Yannis Kyriakides

Yannis Kyriakides is a Cypriot-born composer and sound artist currently teaching composition and multimedia at the Royal Conservatoire Den Haag. Born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1969, he emigrated to Britain in 1975 and has been living in the Netherlands since 1992. He studied musicology at York University and composition with Louis Andriessen and Dick Raaijmakers, earning his PhD from Leiden University on concepts of multimedia composition with his dissertation 'Imagined Voices'.

As a composer, Kyriakides explores the creation of new forms and hybrids of media, particularly focusing on the relationship between words and music through systems of encoding information into sound, voice synthesis, and projected text. His recent work has moved into interactive and generative scores. He has composed nearly 200 works spanning music theatre, audiovisual installations, and electroacoustic compositions for chamber ensembles, large ensembles, and orchestra.

Kyriakides is a founding member of the electro-acoustic ensemble Maze and co-founded the CD label Unsounds with Andy Moor and Isabelle Vigier. His compositional approach often involves creating immersive experiences that challenge conventional boundaries between performer, score, and audience.

• French Qwartz award for the CD 'Antichamber'
• Dutch Toonzetters prize for 'Paramyth'
• Willem Pijper prize for 'Dreams of the Blind'
• Honorary mention at Prix Ars Electronica for 'Wordless'
• First prize in International Rostrum of Composers for 'Words and Song Without Words'
• Johan Wagenaar prize for his oeuvre

Kyriakides' recent works demonstrate a continued exploration of media scores, interactive systems, and the relationship between text and sound. His research into generative and interactive scores, as evidenced in works like 'Mutability' and 'Beyond Paper: Attributes of the Media Score,' reveals a sophisticated approach to expanding traditional musical notation. His work often incorporates technological innovation while maintaining deep connections to cultural and historical contexts, particularly his Cypriot heritage.