Farewell to composer Kyriakos Sfetsas
(29/9/1945 – 20/4/2026)
Kyriakos Sfetsas was born in 1945 in Amfilochia and grew up in Lefkada. He studied at the National Conservatory, and in the late 1960s he went to Paris on a French government scholarship, during a period of intense ferment in contemporary music. There he studied under Max Deutsch, who had himself been a student of Arnold Schoenberg, and through that environment came into contact with twelve-note system. He also met and received guidance from Iannis Xenakis, Luigi Nono, and Henri Dutilleux. He did not follow any of these influences mechanically, but appears to have absorbed them in a more personal way.
Upon returning to Greece, he became associated with Manos Hadjidakis's circle at Greek Radio, during a period when the Third Programme was developing a distinct identity. In 1982 he took over its directorship, succeeding Hadjidakis, and remained there until 1994. During those years he worked to maintain the station's character, making room for both classical music and Greek works — from contemporary composers to traditional sounds. The programming included broadcasts dedicated to new music, presentations of works by Greek creators, and a broader effort to keep radio alive as a cultural vehicle. During the same period he was also actively involved with the Municipal Regional Theatre of Patras as artistic director, working on both programming and the musical scoring of productions.
As a composer he worked across different fields. He wrote works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, which were performed at contemporary music festivals across Europe, often by ensembles specializing in modern repertoire. In 1976 he founded the Greek Fusion Orchestra, an ensemble that sought to combine elements of Greek traditional music with influences from progressive jazz and rock. By Greek standards of the time, this was an experimental endeavor and far from commonplace.
His activity extended into the world of ballet as well, most notably through his collaboration with Maurice Béjart's Ballet du XXe Siècle, a company with a strong presence on the European stage during those years. He also composed music for film and theatre, taking part in productions staged at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, where the music had to function within a unique space and in direct relation to the spoken word.
He left behind a substantial body of recordings, both from his contemporary music works and from his work with the Greek Fusion Orchestra. In recent years, some of this material has been reissued by labels specializing in fusion and avant-garde music, finding an audience beyond Greece.
Those who knew him remember him as a composed, focused man with little inclination toward self-promotion.
He passed away on 20 April 2026, leaving behind a consistent body of work with a clear and personal imprint.
Composer Kyriakos Sfetsas speaks about the music collection "In the Stream of the Sun"
(Presentation at the Preveza Music Days 2014)
Kostas Grigoreas
(guitarist-composer)
https://grigoreas.com
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