Born in 1982 in Brussels, Adrien Tsilogiannis is a composer and a cellist.
Adrien studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he successively obtained a first prize certificate in music theory (2001 with André Colson), a higher degree in specialized music theory (2002, with Michel Lysight), a first prize certificate in chamber music (2003 with André Siwy), a first prize certificate in cello (2003, with Marie Hallynck) and a master’s degree in cello with distinction (2006, with Marie Hallynck). He obtained a teacher accreditation for cello in 2008 and a pedagogical master’s degree in musical training in 2010.
In 2010, besides his occupation as an instrumentalist and teacher, Adrien Tsilogiannis also obtained a master’s degree in composition and orchestration with Daniel Capelletti. And in 2014, he obtained a complementary master's degree in composition with the Belgian composer Peter Swinnen.
He had the opportunity to collaborate with, and have his works premiered by various ensembles : the Brussels Philharmonic, the Oxalys Ensemble, the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra – BPhO, the Sturm und Klang Ensemble, the Musiques Nouvelles ensemble, the Odysseia Ensemble, the Quartetto Prometeo, I Solisti del Vento, the Trio Kelitrei, the In & Out ensemble, the Quatuor Hinémoa, the Quatuor Amôn, the New Gates Trio, the Trio O³, the Ensemble Fractales.
He has received several distinctions for his works : Sabam award for Brumalia (2012), the Emile Agniez-Prize for Ophélie (2013), Composition Prize of MusMA (Festivals of Walloon Brabant) for Attrait de la Mer et des Racines (2014), Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Irruptions, éruptions, interruptions (2014), Second Prize at the « Egidio Carella – Val Tidone » Composition Competition for Imperscrutable Appel (2014), Prize at the International Composition Competition of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia for Apoptosis (2011, rev. 2015), Second Prize at the First International Composition Competition « Music and Nature » of Sassello for Impression (2016), the Irène Fuerison-Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Jarres ointes de songe (2016), the Marcel Hastir-Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for Retable à Louise Bourgeois (2016).
Adrien Tsilogiannis reached the finals of the Young Composers' Forum TACTUS in 2011, during which his work Yoctodôme (2010) was performed by the Brussels Philharmonic led by Michel Tabachnik in Flagey's well-known Studio 4. Moreover, he had the chance to take part in master classes by renowned composers such as Michel Tabachnik, Julian Anderson, Jean-Paul Dessy, Claude Ledoux, Bruno Mantovani, Augusta Read Thomas, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Luc Van Hove and Peter Swinnen.
He is laureate 2012 of the SPES Foundation giving him the opportunity to attend international courses for composition : ARAM (Poitou, France) in 2012 with Peter Swinnen and Dr. Richard Whalley, SYNTHETIS (Radziejowice, Poland) in 2014 with Zygmunt Krauze, Paul Patterson, Alessandro Solbiati, Chen Yi and Pawel Hendrich, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana (Siena, Italy) in 2014 with Salvatore Sciarrino.
Adrien Tsilogiannis' works rely on drama rather than program; his musical imagination is fed by a wealth of inspiring influences. For instance, he likes to base his compositions on psychological drifts (Frénésie Suicidaire, 2006), on philosophical issues like the infinitesimally small (Yoctodôme, 2010), or on the latest discoveries about biochemical microcosms (Apoptosis, 2011, rev. 2015). However, he has also often been inspired by literary works, like J.R.R. Tolkien's (De la Lugubre Incantation, 2005), Alexandre Blok's (Deux Cités Déchues, 2008), Maurice Maeterlinck's (Entasis, 2011), and drew inspiration from the poet and thinker Serge Venturini (Filante, attirante... de l'inaccompli, 2012), Arthur Rimbaud (Ophélie, 2013), Paul Verlaine (Verlaine au secret, 2014).
He teaches cello at the Academy of Schaerbeek (since 2020), teaches cello at the Academy of Etterbeek (2006 to 2020), teaches musical training at the Music Academy of Schaerbeek (from 2007 to 2017). He is assistant professor of Analysis and Writing at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (2017 to 2024) and has been then appointed as lecturer in Analysis and Writing at the same institution.
Prizes, distinctions, master classes and residences :
2023 : Snepvangers Prize (Caecilia awards ceremony, april 2024) of the Union of the Belgian music press for the album « S'élancer »
2023 : Millésime 2023 of Crescendo Magazine for the album « S'élancer »
2020 : Honorable mention at the Composition Competition Luigi Nono
2020 : Laureate at the Prize Sabam for Culture 2020 in the Contemporary Music category
2018 : Marcel Hastir-Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for 'Retable à Louise Bourgeois'
2017 : Irène Fuerison-Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for 'Jarres ointes de songe'
2016 : Laureate at the Sabam Awards 2016 in the Contemporary Music category
2016 : Second Prize at the First International Composition Competition « Music and Nature » of Sassello for 'Impression'
2015 : Honorable mention at the International Composition Competition « De Bach au Jazz » for 'Sinueuses d'enluminure'
2015 : Prize at the International Composition Competition of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos de Valencia for 'Apoptosis'
2015 : Second Prize at the « Egidio Carella – Val Tidone » Composition Competition for 'Imperscrutable Appel'
2014 : Prize of the Royal Academy of Belgium for 'Irruptions, éruptions, interruptions'
2014 : Synthetis (Radziejowice, Poland), International Summer Course for Composers
2014 : Accademia Musicale Chigiana, International Composition Course with Salvatore Sciarrino
2014 : Erasmus IP, residence at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest)
2014 : Laureate of MusMA – Music Masters on Air with the support of the Music Festivals of Walloon Brabant
2013 : Residence on the Isle of Comacina (Lake Como, Italy) with the support of the "Fédération Wallonie- Bruxelles International"
2013 : Emile Agniez-Prize for 'Ophélie'
2012 : SABAM-Prize for 'Brumalia'
2012 : ARAM, International Composition Course with Peter Swinnen and Dr. Richard Whalley
2012 : Laureate of the SPES Foundation (the Belgian foundation to support creation)
2011 : Laureate of the International Young Composers' Forum TACTUS