- Alexandros Panayi
Alexandros Panayi ("Αλέξανδρος Παναγής" in Greek characters, also known as Alex Panayi), was born in
Nicosia ,Cyprus . Alex is a Cypriot singer, vocal coach, vocal arranger and composer, best known for having represented his country twice at theEurovision Song Contest in 1995 & 2000.Early life
Alex Panayi grew up in a family of musicians and artists, and took his first musical steps under the guidance of his father Panayiotis Panayi (founder of the first symphony orchestra in Cyprus), and his mother Klairy Panayi (acclaimed Cypriot pianist). By the age of 18 he had already established himself as one of the leading singers and songwriters of his country, moving on to study music at the
Berklee College of Music inBoston, Massachusetts , sponsored by theFulbright Scholarship (BMus, Honors). During his five-year stay in theUnited States he had the opportunity to perform with artists such asGary Burton ,Peter Erskine ,The Manhattan Transfer , The New York VoicesVocal Jazz andBilly Joel . He also toured the USA as a member ofThe Vocal Summit – an a capella free improvisation vocal group – gaining the “Outstanding Musicianship Award” from the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE).Eurovision Song Contest
Alex's involvement with the Eurovision Song Contest includes:
* backing vocals for the Cypriot entry “Apopse As Vrethoume”, 1989; * backing vocals for
Elena Patroklou (“Έλενα Πατρόκλου” in Greek characters) in the Cypriot entry “S.O.S.”, 1991;* soloist and composer for the Cypriot entry “Sti Fotia” in 1995
* performing the duet, "Fterougisma" with Marlain Aggelides) in the Cypriot preselection of 1998;
* performing in the vocal duo "Voice" with
Christina Argyri ("Χριστίνα Αργύρη" in Greek characters) for the 2000 Cypiot entry "Nomiza";
* and as backing vocalist forElena Paparizou in the song, "My Number One " which won the gran prix at the Eurovision Song Contest, 2005.
* Stage Director forFabrizio Faniello ,Malta , with the song "I do " in 2006 Eurovision Song Contest held inAthens ,Greece Other work
Alex was the lead vocalist and co-producer of the album "Native Hue" (arranged, orchestrated and co-produced by the British composer
Matheson Bayley ), featuring several classic Eurovision songs reinterpreted through different genres.Alex currently lives in Athens, Greece where he coaches and performs with the country’s leading artists including
Peggy Zina Kostas Martakis andAnna Vissi . He has performed at the “Herodion” Theatre of theAcropolis and is a Regional Music Supervisor forDisney ,Buena Vista . Alex is the official Greek voice of many Disney characters such asTigger and has starred in more than 40 movies such asTarzan ,Mulan ,Brother Bear , and many TV shows. His latest Disney project is taking the role of Johnny in the Greek production ofJohnny and the Sprites . He has also performed in Musical Theatre productions in Athens such as "Grease" in the rôle of Kennickie, and theNikos Karvelas musical “Mala” in the rôles of Moses & Abraham. He is a teacher of vocal arts at "Fame Studio" the leading free study music school in Athens, and assists various TV and live music shows as artistic direcor. His big new project is writing the script to, producing and starring in the original musical"Feggaromberdemata" with his close friend and collaboratorKaterina Christofidou . The show premieres in Nicosia, Cyprus onApril 10 2008 , and is expected to move to Greece in November 2008.Alex is openly gay.
Trivia
Alex speaks fluent Greek, English, and French
External links
* [http://www.alexpanayi.com www.alexpanayi.com, Alex's official website.]
* [http://www.dresscircle.co.uk/product.asp?StockID=27801 Native Hue CD]
* [http://www.diggiloo.net/?info.1995cy “Sti Fotia” Cypriot Eurovision entry 1995]
* [http://www.diggiloo.net/?info.2000cy “Nomiza” Cypriot Eurovision entry 2000]
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