Menelaos Peistikos (born 22 August 1995) is a visionary Greek composer and pianist whose music weaves a rich tapestry of sound, drawing from an extraordinary spectrum of influences. His work marries the dynamic energy of contemporary classical and cinematic music with the meditative character of ambient music and traditional music from Greece and Japan. His latest work is significantly influenced by the practice of meditation and Zen philosophy.
In February 2019, Menelaos dazzled the international music scene by claiming both the 3rd Prize and the Public's 1st Prize at the 7th Molinari String Quartet Composition Competition in Montreal, with his string quartet For Sun’s Light. A year prior, he won the 2nd Prize at the 4th Opus Dissonus International Composition Competition in Brazil for his deeply evocative piano solo On the Vision and The Riddle.
His meteoric rise continued as one of the six laureates of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra’s prestigious New Sounds Week Call for Scores in 2022, for his orchestral piece A Mystic Journey. In 2021, he stood out as one of four composers chosen in the Open Call for Young Greek Composers – Israeli Chamber Project, for his introspective work A Glimpse of Autumn, a composition based on haiku poems, a poignant reflection on nature’s fleeting beauty. Most recently, he was selected at the SEED 2024: Virtual Composition Academy to compose a piece for the traditional Japanese instrument sho, commissioned by the academy and sho performer Chatori Shimizu.
Performances of his pieces include artists such as Molinari String Quartet, Ergon Ensemble, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Israeli Chamber Ensemble, Erato Alakiozidou, Marilena Liakopoulou, Alexandra Papachristou, Chatori Shimizu, UofT Percussion Ensemble among others, and he has received commissions from Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Megaron Music Thessaloniki and Athens Concert Hall.
Menelaos holds a Master’s in Composition from the University of Toronto, where he was mentored by the composer Christos Hatzis. In September 2022, he embarked on his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition journey at the same institution, a path illuminated by a full-tuition scholarship. Prior to his studies in University of Toronto, Menelaos studied composition privately for seven years with composer Altin Volaj, and holds several music degrees from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki: Degree in Counterpoint, Degree in Fugue and Diploma in Composition with music theorist and composer Costas Tsougras, and the Degree in Piano Performance with prof. Victoria Victoratou. He is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Toronto, where he assists in composition and orchestration. He also holds a BA Honours Degree from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Menelaos Peistikos is the recipient of Nikos Evdemon Graduate Scholarship, the University of Toronto Fellowship, and the Hellenic Initiative Scholarship—testaments to his artistry, dedication, and the profound impact of his work on the world stage.
