SYN-PHONIA BAND
Aphrodite Daniel
Vocalist
Aphrodite was born in New York City, the daughter of the famed and beloved Greek band leader, Mike Daniel. After graduating from Queens College with an MA, Aphrodite formed DANIEL ENTERTAINMENT INC., a Greek concert promotion company that for 15 years, produced North American Tours for popular Greek artists. It was during these years that Aphrodite was inspired by her collaborations with the highly acclaimed contemporary Greek vocalists, Haris Alexiou, Yiannis Parios, Anna Vissy ,Dimitra Galani, Gregoris Bithikotsis, Mairi Linta, Elpida and others. When she was only 23, Aphrodite released her first recorded selection of original songs entitled, “HORIS AGAPI, POU THA PAS”, ( WHERE WILL YOU GO WITHOUT LOVE…) featuring original songs by the contemporary composers, Antonis Vardis, Thanasis Polikandriotis and a local lyricist, Stelios Ioannides.
Panagiotis Andreou
Bass/Vocals
A native of Athens, Greece, Panagiotis is a Grammy-nominated, cross-cultural musician with 11 years experience as a bass player, 10 years of Baroque classical, Byzantine, and traditional Greek music studies, and advanced degrees in performance from Berklee College of Music and SUNY-Purchase. Over the last decade, he has had the opportunity to play an extensive array of world music including Greek, Balkan, Turkish, Armenian and Middle Eastern. In 2009 Panagiotis won the “Best Latin Jazz Bassist of the Year” award from the prestigious Latin Jazz Corner. He joined the SYN-PHONIA BAND in 2007 as bass and male vocalist.
Ismail Lumanovski
Clarinet
Music in New York. His American debut was in 2002 with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra . He has won numerous competitions and awards, including first prize at various National and International Clarinet Competitions. In his Junior and Senior years at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Ismail was awarded with a Fine Arts award. He has performed in numerous concerts in France, England, Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey and the U.S.A. Ismail has been performing with the SYN-PHONIA BAND since 2007 with his unique and unmatched musical interpretations of traditional and contemporary Greek tunes.
Engin Gunaydin
Drums and Composer
Engin Kaan Gunaydin was born in Melbourne, Australia. With a full scholarship to Bilkent University’s Music Department, he studied to become a professional Drummer and Percussionist. For many years he performed as a guest member with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. He won a scholarship to and is a Graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. A member of the SYN-PHONIA BAND since 2007, Engin takes command of the bands “vibe”.
Chris Papadopoulos
Bouzouki
Christos Papadopoulos has been inspired by playing bouzouki since the age of 12. He started with little formal musical training but his love for Greek music had driven him to study. Christos got his start at age 16 playing with local bands, performing at various Greek functions in the tri state area.
At 19, performed in popular Greek music venues in New York City like the famed Thiasos Club. There he met prominent and accomplished Greek musicians and composers that would inspire him in his pursuit of his unique Greek “sound”. Christos later studied bouzouki in Greece and performed in various venues in Athens. Upon his return to the U.S., he had the good fortune to perform with George Dalaras at Lincoln Center in New York.
Kostas Tsoukalas
Guitar
Kostas Tsoukalas was born on the Greek island of Corfu. He plays classical and electric guitars. His unique sound is derived from classical, jazz and Greek/Middle eastern influences. He holds a Masters degree in music education and has studied composition and orchestration with the world renowned composer John Corigliano. He has shared the stage with such international acts as John Secada, Gloria Estefan, No Mercy, Jeff Andrews, Janis Siegel, Ara Dinkjian, Matthew Garrison, Tony Cintron and John Benitez among others. Kostas is also an active NY session musician/ music educator and very much involved with the Greek music scene and has performed with local groups and artists from Greece as Sophia Vosou, Antypas, Lena Papadopoulou, Polykandriotis/Daskalos, Katerina Kouka and Georgos Margaritis among others.
