Giannis Koutis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 1985. In Athens, he immersed himself in the study of the oud for four consecutive years under the virtuoso oud player and composer Haig Yazdjian. He holds a diploma in Byzantine Music, having graduated from the National Conservatory of Athens with the highest honors and a First Prize, under the guidance of the late Christos Hadjinikolaou. He studied Epirus polyphonic singing at the “Fivos Anogeianakis” Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments. He also studied at the Pythagoreio Conservatory of Athens, where he earned his Classical Guitar degree with honors, under the guidance of the soloist and composer Kostas Grigoreas. Additionally, he holds a Classical Guitar Diploma from ABRSM. In 2016, he completed his postgraduate studies (Master on Music | Ottoman Music/Oud Performance) at Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam, under the supervision of the internationally renowned Ney Master Kudsi Erguner (UNESCO Artist for Peace).
He has participated in concerts and festivals around the globe (Qatar, Uzbekistan, Las Palmas, Spain, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Israel, Russia, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Algeria, Turkiye, Ankara, Greece, etc.), both as a soloist and in collaborations with ensembles, presenting, among other things, his own compositions. He has collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Kudsi Erguner, Ross Daly, Omar Farouk Tekbilek, Alkinoos Ioannidis among others. He has participated in numerous recordings, mainly focusing on the Modal Music of the Eastern Mediterranean.
He has composed music for films, theater productions, and advertising projects while in 2023 the Kentriki Insurance published his book under the title The Musical Instruments of the Eastern Mediterranean.
