Open to work
PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER
saganis.akis@gmail.com
Athens / Heraklion
Biography
Akis Saganis is a professional musician and educator specializing in traditional and contemporary percussion, with many years of experience in education, performance, and research. He combines his academic training with ongoing professional development and practical experience, aiming for a comprehensive approach to rhythm and performance. Of particular interest to him is the intersection of Greek traditional music with contemporary techniques and interpretive approaches.
«Rhythm is not only time; it is memory, identity, and a dialogue between past and present.»
He has collaborated with musical ensembles, orchestras, and acclaimed artists and musicians in Greece and abroad, participating in live performances, recordings, and themed seminars. In parallel, he actively works in education, teaching at Music Schools, Conservatories, and Philharmonic Societies. His goal is to cultivate musical perception and technique through programs that combine cultural background with practical application.
Studies
PhD Candidate
Department of Music Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA)
Postgraduate Degree (Master's)
Department of Music Studies, NKUA.
MSc: «Ethnomusicology and Cultural Anthropology», Specialization: Performance/Interpretation of Traditional Music
Undergraduate Degree (BACHELOR)
Department of Music Studies, University of Ioannina
Teaching Experience
Teacher at Music Schools
2020 – 2021: Music School of Alexandroupolis
2021 – 2022: Music School of Kastoria
2022 – 2023: Music School of Drama
2023 – 2024: Music School of Argolida
2024 – 2025: Music School of Heraklion (Permanent Position)
Drums Teacher at Conservatories
2011 – 2021: Conservatory of Messolonghi
2014 – 2025: Conservatory of Western Greece, Agrinio
2016 – 2017: Central Conservatory of Arta
2020 – 2021: Municipal Conservatory of Agia Paraskevi, Athens
Artistic Activity / Performance
Collaborations (2004 – 2025)
Διονύση Σαββόπουλο, Κώστα Χατζή, Ευανθία Ρεμπούτσικα, Δημήτρη Μπάση, Σταμάτη Χατζηευσταθίου, Θάνο Σταυρίδη, Λευκοθέα & Νίκο Φιλιππίδη
Στέλλα Κονιτοπούλου & Βαγγέλη Κονιτόπουλο, Ελένη Λεγάκη, Ιωάννα Λεγάκη Παναγιώτη Λάλεζα, Στάθη Αγγελόπουλο, Πέτρο Ίμβριο, Πάνο Καλίδη, Λίτσα Γιαγκούση, Ματθαίο Γιαννούλη, Γιώργο Δασκουλίδη
Λίνο Κόκκοτο, Θανάση Κομνηνό, Τάσο Κρυστάλλη, Λευτέρη Μυτιληναίο, Ανδρέα Στάμο, Βασίλη Κομματά, Χρήστο Ζώτο, Βαγγέλη Κουκουλάρη, Γιάννη Τζιαμπάζη, Γιάννη Μπαφαλούκο
De Sade Exupery, The Big Band Thery κ.ά.
Collaborations / Projects
Πανεπιστhμιο Ιωαννiνων
(2015 – 2018)
Participation in external music workshops of the Department of Music Studies:
«Narda» (Μ. Σκούλιου)
«A Walk in the Balkans» (Th. Stavridis)
«Orchestra and Composition Workshop» (N. Ordoulidis)
«Musical Stories Behind the Rehearsals» (V. Kommatas)
Live performances and recordings on behalf of the Department.
ΕΡΤ
Collaboration with the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra in partnership with Stamatis Hatzieustathiou.
Orchestra Direction: Giorgos Aravidis
Orchestrations: Akis Katsoupakis
Philharmonic Societies
2011 – 2014: External collaborator, Friends of Music «D. Solomos», Messolonghi
2018 – 2025: External collaborator, Municipal Philharmonic of Amfilochia
Seminars & Talks
2016
«Rhythm on Drums: A Structural Approach», (9th Art Festival «Cultural Interference», T.L.P.M.)
2018
«Groupings and Traditional Rhythms», (10th Art Festival «Cultural Interference», T.L.P.M.)
2024
«Groupings και παραδοσιακοί ρυθμοί στο σύγχρονο drumming», (Μουσικός Σύλλογος Μεσολογγίου “Ιωσήφ Ρωγών”)
2025
«The Rhythmology of the Balkans», (Labyrinth Musical Workshop, Ross Daly – M.S.H.)
Academic Activity
ΘΕμα:
«The Macedonian Drum Set: Contemporary practices in traditional brass bands»
2ο Επιστημονικό Συνέδριο: “Η μπάντα πνευστών στην Ελλάδα. Ιστορία και Προοπτικές”
Research Interests
«Rhythm is our natural pulse — the bridge that connects traditions with the present.»
Research interests focus on:
the rhythmology of traditional music of Greece and the Balkans through the lens of contemporary drumming,
the preservation of traditional elements and their integration into contemporary musical contexts,
the study of musical networks of tradition and their cultural transmission.
His parallel involvement with drums and traditional percussion:
has decisively influenced his interpretive approach,
has led him to borrow techniques from traditional instruments to enrich the drum set — and vice versa,
has led him to the belief that drums, as a now-international instrument, can serve as vehicles for spreading traditional music worldwide.
«Drums do not speak only of rhythm — they speak of communities, of roots, and of identity.»
Teachers
Significant guidance and teaching was received from:
Λάκη Τσιατσιάμη
Κώστα Αναστασιάδη
Χρήστο Καντζέλη
Βαγγέλη Καρίπη
Κώστα Λάμπρη
TV Appearances
Alpha TV
Just the two of us, J2US
Open TV
Easter 2024 on Open TV
Specializations
Traditional percussion & drums
Music education & teaching
Ethnomusicology & Balkan rhythmology
Contact
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