Born in a musical family in Cyprus, the violinist and composer Michalis Kouloumis developed a strong musical background and sensitivity from his early years. He graduated from the Greek Traditional music dept. of the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, Athens. During the same period, he obtained his BA at the Dept. of Physics, University of Athens. In 2013, he obtained his MA of Music in Violin Performance (Taksim in Ottoman Classical music) from CodArts, University for the Arts (Netherlands). He participated in violin workshops led by Nedim Nalbantoğlu and Baki Kemancı, ‘Ottoman Classical music’ workshops led by ney masters Kudsi Ergüner and Ömer Erdoğdular as well as ‘Makam Composition' led by Ross Daly. He performed on stage and recorded with celebrated artists from the Mediterranean: Ross Daly, Jordi Savall, Kudsi Ergüner, Nana Mouskouri, Gabriel Yared, Sokratis Sinopoulos, Efren Lopez, Dine Doneff, Thimios Atzakas, Harris Lambrakis, Manos Achalinotopoulos, Zohar Fresco, Jose Manuel Leon. Performance highlights include: Royal Albert hall, Onassis Cultural Centre Athens, Palace of Arts Budapest, Katara Festival Doha, WOMAD, Mawazine Festival Rabat, Sharq Taronalari Festival Samarkand, Bimhuis Amsterdam, Festival Abbaye de Fontfroide, Sydney festival, WOMEX Showcase Gran Canaria. Michalis’ personal discography includes ‘SOIL’ (2014), ‘EPHEMERA’ (2017) and ‘DISPLACED DREAMS’ (2023). Michalis Kouloumis is a visiting teacher at Codarts, University for the Arts (Rotterdam).