George Dalaras

Born in Piraeus on 29 September 1949, George Dalaras is one of the most prolific and influential figures in Greek music. Since his 1967 debut he has released close to 90 personal albums — selling over 18 million copies worldwide — and taken part in more than 150 collaborative projects spanning rebetiko, laïkó, pop, rock and classical crossover.

Dalaras is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist on bouzouki, guitar, baglamas and oud. His 1983 concerts at Athens’ Olympic Stadium drew 160,000 people and, as Rolling Stone noted, marked the moment “Greek music entered the era of the big stadiums.” He has performed at Madison Square Garden, Sydney Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall, and conducted over 800 concerts outside Greece.

In 2006 he was appointed a UN Refugee Agency Goodwill Ambassador. His international collaborations include Sting, Al Di Meola, the Metropole Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit.