Giorgos Xylouris

Who is Giorgos Xylouris?

Giorgos Xylouris, also known as Psarogiorgis, is a Cretan lute player and singer.

Xylouris was born into a musical family and grew up in Anogeia, a mountain village in Crete with a rich musical culture. Xylouris started playing the Cretan lute at an early age, guided by his uncle Psarogiannis. From eleven years old he would accompany his father at village functions, and participate in recordings. Giorgos lived for eight years in Melbourne, Australia, where he formed the Xylouris Ensemble. Two of the Xylouris Ensemble's albums, Antipodes and Drakos, were nominated for the ARIA Fine Arts Awards in Australia. The Xylouris Ensemble recently expanded to include a younger generation of players, including Psarogiorgis' sons Nikos and Adonis Xylouris, who are based in Melbourne.

Xylouris plays the lute as a solo instrument, in contrast to the traditional accompaniment role the lute has in Cretan music. Normally in an ensemble the laouto provides the rhythmic backing to the lyra, which is par excellence a singer’s instrument. In this role Giorgos is peerless. In the less usual role of lead instrument he has made the laouto a melodic instrument to frame and adorn song.