Be Open and Adaptive: an Interview with Composer, Pianist and Music Publisher Nikolas Sideris
What do lyrical teaching pieces, demanding concert repertoire, video game scores, and a music publishing company have in common? They all come from the creative (and productive) mind of composer and pianist Nikolas Sideris. Comfortable writing in a myriad of genres, Nikolas’ award-winning music embraces a depth and width of styles rarely found in one composer. His catholic taste is reflected in the music of the hundreds of composers published by the music publishing company he founded, Editions Musica Ferrum—classical, computer game, easy listening, jazz, and pop all find a place in the catalog. It’s a good reminder that great music can be found everywhere, and it is to be shared and enjoyed—whether in the concert hall, the teaching studio, or a video game.
I became familiar with Nikolas’ music a couple of years ago when I purchased Reflections, a haunting and spare collection of miniatures for piano. These powerful pieces sketch the outline of loss; it’s up to the pianist to flesh out the experience. Playing them requires true collaboration between composer and pianist. Since then, I’ve been privileged to become more familiar with his work, and to get to know him personally. In an industry famous for cutthroat competition, Nikolas is a generous musician, eager to support and promote others, not just advance his own career. When I approached Nikolas for this interview, he was in the midst of multiple projects, yet he generously took the time to answer my questions. I’m thrilled to feature him on No Dead Guys.
You started music lessons when you were 5 years old. When did you start composing and what inspired you to do so?
I started music with a little push from my dad. He would play the guitar and the piano and sing, as an amateur, in parties and also would put me to bed with music. That sparked my initial interest in music, which manifested in piano, in particular.
So, at the age of 7, in the end of my 2nd year of learning piano my teacher, then, took me to a concert of her students, where I also performed. There I saw one kid who played his own composition and that was it: It was evident that this (composing) could happen and it was also self evident (without any shred of proof) that I could also do the same successfully.
You’ve created a career as a composer, music publisher, piano instructor, and a concert pianist. How do you balance all these jobs?
In my mind I'm a creative person. The form I'm using differs from time to time. While it's more evident as a composer or a music publisher, I create the love for music with my students, and hopefully a long lasting relationship of them with music, and I'm creating audible results as a pianist.
I also think that I'm both an introvert and an extrovert: As a composer I don't mind being isolated, but as a pianist I crave to play in public, being heard, being noticed, being applauded and strive for the audience to enjoy my performances.
The practical side of things is that piano teaching always happens in the afternoons, since my students are all school kids, which leaves my mornings free to work on Music Ferrum and composing. I'll also work off-hours when there's a project that deserve my attention.
From teaching pieces to concert repertoire to video game scores, your compositions embrace a wide range of musical styles. Who or what most influenced your music?
It's what I love listening to and I'm trying to be open. Radio is on, YouTube is on, and my ears are on when I teach. I'm a gamer, a movie goer, and lover of concert hall music, whether it's Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Schnittke, or Schwantner.
What is North by Sound and what projects do you create through this company?
North by Sound is an ongoing project with my friend Thomas Regin. We met online in a forum about sampled instruments. He's lovely, very talented, and a great musician. We were both trying to get into the gaming industry and admittedly he managed to get in much more than I ever did. So at some point we just decided to join force, form a company under the name of North by Sound and be media composers.
Whatever media projects come in, they go through that particular company in principal.
You‘ve received an impressive list of awards, most notably a BAFTA and the 1st prize in the Second International Composition Competition. What were these awards for and how has winning them enhanced your career opportunities?
The BAFTA was an award for a game called “Privates” funded by Channel 4 (UK) and created by Size Five Games (formerly Zombie Cow Games). It is a sexual education game for teens. The (very funny) story is that you control a handful of soldiers, who wear condoms in their heads and they go into the human body to battle... sexually transmitted diseases. The commentary on this game is simply hilarious! I did all the music for that game.
My duets Piano Stories, a collection of 7 quirky works for piano duet, 4 hands, won the 1st prize in the Second International Composition Competition “artiste en herbs” in Luxembourg. It was a very pleasant surprise and I really love this collection of duets, which we recorded with Myrto Akrivou, a dear friend and a pianist, in Athens.
It's the feeling that you're doing something right, when you win an award, or a prize, isn't it?
I’m most familiar with Reflections, the hauntingly spare collection of miniatures for solo piano. What was your inspiration for these deeply moving pieces?
In early 2016 my wife, then, requested a divorce. She also requested full custody of our kids and this was devastating. I was alone in the house (my roommate was away) and I felt destroyed. Thank god for the “Samaritans” (116 123 in the UK).
And thank god for piano. These reflections came out of this devastation, out of this desperation, this loss...
What is Editions Musica Ferrum and what sorts of compositions do you publish through it?
Editions Musica Ferrum is the music publishing house which is 9 years old in March this year (2021) that I launched in Greece.
Growing up I had access to poor old editions, or bad looking editions (Without mentioning any names). Think of IMSLP scores being printed and sold. I had no access to beautiful editions, or even interesting pieces, jazz, contemporary, etc.
So when I finished my PhD and returned to Athens, Greece, I set out to represent my music in the best possible way: Proper notation, art that works, superb print quality, etc. While researching for the best way to do that I figured that if I was to do all this for myself, I might as well do it for others. And thus Editions Musica Ferrum was born!
