Laaris is a faculty member in the College for the following department(s) and division(s): Theory (College) Telephone  212-749 2802  xext 7985 E-mail  nikolaos_laaris@hotmail.com

Nikolaos Laaris, who was singled out by the leading London critic Stephen Pettitt of The Times as “a fine artist, incapable of making an ugly sound,” studied piano, violin, and theory at the Athens Conservatory, obtained his Masters in Piano Performance at the Royal College of Music in London, and is now a doctoral candidate and doctoral lecturer in the Theory Department of Manhattan School of Music. Nikolaos has appeared as a recitalist in Europe (Park Lane Group’s New Year’s Series, South Bank Center, London, the Ballantine’s Festival, Greece, the Hellenic Festival, Athens), the United States (Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, presented by Artists International) and Australia. He has appeared as a concerto soloist with orchestras in Greece, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His piano teachers include Nina Svetlanova, Chun-Yee Yu, and Martino Tirimo. He has received additional coaching from Tatiana Nikolayeva, Murray Perahia, and Pierre Boulez. Nikolaos joined the Munich Ballet Theater as a piano soloist for three seasons; for his world premiere of Philip Taylor’s choreography of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, he was hailed by Dance Europe magazine as “the star of the evening.” The work was staged in Gaertnerplatz Theater of Munich, and toured in Bamberg and Toulouse, France. His numerous awards include the ‘Ballantine’s Gold Seal’, Alexander Onassis, L. Voudouris scholarships, and J. F. Costopoulos recording award, leading to the release of his debut CD. Nikolaos has been active as a violinist, and holds degrees on Harmony, Counterpoint and Fugue Composition. Nikolaos has attended conducting master classes in Vienna and Freiburg. In November 2005 he conducted Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale in Greenfield Hall, staged by Leyli Daryoush. Nikolaos is an awarded poet. His poems have been presented by the Ionian Cultural Federation in New York in May 2006. Manhattan School of Music faculty member since 2004.

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