User:Leonidas Kourmadas

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Leonidas Kourmadas BA(Mus)(UNE), DipMus(SIT), TeachCert(UNSW), MIMT, MMTA, was born in Athens, Greece in 1958. He began to play the guitar at the age of ten, and later attended the National Conservatorium of Athens, where he studied music, theory, harmony, piano and guitar. In 1980 he spent one year in London taking advanced studies in theory. During this time he was working as a freelance musician. After two years interruption to complete his military service, he continued his music studies with composer Michael Travlos at the Nikos Skalkotas Conservatorium in Greece.

In 1984 he moved to Australia, he then studied at the University of New England where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Modern Greek language & literature and music, and later at the Sydney Institute of Technology where he received a Diploma of Contemporary Music in composition and music technology. He also holds a Teaching Certificate in Community Languages (Modern Greek) from the University of New South Wales. He has also studied piano with Daniel Herscovitch, world music with Robert Lloyd, twentieth century harmony, counterpoint, composition and orchestration with composer and Associate Professor of the Music Department at the University of Sydney Dr Eric Gross.

Leonidas has worked on various musical genres, his music consists mainly of chamber works for diverse ensembles, ranging from classical music to contemporary Greek art songs. He has also transcribed and arranged a large number of songs for various instruments and voice. His music has been performed at the Sydney Institute of Technology and in master classes. He has performed in concerts in Greece, England and Australia.

During the period 2001-2005, Leonidas taught music, theory, piano and guitar at St Spyridon College Junior School, where he was also music co-ordinator, and conducted/accompanied the school’s choir for various school events and many other occasions. In 2001 he performed with the St Spyridon Children’s Choir, accompanied by the Millennium Choir, and the Western Youth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by George Ellis, in a concert organized by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia at the City Recital Hall. He has also taught at Dickson’s Music Complex, at St Euphemia College High School, at St Charles’ Primary School and at St Clare’s College at Waverley. At the moment he is teaching at St Spyridon College Junior School and at Ashfield Primary School.

He is currently a full Writer Member of the Australasian Performing Right Association, the Institute of Music Teachers and the Music Teachers’ Association of NSW, where he is qualified to teach composition, theory of music and piano. Since 2006 he is also a Member of the New South Wales Teachers Federation.

In addition, Leonidas is very active as a Modern Greek teacher. Since 1996 he has been teaching Modern Greek at the Greek Orthodox Parish & Community of St Michael in North Sydney. There he has formed, organised and now conducts, a student choir which performs at school events. In 2004 and 2005 he also taught Modern Greek at the Saturday School of Community Languages for the NSW Department of Education and Training, and has worked as a voice performer (Listening and Speaking Skills) on the NSW HSC Online website (Modern Greek), for the Charles Sturt University and the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Leonidas lives in Sydney with his daughter Elli.