Sgouros Dimitris

I was born in Kritsa, Lassithi, in 1968. There I attended primary school. Then I went to high school in Agios Nikolaos and in 1990 I graduated from the Pedagogical Department of the University of Crete, in Rethymnon. The influence of my family, yet also the rich musical and dancing tradition of my village, made me love traditional Cretan music as a kid and got me into lyra and singing. At the age of 13 I could already play almost like a professional. Later, as a student in Rethymnon, I began studying Byzantine-Greek music and in 1995 I got a degree in Byzantine Music from the "Nikos Skalkotas" conservatory in Athens, taught by the late Vasilis Nonis.

To date, three personal albums have been released:
“Ta Sa Ek Ton Son” 1999 Released by the Cretan Musical Laboratory, comprising old favorite tunes of Eastern Crete and two of my own compositions.
“Ara Kai Pou” 2003 Released by the “Seistron” Company, comprising old tunes and several own compositions.
“Tunes and Songs of Crete 1860-1910 from the Archive of Pavlos G. Vlastos” 2011 Released by the "Aegis" Company, consisting of 3 CDs and a movie (DVD). In this work 51 old Cretan songs are presented as recorded in Byzantine notation by the father of Cretan Folklore Pavlos Vlastos.
I also participate, playing the lyra and singing, in the following works:
A. “Lakis Halkias: 2500 years of Greek music” Athens, 1999. Live recording at the Athens Concert Hall.
B. “O Glikasmos Ton Aggelon” (“The Sweetening of Angels”) Musical-philological release by the ecclesiastical cultural center of Agios Nikolaos, 2000.
C. “Crete” from the series Greek Akrites. Greek Music Archive, 2000.
D. “Agrimi Kai Koraso” (“Beast and Girl”) Produced by Stefanis Nikas, 2002.
E. “Otan Akouo Kriti” (“When I listen to Crete”) Research and records of the musical-dancing tradition of Crete by the Dancing Group of Giannis and Giorgos Megalakakis.
F. “To Megalo Mystiko” (“The Great Secret”) Produced by Stefanis Nikas.
G. “Den Echi I Agapi Sinora” (“Love has no Frontiers”) by Antonis and Michalis Fragiadakis.

In general, I am interested in research and creation harmonized with the unwritten rules of Cretan traditional composition; that is, what we call smooth transition and continuity in Cretan music.

I work as a teacher in various schools of the prefecture of Lassithi since 1995. This year I became principal of the 1st Primary School of Agios Nikolaos. I am married to Yota Alexopoulou and have three children.