My name is Haris Tsalpara and I am a singer and musician based in Athens, Greece. I got involved with music at the age of four. During my school years I studied music theory, harmony, classical piano performance, and many more. In 2004 I got into the University of Athens, Department of Music Studies. At the same year I attended the annual Nordoff – Robbins Music Therapy Seminar.  After completing the seminar, I volunteered for a year with a music therapy group at the Patriotic Institute for Social Welfare and Awareness.

I earned a degree in Harmony in 2008 and Bachelor in the UOA, Department of Music Studies (2010). During my undergraduate studies, I participated in a Community Music seminar under Dr. Christina Anagnostopoulou. Following the seminar, I practiced with a group at the “Heliotropio” Day Center for people with special needs for a year. During the same year (2010) I earned my Degree in Counterpoint. In 2011 I obtained the Diploma in Classical Piano Performance. I have also studied Intstrumentology, History of Music, Choir, Morphology of Music, Chamber Music, and Practical Teaching.

I always was and still am interested in finding the performative use of music among common people, and this need drove me to folk music genres. In 2005, I discovered the greek-speaking popular and traditional music and the musical world of the Eastern Mediterranean through the old recordings of 78rpm. I have studied vocal technique with Rena Strouliou, as well as the different singing styles of the greekspeaking singers of the 78 rpm recordings and vocal improvisation.  In 2013, I started playing the accordion, something that helped me a lot to find the way back to the piano from a completely different perspective.

For the last 15 years, I have participated in numerous concerts, social events, and performances both in and outside Greece. Since 2017, I have been collaborating with the theatrical team "bijoux de kant" as a performer and composer.

Since 2013, I have been experimenting on the piano, searching for its role as an instrument, balancing the modes between West and East. My exploration is still ongoing and was named “PianOLAternA”. The name intricately weaves three words into one, encapsulating the essence of this project: “Piano” – My primary instrument, and the cornerstone of this musical voyage. “OLA”  – Translated to "everything" in english, it signifies the boundless range of music that the piano can embrace. Here, every genre, every emotion, every melody finds its place on the keys. “Laterna” – In English, "barrel organ," evokes the echoes of a bygone era, an older world of music, and nostalgia.

Indeed, the piano and the barrel organ represent two distinct worlds, each with its own character and history. Through PianOLAternA, these worlds converge, transcending boundaries and creating a harmonious blend of musical traditions, where past and present coexist, and every note resonates with a timeless beauty. On this musical journey the keys of the piano and the melodies of the barrel organ come together to create a captivating fusion of Eastern Mediterranean and Western musical influences. PianOLAternA is a testament to the endless possibilities that music offers when different worlds unite.

One of the important moments of my career was definitely when I participated as a composer and pianist in the contemporary music project "Le piano a 13 queues," led by Swiss pianist and composer Geraldine Schenkel, featuring an orchestra of 13 grand pianos.

Since 2017, I am the CEO of APTALIKO NPO, an association geared towards Greek folk culture and especially music. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I volunteered for nine months in the statistical survey "Mapping the community of musicians active in the field of popular culture" conducted by APTALIKO NPO. In the summers 2021, 2022, and 2023, I volunteered as the Lead Project Manager and Artistic Director at the Lava Music Festival, organized by APTALIKO NPO.

For the last 8 years I have been teaching courses and wokshops focusing on the greekspeaking eastern mediterranean repertoire and the system of the folk modes. Simultaneously, I continue the project of PianOLAternA and work in various entertainment venues with partners of the informal community sharing a common interest in Gramophone sound and traditional music from the eastern Mediterranean.

Between 2021 and 2025 I worked as a performer at the Athens Concert Hall in multiple children's shows under the director Helias Karellas.

During 2024-2025 I worked as a pianist at the Greek National Opera for the show MATAROA directed by Thodoris Abazis and Nikos Kypourgos. 

In 2025 I released my first personal album called Anadysi

I have recorded three personal albums of piano covers:

§   PianOLAternA Vol.1 (2015)

§   PianOLAternA Vol.2 (2023)

§   PianOLAternA Vol.3 (2024)

 I am a member of the musical groups:

• Romvia

• Sabi

• Bam

• Banda Iovanica

• Afoumare

• Μπαγλαμάδες Trio