Born in Greece in 1954, Michel Michalakakos began his study of the viola with his father Christos Michalakakos, then continued at the Paris Conservatoire with Colette Lequien, graduating in 1977. As part of his studies, he also studied chamber music with Joseph Calvet.
He was a member of the French National Orchestra from 1979 to 1984, joining the “Paris String Trio” in 1981. With this ensemble he toured all over the world, performing both on television and on the radio, playing in all the major international festivals and giving first performances of numerous contemporary works.
He is today regularly invited as soloist with numerous orchestras in France and abroad; he gives sonata recitals and plays with many distinguished chamber music groups and partners. He is interested in different forms of music, giving concerts of both Jazz and Tango music. He plays World music, participating for example in the Greecepeace recordings of 2004 and 2007.
In addition to his career as a performer and recording artist, Michel Michalakakos is also a dedicated teacher. He teaches viola and chamber music in France and abroad in summer courses and academies and gives master classes in Europe, Japan, Canada and the United States). He regularly participates in courses on contemporary music and pedagogy. He is the current President of the French Viola Society (the “Amis de l’Alto”) and is also artistic director of the “Aux Ormes Mozartiens!” Festival.
He has been a professeur at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM) since 1991, and also teaches at the Regional Conservatoires of Boulogne Billancourt (since 1990). He gives regular master classes at the Regional Conservatoires of Toulouse and Lille.
With the pianist Martine Gagnepain, Michel Michalakakos has recorded the two Brahms Sonatas for viola and piano, opus 120 as well as the Märchenbilder opus 113 and the three Romances opus 94 by Schumann (Maguelone MAG 111.142). In 2004 he recorded the viola concertos by J. Chr. Bach, Hoffmeister, Handel and Stamitz with the Saint Christopher Chamber Orchestra of Vilnius under the direction of Donatas Katkus and in 2008 the 2 « symphonies concertantes » of Mozart and Pleyel. In 2006 he recorded the complete quartets and the quintet with piano by Brahms with Roland Daugareil, Roland Pidoux et Prisca Benoit (Ed. BNL 112943). He also made numerous recordings with the Paris String Trio.
He plays a viola made by Gasparo da Salo in 1560.
” … violist Michel Michalakakos is far from being a media headliner. But what a splendid musician! (…) a wonderfullywarm and sunny resonance. (…) His generous tempos allow him to expand the sublime phrases of Brahms, enriched with music and poetry. Every instant is lived, charged with emotion, and certain melodies seem to open onto infinite horizons.
Philippe van den Bosch (“Repertoire ” September, 2002)