Manos Achalinotopoulos

Manos Achalinotopoulos, considered by critics, composers & musicologists as the best
clarinet performer of the new generation in Greece, was born and grew up in Athens where he
lived with his Asia Minor origin parents. He started learning the flute and clarinet from a very
early age. He was taught clarinet by V.Soukas and he studied theory of music next to
N.Drellas and M.Tavlos.
As of 1990 and afterwards he develops a rich artistic activity both on the level of
performances – concerts and in discography.
Performances throughout the globe in over 35 countries with the top participations being
those in the big Jazz Festival of Montraux both in 1999 and in 2001, in the Sphinx Festival of
Belgium, in the Savvorama at the Concert Hall of Athens and of Thessaloniki with Dionyssis
Savvopoulos, while he participated with his clarinet as the main soloist in the opening and
closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympic Games.
Since 1998, his activity has been different from that of pure folk clarinet music, researching,
composing and collaborating with musicians from all over the world, issues related to modern
modal music creation, modern composition and improvisation, oralities in music and musical
modalities in the expression of the clarinet in the modern world.
For the critics, what makes Manos Achalinotopoulos so special is the mixing of the traditional
style of playing the clarinet and its special idioms with Jazz, Balkan Ethnic style and
influences of the western music.