YANNI
Name: Yanni
Birth name: Yiannis Hrysomallis
Born: 14 November 1954 Kalamata, Greece
Yanni (born Yiannis Hrysomallis on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece) is a self-taught pianist,
keyboardist, and composer. Yanni left his homeland at the age of 18 to attend
the University of Minnesota. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, he would
instead seek a life in music though he had no formal training and could not read
a note. After playing keyboards in local rock bands such as Chameleon, he moved
to California in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987, he put together a
small band which included long-time bandmate Charlie Adams, and John Tesh, and
began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums, Keys to Imagination,
Out of Silence, and Chameleon Days. He later earned Grammy nominations for his
1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time. His breakthrough
success came with the release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert filmed
on September 23, 1993 at the Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece, deemed to
be the second best-selling music video of all time. A composition from this
release, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" has been found to have the "Mozart Effect".
Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people
in more than 20 countries around the world. His North American concert tours in
1995, 1998 and 2003-5 each finished in the Top 10 concert tours of the year. He
has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales
totaling over 20 million copies. Considered to be one of the top fundraisers
of all time for public television, he has appeared on several major PBS Pledge
TV Specials such as A Decade Of Excellence, including segments from Live At The
Acropolis, Tribute, and Live At Royal Albert Hall, London. Yanni's compositions
have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988, and
his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events.
In 1997, he become one of the few performers allowed to perform at the Taj Mahal,
India. His most recent live concert film, Yanni Live! The Concert Event, was
released in 2006.
On May 06, 2004, the regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni
the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Name: Yanni
Birth name: Yiannis Hrysomallis
Born: 14 November 1954 Kalamata, Greece
Yanni (born Yiannis Hrysomallis on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece) is a self-taught pianist,
keyboardist, and composer. Yanni left his homeland at the age of 18 to attend
the University of Minnesota. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, he would
instead seek a life in music though he had no formal training and could not read
a note. After playing keyboards in local rock bands such as Chameleon, he moved
to California in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987, he put together a
small band which included long-time bandmate Charlie Adams, and John Tesh, and
began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums, Keys to Imagination,
Out of Silence, and Chameleon Days. He later earned Grammy nominations for his
1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time. His breakthrough
success came with the release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert filmed
on September 23, 1993 at the Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece, deemed to
be the second best-selling music video of all time. A composition from this
release, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" has been found to have the "Mozart Effect".
Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people
in more than 20 countries around the world. His North American concert tours in
1995, 1998 and 2003-5 each finished in the Top 10 concert tours of the year. He
has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales
totaling over 20 million copies. Considered to be one of the top fundraisers
of all time for public television, he has appeared on several major PBS Pledge
TV Specials such as A Decade Of Excellence, including segments from Live At The
Acropolis, Tribute, and Live At Royal Albert Hall, London. Yanni's compositions
have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988, and
his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events.
In 1997, he become one of the few performers allowed to perform at the Taj Mahal,
India. His most recent live concert film, Yanni Live! The Concert Event, was
released in 2006.
On May 06, 2004, the regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni
the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.