Born in a musical family in Cyprus, the violinist and composer Michalis Kouloumis developed a strong musical background and sensitivity from his early years. He studied European classical violin, but his personal pursuits led him to the musical traditions of the Orient and especially that of the Eastern Mediterranean.
He graduated with ‘Distinction’ from the Department of Greek Traditional music of the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in Athens, being a disciple of violinist Yorgos Marinakis. During the same period, he completed his undergraduate studies at the Department of Physics, University of Athens. In 2013, he obtained his MA of Music in Violin Performance (Taksim in Ottoman Classical music) from Codarts, University for the Arts (Netherlands). Michalis Kouloumis was the first alumnus in Codarts to receive the ‘10/10 Excellence in Performance’ prize.
He participated in violin workshops led by Nedim Nalbantoğlu and Baki Kemancı, ‘Ottoman Classical music’ workshops led by ney masters Kudsi Ergüner and Ömer Erdoğdular as well as ‘Makam Composition’, ‘Rhythmic Improvisation’, ‘Sound Recording and Production’ and ‘Turkish Makam music’ led by Ross Daly, Harris Lambrakis, Efren Lopez and Murat Aydemir respectively.
He performed on stage and recorded with some of the most important representatives of the Mediterranean music scene: Ross Daly, Jordi Savall, Kudsi Ergüner, Nana Mouskouri, Gabriel Yared, Sokratis Sinopoulos, Efren Lopez, Dine Doneff, Thimios Atzakas, Harris Lambrakis, Chronis Aidonidis, Manos Achalinotopoulos, Zohar Fresco, Waed Bouhassoun, Jose Manuel Leon, Silvia Perez Cruz, among others.
Performance highlights include: Royal Albert hall (UK), Concertgebouw (BE), Union Chapel London (UK), King’s Place London (UK), Onassis Cultural Centre Athens (GR), Sommerton Festival (DE), Brighton Fringe Festival (UK), Palace of Arts Budapest (HU), Katara Festival Qatar (QA), WOMAD (UK), Mawazine Festival Rabat (MAR), Sharq Taronalari Festival Samarkand (UZB), Bimhuis Amsterdam (NL), Alhambra Concert Hall Paris (FR), Muziekpublique (BE), Festival Abbaye de Fontfroide (FR), Sydney festival (AU), Pafos17 European Capital of Culture (CY), WOMEX Showcase Canary Islands (ES).
Between 2013 and 2023, Michalis Kouloumis taught at Codarts, University for the Arts (NL) on the subject ‘The violin as developed in Ottoman classical and Greek traditional music’.
His personal discography includes the debut album ‘SOIL’ (2014), ‘EPHEMERA’ (2017), where ‘DISPLACED DREAMS’ and ‘THE MUSIC OF CYPRUS’ will be published in 2024.
In recent years, he’s been an avid runner in medium and long distances.