Thodoris Kotsifas was born in 1985. He started playing music at the age of 6-7 years old, and was into greek traditional and folk music. From 1998 to 2003 he studies classical and modern theory/harmony and enters the music department of Ionian University at Corfu, Greece. He Graduates in 2009 with a degree in performance, Jazz Guitar. During his studies he attented masterclasses and lessons with musicians such as: Jonathan Kreisberg, Richard Smith, Fransesco Buzurο, Tommas Klausen , Karlheiz Miklin and more, and in 2008 he participated in the IASJ (International association of schools of jazz) meeting in Riga,Latvia. In 2011 he moved to Athens and since then he collaborates with some of the most important musicians of the jazz scene in Greece such as: George Kontrafouris, Takis Paterelis, Alexandros Drakos Ktistakis, Giorgos Georgiadis, Dimitris Tsakas, Dimos Dimitriadis, Leonidas Sarantopoulos, Michalis Katachanas and more.
He is a member of “The Next Step Quintet”, a modern jazz group wich recently reliesed their first album, and he also performs with his Quartet-playing original compositions- and his standards Trio. Since 2011 he teaches guitar in music highschools and he collaborates with “Art School”-Yiorgos Fakanas.
More about The Next Step Quintet : http://www.jazzonline.gr/en/cd-releases/item/1629-the-next-step-quintet.html
The Next Step Quintet Interview : http://www.jazzonline.gr/en/articlesinterviews/interviews/item/1818-the-next-step-quintet-interview.html
