About

 

Michael Iskas is a viola and violin performer born in Greece. From an early age, he was exposed to various musical stimuli, fact which contributed to his later artistic development as a classical, contemporary and world music performer.

Michael performs for many years at concerts in various European countries with orchestras (e.g. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, English National Ballet), chamber music ensembles, traditional and popular music bands as well as a soloist.
 

He is founding member of Diphonon Duo (Viola-Accordion) with the Spanish accordionist Iñigo Mikeleiz Berrade. They have appeared in many venues in England and abroad such as Wigmore Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, British Museum, Royal Academy of Music, St James Piccadilly, and Bristol Beacon. A number of composers have written pieces for Diphonon Duo as it is an unusual and challenging combination of instruments. They have been fellows of the Wigmore Hall Learning Department performing in a lot of concerts and participating in children workshops, community music projects with hospitals, SEND schools, people with dementia, homeless people. They are also Live Music Now and Concordia Foundation ensemble.

Michael has studied violin at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece and the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria. After obtaining his violin Bachelor Degree with grade “Excellent”, he continued to Postgraduate Studies (Master of Arts) in Viola Performance with full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he graduated from the class of J.Sleigh. Thereafter he studied with Roger Chase at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance where he obtained his Postgraduate Advanced Diploma in viola performance. He also completed the LRAM diploma for violin and viola teaching in the Royal Academy of Music.

He has been scholar of Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Royal Academy of Music, Athena Scholarship and the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece.

Among other important musicians, he has participated in Masterclasses and lessons with Lawrence Power, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Garth Knox, Hartmut Rohde, Paul Silverthorne, Annette Isserlis, Richard Ireland, Tatjana Masurenko, etc.

He is also an active violin and viola teacher with long experience in music schools and conservatoires in the UK and Greece with pupils of all levels and age groups.