Panayiotis or Panos Aggelakos is a virtuoso of the clarinet who has been playing for over 23 years, professionally for 18.
By Stavroula Toska
He got his start in Mystras, Sparta, where he was born and raised and learned to appreciate the customs and values of the Greek rural people. He has studied with some of the best in Greece and continues to look for ways to expand in his field. “I learned from the best because I wanted to become the best I could be. There was never any ego involved - it’s always been about the work,” says Aggelakos. From there he went on to become one of the best, performing in major festivals and events all around Greece. His reputation as a professional along with his talent and ambition led him to countries like England, Italy, Holland, Bulgaria and Spain where he played traditional Greek music in front of huge crowds. As he recently said, “people around the world are fascinated with Greece and our culture. I always look for opportunities to show the world who we are through our music. I feel so proud every time I hear a non Greek say to me how touched he is by what I played; to me it’s a beautiful piece of music from my country, to them it’s a whole new world opening up.”
His love for music didn’t stop with the clarinet. He also plays the kaval, flute and saxophone. As someone who always tries to bring new elements to his work, and with an endless desire to explore music outside the borders of Greece, Aggelakos came to New York in November of 2010. “I visited New York for the first time two years ago. I couldn’t get enough of the music scene in this city. So much culture, so much variety in every corner you turn. I felt so inspired, I had to come back.” He promised himself he would return to pursue a career here and so he did. Since November, he has performed in special events around the city and has been working on putting together his own ethnic band to “…marry different cultures and sounds. Music speaks a universal language, it brings people together in good times and bad. I have been very fortunate in life and my work has taken me many places. I have witnessed firsthand what it is like to go to an unknown country and make hundreds and thousands of people fall in love with the sounds of the clarinet. I want to create the same with other musicians and their sounds. I want to incorporate jazz and Byzantine or Middle Eastern sounds into my music, experiment, take risks and see where it’s going to take me. People are so surprised when they hear me playing a piece that’s not traditional Greek with the clarinet. You have to see the look on their faces. I don’t limit myself.”
Aggelakos‘goal while in New York is to promote his music not only within the Greek community but in every other community within the country. “America is a melting pot. You can either make your point by staying true to who you are and not forget where you came from or disappear in the mix. I am very proud of who I am and of the work I have been doing all these years as an artist. It hurts me to see all this negative publicity surrounding Greece in the press lately and what I want most is to remind people what our country is about.”
As if performing wasn’t enough, he also teaches clarinet with students varying from 10 to 63 years old. “It’s never too early or too late to pick up an instrument and learn to play. Music taught me to look at everything in life from a different perspective and it’s a joy to help someone do the same. Life is too short to not do the things we truly want to do,” says Aggelakos and we couldn’t agree more.
It is very refreshing for us at NEO to have someone who is so committed and remains so passionate about his craft after so many years.
If you are preparing for a special event and would like to have Panayiotis Aggelakos perform, please contact him at aggelakosklarino@yahoo.gr, or call (347) 806-7649. He is also available for private or small group lessons, beginners as well as advanced.
