Nikos Xanthoulis and the Ancient Greek Lyre

THE ANCIENT GREEK LYRE: REVIVING A LOST MUSICAL TRADITION

Composer and lyrist Nikos Xanthoulis will present the ancient Greek seven-stringed lyre and the work of the International Lyre Society (ILS), an international educational and research initiative dedicated to the study, revival and contemporary development of this remarkable ancient instrument. Drawing on years of historical, musical and practical research, Xanthoulis has reconstructed the playing technique of the seven-stringed lyre and developed a complete method for its study and performance, bringing the instrument from the archaeological past back into active musical life. The presentation will also introduce the modern reproductions of ancient Greek lyres created by the PALMOS workshop, whose instruments combine historical research with the craftsmanship and technical requirements of contemporary musicians. Visitors will have the opportunity to see and explore the instruments, learn about their construction, tuning and musical possibilities, and hear the ancient lyre performed live. Through the ILS and its international community of students, teachers and researchers, the ancient lyre is no longer approached merely as an archaeological object, but as a living musical instrument capable of inspiring performers, composers, educators and researchers today. The presentation in Cremona will offer a meeting between ancient Greek musical heritage, contemporary craftsmanship and living performance — demonstrating how an instrument that has been silent for centuries can once again speak through the hands of a musician.

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Dr. Nikos Xanthoulis, composer, lyrist

Associate Researcher with the Academy of Athens

Correspondent Member at the Archaeological Institute of America

Dr. Nikos Xanthoulis is a composer, lyrist, Associate Researcher at the Academy of Athens, and Corresponding Member of the Archaeological Institute of America.

He served for 25 years (1984–2009) as Principal Trumpet of the Greek National Opera Orchestra. From 2009 to 2012, he was Head of Educational Programs at the same institution, and later served as Artistic Advisor.

As both a soloist and composer, he has appeared in more than 30 countries. He was Artistic Director of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) Music Ensembles (2014–2015), Director of the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory, and Director of the Kalamata Municipal and Regional Theatre (DIPETHE). He has released fifteen solo albums and participated in six additional collaborative recordings.

His compositional work focuses primarily on children’s operas—two of which have been staged at the Greek National Opera—as well as music for ancient theatre. He collaborated for a decade with the great drama actresses Aspasia Papathanassiou and also with Anna Synodinou at the Athens & Epidaurus Festival.

The Archaeological Institute of America honored him twice with the prestigious Kress Lectureship (2012–2013 and 2017–2018) for his research on ancient Greek music, leading to lecture-recitals at major universities including Berklee College of Music, Stanford University, and the University of Hawaii, among others. In November 2016, he was invited to present his work at the Faculty of History of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Since 2012, he has devoted himself to the study and revival of the ancient Greek lyre. He composed the first concerto for ancient Greek lyre and symphony orchestra after 1,600 years of silence, premiered in Jelenia Góra (Poland) and Berlin (December 30–31, 2015).

His music for Antigone, performed for six consecutive years at the Luna Theatre in Moscow, has been ranked among the top five classical theatre productions in Russia. His music for The Trojan Women, staged at the State Music Theatre of Simferopol, became part of the theatre’s repertoire and won the Moscow Grand Prix in 2018 as the best classical theatre production in Russia.

In May 2018, he published the first-ever method for learning the ancient Greek seven-stringed lyre, in a bilingual (Greek–English) edition. In 2019, he composed music for Oedipus Tyrannus (Vladivostok Academic Theatre), followed in 2020 by The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov at the same theatre. His collaboration with award-winning playwright Christoforos Christofi has resulted in music for six theatrical productions presented at the Athens Concert Hall and international festivals.

In February 2023, he presented world premieres of works by ten composers from six countries at the Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls. In October 2023, he toured the United States, giving concerts and lectures with mezzo-soprano Sophia Karakouta.

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra commissioned two major works for him: a concerto for ancient lyre and symphony orchestra by Fazıl Say, (premiered to the public’s acclaim in September 2025 at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna and at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg); and a rhapsody for violin and ancient lyre by Lowell Liebermann, presented during the orchestra’s tour in Estonia. In both works, Nikos Xanthoulis appeared as soloist.