63, Cambridge Street • London • SW1V 4PS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7976 5041 • email: info@tashmina.co.uk
Dimitris Dekavallas
Guitar
Described by Julian Bream as a ‘very exciting’ performer, Dimitris Dekavallas has always been considered one of the most talented guitarists of his age.
Dimitris was born in Athens in 1982 and began learning the guitar at the age of six. He was first taught at the National Conservatory of Athens. Dimitris continued his studies at the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens, where he studied with Angelos Nikolopoulos. He graduated from the conservatory in 2002 with 1st Prize for achieving the highest mark. The music conservatory honoured him with the ‘Haralambos Ekmetzoglou’ music award at his graduation. From 2003-2004 Dimitris received private tuition from the Guitarist Alexis Froudarakis.
Dimitris won 1st Prize in the Iky National Scholarship Foundation in Greece in 2004, which enabled him to come to London to continue his studies. In 2005 he started his Postgraduate Degree at the Royal Academy of Music under Micheal Lewin, Timothy Walker and John Mills, where he won the Tebutt Exhibition Scholarship Prize. In 2007 he received his Diploma of Postgraduate Performance (Distinction) in guitar and his L.R.A.M. Teaching Diploma (Distinction). The R.A.M. awarded him with the ‘Blyth Watson Award’ at his graduation.
Dimitris gave his first public performance when he was 9 years old, at the National Concert Hall of Athens. At this point his career took off leading to a concert tour in Greece in 2004 and he has given solo performances in most major cities in Greece such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Veria, Volos, Crete, Larissa, Ioannina, Syros, Naxos and Lamia.
Since then, Dimitris has given recitals at Amourers Hall, Bolivar Hall International Guitar Festival, the Old MaltHouse Music Society, the Dorset Guitar Society, the Greenwood Guitar Society, Royal Academy of Music, St Martin’s in the Field, Sheffield Cathedral, St James's Piccadilly, Southwark Cathedral, and St Paul’s Covent Garden. He has been invited to perform as a soloist in International Festivals such as Hermoupolis International Guitar festival, Volos International guitar festival, Veria Guitar Festival, Tirgu Mures International Guitar Festival and many others. He also plays as a duo with the well-known solo, chamber and orchestral musician, oboist Marios Argiros.
Competition prizes include:
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1st prize, National Guitar Competition Ode to Guitar 1999
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2nd prize, Halkida National Guitar Competition 2000
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1st prize, Veria National Guitar Competition 2003
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1st prize, Volos International Guitar Competition 2003
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1st prize, Ivor Mairants Guitar Award, London 2005
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Special Prize and Audience Prize, Eduard Pamfil Guitar Competition, Bucharest 2008
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Recommended Artist, Making Music Philip & Dorothy Green Award 2008
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3rd Prize, Sinaia International Guitar competition, Romania 2008
Dimitris has played in masterclasses with George Hatzinikos, David Russell, Hubert Käppel, Carlos Marchione, Fabio Zanon, Kostas Kotsiolis and Carlo Domeniconi. He has also played in workshops with John Williams, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. He plays with a ‘G. Smallman’ guitar on loan from the Royal Academy and lives in London.