As a pianist, I'm mostly concentrated in piano works, though this is not exclusive. And as a composer/teacher/pianist with a rather wide range of interests I'm not limited to what I publish. I feel that it's my responsibility, as a publisher, to bring out and make available all music that seems worthy to me.
Through Editions Musica Ferrum, you publish and promote the works of many composers, not just yourself. What prompted you to help your fellow composers in this way?
As I mentioned above it was just common sense, but also a solid admiration for the music of many of my friends and people I knew. I knew a lot of composers in media, who had never considered publishing their music as a music score and so I felt it as a sort of a mission to offer this opportunity to them.
Tell me about 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven.
A gigantic project by Susanne Kessel, who is simply stunning. She's a concert hall pianist, filled with ideas, and energy that I've never seen in anyone before! Her workday was 16 hours of day, or more, because of this project alone!
Beethoven had his 250th birthday in 2020, so since 2013 Susanne has been commissioning and inviting composers to join in the celebration and compose works based on the music, life, ideas, name, philosophy, and whatnot of the great master.
We met in Frankfurt messe the same year (in 2013) and soon we realize that we make a great team, so I would be the publisher of all the works, in 10 volumes.
I never imagined the amount of work that would follow, but it is all worth it. A total 260 piano works (1 with the combination of a toy piano, and a few that require special abilities... heh) came in to edit, correct, engrave, proof read, and eventually publish. Along these came 260 contracts, 260 happy composers, each one with their own personality, ideas, thoughts on the matter, and habits.
Fun stuff!
Susanne is almost done recording ALL the works of this monumental project (which is truly a feat of such magnitude) and I just hope that the combination of recordings and scores will make this project unique, and offer a perspective in the compositional thoughts of the 21st century, as well as the tradition that Beethoven leaves behind.
What upcoming projects are you most excited about?
Since we now have an exclusive distribution deal with Hal Leonard Europe, our scores can be found in musicroom.com and sheetmusicplus.com among other websites and in most music shops around the world, so I am not handling any physical orders anymore. The 250 piano pieces for Beethoven project has just released the last, 10th, volume and a number of new works have been printed and published a month ago.
The above have left me ample of space and peace of mind to develop various new projects, which I think are unique:
Since the world's been in a lockdown I've steered my focus on digital applications, with a twist. As you know, I've been working in the computer games industry for a number of years, so I used my network to start working with a number of coders, graphic artists, fx artists and create my own games.
Right now one game/riddle/quiz which works on any browser is play tester, beta tested and gone gold testing.
A gaming app for handheld devices is at the coding process with 1/3rd being complete, and it's all about reading music scores and original music.
Finally a full puzzle game, with an elaborate story, artwork, fully orchestrated music, the possibility to download the music scores and other is also at works, since the game design is already at 60%, the story design is also around 90% and the coders started working on the first tech demos.
A new Editions Musica Ferrum website is live and it features all our works as digital downloads, most available as both studio and single licenses, and also linking to where one can purchase are physical scores.
What advice would you offer to young people looking to create a career in music?
Be open and be adaptive. There are no “top 20 best”, although certain names seem to circulate such lists. But at the same time there's millions of musicians in the world, right? So what about all those not in such lists?
Well that's the main point: It doesn't matter. Not everyone will become as famous as Beethoven, or Yuja Wang, or have the zillions of views that some YouTubers do. And it really is ok. My main influences in life were not the ultra famous composers, or performers, but rather people I knew, had close to me and they were decisive enough to mentor me.
Certainly it doesn't mean that this is a license to give up. On the contrary some plans may take decades to come to fruition.
But until they do, you have to make a living and be an active part of our society. Music is a subject that will give you footing to announce your thoughts and speak your mind. Use it wisely and try to help those in need of help.
Nikolas Sideris is a composer, teacher, and founder of Editions Musica Ferrum, the publishing house for contemporary concert hall music.
Born in Greece, he began his piano studies at the age of 5 and started composing shortly thereafter. It was an obsession that stayed with him, for today Nikolas holds a PhD in music composition from Royal Holloway, University of London, an MMus in music composition, as well as a diploma in piano performance.
His works have won recognition and been performed around the world. Nikolas won the 1st prize in the International Composition Competition "Artistes en Herbe" in 2013 with his work "Piano Stories" for piano, 4 hands. In 2012, Nikolas composed the soundtrack for the game "Privates" made by Size Five Games, which won the BAFTA for secondary education in the same year.
Nikolas founded Editions Musica Ferrum to provide a platform for emerging composers and bring outstanding new music to light. Today, Editions Musica Ferrum represents over 300 composers.
Nikolas is an educator dedicated to inspiring students to cultivate an inclusive, lifelong love of a broad range of musical styles. As a composer, he’s been known to compose new works for students as well as to guide individuals in learning to express themselves through their own compositions. As a publisher, Nikolas is uniquely positioned to introduce students to new voices and ideas in contemporary classical music.
He is a loving father of 2 children and he is dividing his time between teaching, composing and publishing.
To learn more about the publishing house, Editions Musica Ferrum, visit the website.