Spyros Mourikis

Principal Clarinet, Athens State Orchestra

Spyros Mourikis was born in 1974 and started his lessons with Charalambos Farantatos at the Athens Concervatory where he got his Diploma with the Gold Prize. He continued his studies at the Paris Conservatory with Michel Arrignon and Maurice Bourgue, graduating with the First Prize in 1995. In 1997, he won the first Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition in Odense, while the same year he also won the Young Artist Prize of the Greek Association of Theatre and Music Reviewers.

As a soloist, he regularly performs with all the orchestras in Greece, including the Athens State Orchestra, Thessaloniki State Orchestra, Armonia Atenea, and Greek National Radio Symphony, and he has given concerts with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Azerbaijan National Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, European Union Wind Ensemble, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Paris Conservatory Orchestra, Southwest Germany Philharmonic Orchestra, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, and Music Aeterna Orchestra.

He is invited as a jury member in numerous international clarinet competitions, such as the “Carl Nielsen” and “Gheorghi Dima” competitions and has given masterclasses and lectures in Music Academies and foundations all over Europe and the United States, including the Nielsen Society, Bremen Hochschule, Manhattan School of Music, Vandoren Music House, and Paderewski Music Academy. His discography includes the Brahms and Mozart clarinet quintets with the String Quartet of the Paris Opera Bastille (Agora), the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto with the Odense Symphony Orchestra (Danish Radio), and Reflexion des Preludes for clarinet and orchestra by the Danish composer Erik Bach with the Symphony Orchestra of Aarhus (Da Capo).

He has worked the Principal Clarinetist with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Claudio Abbado. For the last few years, he has served as the Principal Clarinetist of the Armonia Atenea Orchestra with period instruments and has also performed as a soloist with period clarinets.

He is currently playing with the MusicA eterna Orchestra as a guest solo clarinetist.
He is solo clarinetist at the Athens State Orchestra and professor of clarinet at the Athens Conservatory.