellor requested that Dimitri conduct the performance of ‘Moonlight’ again at the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney Institute of Education which was incorporated into the University of Sydney in November.
In 1990, Dimitri is appointed by the N.S.W. Department of Education to teach Music, Modern Greek and Italian at James Cook Boys’ Technology High School. and the following year he is awarded with the Teacher’s Certificate.
Dimitri has also taken part in numerous other cultural and musical activities in cooperation with other ethnic groups: Turkish, Cypriot, Kurdish, Yugoslav and French. He has taken part in many festivals, Carnival and concerts.
Dimitri composed and arranged many of his older and new songs from 1976-1990 for his first debut concert in 1990 with great success in Sydney and in Melbourne entitled ‘Songs of Our Neighbourhood’, which is a cycle of songs whose lyrics are written by Greek-Australian poets, Maria Fotiadis, Theo Lomis, Dinos Kozanitis, Vasilis Kapris, Phocion Vouros and by well-known Greek poet Vasilis Rotas.
In 1991, he takes part in the famous Turkish composer Zulfu Livaneli’s concerts in Sydney and in Melbourne. He presents his work in concerts organised by the Greek communities in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle with great success.
So Dimitri Fotiadis well established young Greek composer of the Greek community and after a successful career in Australia, decides to return to Greece in 1994 in Larisa, his fathers birthplace, where he lives, continues to create and begins to give performances and concerts presenting his work (and of others ) further from the Greek borders into Cyprus and Serbia. He received great success with his concert in May of 2003 in the ‘Ahilia’ festival of Larisa.
In September of 2004 he founds ‘Diogenis Productions’ promoting cultural and artistic events and at the Alkazar amphitheatre organizes a concert in memory of the beloved Greek actress Jenny Karezi.
Since then, Dimitri continues to present his work in selective artistic venues in Greece culminating in the presentation of his large concert in Larisa in October 2006, with his new works titled ‘Conversations In The Moonlight’.
In 2006, Diogenis Productions organised a concert presenting the popular Terpsihori Papastefanou and the Amorousian Choir to the public of Larisa. Also the same year Diogenis Productions releases the first personal CD of Dimitri titled: ‘Songs Of Our Neighbourhood’ from a live concert.
September of 2007 Diogenis Productions presents a concert in memory of Vasilis Tsitsani, famous Rebetika blues composer titled: ‘Magical Nights’ with great success. In November of the same year a concert featuring old and new works of Dimitri is presented in the concert ‘A promenade in the hearts of the people’ to help raise money for the homeless and the single parent families of the city.
2008 sees the completion of his new work titled: ‘Drosostalides’ (Water drops).a cycle of 18 songs and orchestral pieces.
In 2009 he organises the boite ‘Agripnia’, where he continues to perform selective well-known popular songs and his own compositions. In August in Karya Olympus, he presented an evening dedicated to the Greeks abroad titled: ‘My immigrant bird…’
Dimitri believes strongly in the development of local art which he sees as necessary for the preservation of our cultural heritage.
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