Composer Nickitas Demos holds a doctor’s of musical arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, a master’s of music from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a bachelor’s of music degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His unique style is influenced by a rich blend of Greek folk rhythms, Byzantine chant as well as jazz and pop music.
Demos’ commissions include works for the Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet, Nashville Chamber Orchestra, and the National Association of College Wind & Percussion Instructors. He has been considered as a Finalist for the American Prize in Composition in 2016, and awarded a MacDowell Fellowship in 2012, several grand prizes in composition competitions, and 20 ASCAP Awards, among others. Demos’ works have been performed at festivals, symposia, and conferences around the world. His music is self-published through Sylvan Lake Press and has been recorded on Ablaze Records, Albany Records, MSR Classics, and Capstone Records.
Demos is the director of the Georgia State University School of Music, and founder and artistic director of the neoPhonia New Music Ensemble. He served on the executive committee of The Society of Composers from 2005–2014 and on the board of directors for MacDowell from 2013–2016.
