Biography | Vassilis Tenidis Official Website

VASSILIS TENIDIS (1936-2017)

Vassilis Tenidis was born in Larissa on 11 November 1936. Along his Law studies at the University of Athens he also studied classical guitar with Kostas Kefalopoulos and Ivan Psioukoff and music theory with Yiannis A. Papaioannou. During the 1960s he composed several songs-ballades that defined the so-called „New Wave” style and its aesthetics, later attributed to his close collaborator Manos Chatzidakis. Tenidis orchestrated and arranged many of Chatzidakis’ works and performed guitar in their recordings.

At the same time, he also enjoyed a flourishing international career as a guitarist.

Also known as a „chameleon of styles”, he has composed music for almost every music genre and idiom (such as solo, symphonic, chamber and operatic music, choral and jazz works, as well as sacral, ballet and film music), combining seemingly incompatible musical elements and genres with dexterous mastery.

Incidental music for stage plays is also a field he served with particular zeal, having collaborated with leading and the most distinguished directors, actors and writers. He has composed music for more than 200 plays of various genres (ancient drama and comedy, classical, modern, pioneer plays, e.o.).

Internationally renowned also as an orchestrator, he was assigned the orchestration of the first Greek Opera “The Candidate” by Xyndas, the Greek National Anthem for symphony orchestra and choir, the cantata “Hymn of the Mediterranian Games” by Mikis Theodorakis, the operettas “Apahides ton Athinon” by Nikos Chatziapostolou, “Vaftistikos” , “Thimisu ekina ta hronia”, “Christina” by Sakellaridis, “The germ of love” by Yiannis Konstantinidis-alias Kostas Yiannidis, works of Franz Schubert for the Dresden Philharmonic, a series of works by Heptanesian composers such as Mantzaros, Karrer, Samaras, Lavragas, Lambelet, Evangelatos, Xenos e.o.

He was a close collaborator of world-famous conductors, such as Odysseas Dimitriadis, Miltiadis Caridis and Notis Georgiou.

As part of his collaboration with the Greek Radio and Television, he produced hundreds of music-related broadcasts (among other, the radio series “Introducing music”, through which the Greek audience was introduced to almost everything about music in an originally simplified way, the TV series “Instruments of the orchestra” e.o.) He has taught in several institutions, has given numerous masterclasses and lectures and has participated in various conferences and debates. For several years he served as conductor of the Music Ensembles of the Greek National TV/Radio and was a member of the Greek Composers’Union.

His works have been performed all over the world.

Vassilis Tenidis passed away on the 7th February 2017 leaving behind a rich music legacy. According to his wish, his work is continued, handled and managed by the globally acclaimed composer, soloist and conductor Notis Georgiou in close collaboration with Vicky Tenidis as his only born.