Thanos Mitsalas und Duo StriAgo

Thanos Mitsalas

Thanos Mitsalas was born in Naoussa, Greece, and began his career at a very young age. At 15, he won the Volos International Guitar Competition, at 16 the Polish Silesian Guitar Autumn, and at 18 Martinique. He studied with C. Cotsiolis, T. Müller-Pering, and at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship with S. Isbin.  

Since then, he has performed in major music centers around the world. Famous composers such as S. Assad, G. Drozd, S. Iannarelli, and others have composed works for him. He has had the privilege of collaborating with conductors such as L. Brouwer and major orchestras. 

Through his comprehensive commitment to the music of Sergio Assad, Thanos succeeded in being recognized by this great Brazilian master as the ideal interpreter of his works. Thanos has given numerous tribute concerts to Assad's music worldwide, premiered several of his works, and recorded the three guitar concertos with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra.  

Thanos Mitsalas teaches at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki and is a guest professor at many international music festivals and institutions. He is co-founder and vice president of the Greek European Guitar Teachers Association. To date, he has recorded eight highly acclaimed CDs for Da Vinci Classics and Clear Note.  

Duo StriAgo

Mario Strinati and Pietro Agosti met during high school and, initially driven purely by the joy of playing together, dedicated themselves to South American music with popular roots—a style that still represents a distinctive feature of their musical identity. This led to the birth of StriAgo. 

Both graduated with highest honors in Guitar from the Maderna Conservatory in Cesena. In 2023, Mario completed a Master of Arts in Guitar at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, while Pietro earned his two-year specialization diploma at the Martini Conservatory in Bologna. Alongside their guitar studies, Pietro Agosti completed a three-year program in Double Bass, and Mario Strinati in Cello, both at the Maderna Conservatory. 

The duo has received awards at some of the most prestigious international chamber music competitions, including First Prize at the Ligita International Guitar Competition (Liechtenstein 2025), the Richmond Concert Society Award at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition (London 2025), Third Prize at the Guitar Foundation of America (New York 2023), First Prize at the Paganini Competition (Parma 2024), and First Prize at the Altamira Competition (Gorizia 2024).  

"These two young men are extraordinary talents. Their alchemy as a guitar duo is quite remarkable - something I have seldom seen in 25+ years of teaching. Their ensemble is so tight, and their musical ideas so convincing, that it's difficult not to be mesmerized when they play" 

Lorenzo Micheli