Australia’s Greek community is mourning the loss of Christos Ioannidis, an artist who entertained audiences for decades and made significant contributions to the cultural landscape of both the Greek diaspora and Australia.
The sad news was conveyed to Neos Kosmos by his nephew, Yannis Dimitropoulos.
Diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, Christos was initially given only a few weeks to live by doctors.
However, he did not give up. He fought bravely and ultimately succumbed to the disease.
During his illness, his twin brother, Tasos Ioannidis, who lives and works in Greece, visited him several times to offer support. The last visit was just a few days ago.
It was the second time in a year that Tasos had traveled from Athens to Melbourne to see and support his brother.
Tasos will make the journey from Athens to Melbourne again, arriving on Sunday. This time, he is coming to bid a final farewell to Christos, who passed away prematurely.
Regarding his brother’s death, Tasos made the following post on Thursday, accompanied by the cover of their album “I Am Free”:
“Today, I lost my other half.
My beloved Christos,
‘Our paths will cross again
Wherever you go, I will come
Set moons to signal me
So I won’t get lost in a black hole.’
On behalf of the Ioannidis family, I thank everyone warmly for the abundance of your wishes.
The lyrics of Kazantzakis in ‘I Am Free,’ which Christos set to music, give him wings to fly to the skies of eternity.
Have a good journey… ‘Tatse Matse.'”
Christos’ death, which was announced by Neos Kosmos, caused deep emotion in our community.
Christos Ioannidis’ funeral will take place on Thursday at the Holy Church of the Transfiguration in Thomastown.
Originally from Florina, the two brothers began their artistic journey together in Melbourne.
Their early performances at La Mama and “Fanari” in the mid-1970s made a lasting impact by bringing Greek art music and the “New Wave” to Australia.
This success was followed by the Melbourne Greek Song Festivals, their own concerts, compositions for theatrical performances, and numerous records.
Christos also performed at Greek venues in Melbourne and in Greece, especially in tourist destinations during the summer. Eventually, each brother pursued his own musical path.
Among Christos’s many achievements, his work on Dionysios Solomos’ “Free Besieged” stands out as particularly significant. Another noteworthy accomplishment was his concert “Alexander The Great: Pioneering Multiculturalism.”
Regarding his career, Prof. Anastasios Tamis has highlighted the following:
Christos Ioannidie is a Melbourne based composer, singer and poet born in Greece. He studied at the National Conservatorium of Greece, prior to migrating to Australia in 1973 and studying at the Melba Conservatorium of Music.
He performed in many festivals and concerts in Australia as well as his homeland. Amongst his most well-received performances were: In Australia Day of 1979, he sang his own composed songs with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; in 1984 , he participated in the Melbourne Summer Music Festival in the Greek jazz concert with Herby man at the Hamer Concert Hall; in 1977 he had his premier performance of his composition [Free Besieged] with Melbourne Philharmonic 0rchestra; in 1979 he performed his Symphonia Polytechnique performed at Dallas Brooks Hall for the Festival of all Nations for this composition.
In 1977 Christos was successful in receiving a grant from the Australian Performing Arts Board, [Massa Confusa] and performed at the National Gallery of Victoria with the Spiros Randos Ensemble from Vienna. In 1981 he was commissioned by the Education Department of Victoria to compose 12 children’s songs for the Greek curriculum program. He also composed music for the ABC television series Andra and SBS, as well as for the award-winning documentary Son For Melbourne.
Christos also composed the music for the film Kostas by Paul Coks in 1983; for the plays Ifigeneia En Avlidi by Sophocles [Ancient Greek tragedy] and Ekklisiazouses by Aristophanes for Epidaurus Theatre Melbourne. He also composed children musicals, such as the Gods of Olympus performed at Westgarth Theatre with his students; and the musical, The Journey of Peter Luky by Strimberg, performed by Theatre Paroikia; he also composed the Taxidi contemporary ballad commissioned by Ethnic Affairs of Victoria for the Melbourne Thessaloniki sister city celebrations performed at Melbourne Concert Hall.
He also acted as a Conductor and Arranger for Greek song Festival 1980/87 after winning 1st prize 1977-78 also 1st prize Radio children’s song competition 1987 for the year of peace. In 2014 he was nominated for Australian of the Year Award. Christos Ioannidis apogee was his composition of Alexander the Great, a pioneering multiculturalism concert (26 October 2016) at the Melbourne Recital Centre, when a full-house assembly of 1,000 spectators had the rare opportunity to enjoy his charismatic skills, when his brilliant composition was directed by Douglas Heywood, OAM. This has been his last creation funded by the Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies.
