Theofilos Sotiriades

Theofilos Sotiriades was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and initially graduated in Psychology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

After early studies in classical guitar and a brief experience as an electric bassist in local rock groups, he devoted himself to the saxophone. He graduated with highest distinction from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, where he studied with Vassilis Vradelis, and continued his training in Paris at the École Nationale de Musique de Créteil with Georges Porte, receiving first prize and a special distinction in the interpretation of contemporary music. During this period, he also won prizes at the Picardie and Leopold Bellan competitions.
In 2006, he completed a Master’s degree in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University in the United States (studio of Dr. John Sampen), where he also served as Assistant Professor of Saxophone. As a performer, he has appeared throughout Europe, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, taking part in major festivals and congresses including the World Saxophone Congress, the BGSU New Music Festival and the International Computer Music Conference.
As a soloist, he has collaborated with ensembles and orchestras such as the French Saxophone Quintet of Paris, the Lutosławski String Quartet, the Louisiana Sinfonietta, and the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki. A number of distinguished Greek composers have dedicated works to him, many of which he has given in first performance. His discography includes recordings devoted to contemporary Greek and American repertoire, as well as electroacoustic works such as Atrapos.
He holds a doctorate from the University of Macedonia, where he currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone. His research led to the creation of the Hellenic Saxophone Library, an online archive dedicated to saxophone works by Greek, Cypriot and diaspora composers. He is also founder of several ensembles, and a long-standing teacher at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki.