Antonis Leontidis

Antonis Leontidis is a Cretan musician and composer born in Athens. Hailing from the village of Margarites in Mylopotamos, he began learning the Cretan lyre at a young age. He has trained with several prominent figures in Cretan and Eastern Mediterranean music. His extensive musical education has shaped his unique approach to Cretan traditions while embracing a broader Mediterranean and Western soundscape. Since 2014, Antonis has performed across Crete, Athens, and internationally in countries such as Italy, Spain, Holland, Germany, and France. In 2024, he founded Idiorrhythmo, a music ensemble based in Margarites, dedicated to researching and presenting early 20th-century Cretan recordings. Antonis has also composed music for several documentaries, including More Difficult Years, Happier Years (2018), The Threshold of Memory (2019), Daniel, a French Ceramist in Crete (2021), and La Route de l'Argile (2022), showcasing his versatile approach to storytelling through music. Antonis’ debut album, Kryfo (2021), features his original compositions paired with “mantinades” from the 1933 collection Cretan Mantinades by Maria Lioudaki. His second album, Asprougas (2024), includes six instrumental compositions for Cretan lyre, double bass, and cello, featuring talented musicians Juliette Weiss, Stefanos Floras, and Sol Ligertwood.