Dimitris Vraskos

Dimitris Vraskos (June 7, 1931 – November 26, 2009) was a Greek musician. Raised in Ioannina, he took his first violin lessons with Olga Mentzou. He completed his studies at the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens with Tony Schultze and Alekos Kazatzis, receiving a diploma with first prize and a monetary award.

He played in the National Lyric Stage and the State Orchestra of Athens. He served as the leader of the ERT Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1992 and also played in the Orchestra of Colors.

As a soloist, he collaborated with orchestras such as ERT, State Orchestra of Athens, Athens State Orchestra, and the Experimental Orchestra, of which he was the leader. With the latter, he performed in 1965 at the Athens Festival, presenting the concerto for violin by Theodoros Antoniou, a commissioned work for the orchestra’s premiere.

In 1986, he represented Greece in the World Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro.

He collaborated with prominent Greek composers and appeared in chamber music recitals and concerts. He was a key collaborator of Manos Hadjidakis, playing both violin and mandolin in many of his recordings. He participated in several recordings, including significant works by Nikos Skalkottas.

Apart from Hadjidakis, he also worked with composers associated with him, contributing to the recording of Lena Platonos’ “Lilipoupoli” and albums by Kypourgos, among others. He also collaborated with Eleni Karaindrou, Dimos Moutsis, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Dionysis Savvopoulos, and others.

He taught at the Municipal Conservatory of Kalamata and the Central Conservatory of Athens.

He passed away in Athens on November 26, 2009, following a stroke.

Source: Wikipedia