Ioanna Spanomarkou
Ioanna Spanomarkou was born in 1989 in the heart of Athens, Greece.
Together with her sister Areti Spanomarkou they have been an established artistic duo (aka Spanomarkou) since childhood, and together they have achieved international recognition through their work. Their music has been featured in the Emmy-winning series “TED LASSO”, and many feature films streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Ioanna Spanomarkou, is an award-winning composer and songwriter, producer, lyricist, filmmaker, and Grammy voting member (New York Chapter of the Recording Academy). She is also a voting member of the World Soundtrack Awards, and member of the Alliance For Women Film Composers. Legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba’s Dance, Serpico, Z), in his last self-biography book “Journey in the Ocean of Music and History”(ISBN: 9786185141936) that was released in 2021, stated that Areti & Ioanna Spanomarkou are among the top 10 of greatest Greek composers of the last decades.
They are regularly mentioned in the international and Greek press and news websites (including Billboard), and at least twice a year they get interviewed on TV talk shows.
Areti Spanomarkou began her journey as a songwriter, and started to compose music from an early age together with her sister, with their own original music and imaginative lyrics, and performed in small live gigs with her Yamaha synth, together with her sister. In 2012 together with her sister Areti, and officially established as a duo, they released their first album which was a commercial success, and as of 2023 they have produced more than 209 tracks, many of which were considered for Grammy Awards and some of them are featured in films and series streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
They have collaborated with many Greek singers and actors, as well as with artists from Portugal, UK, Denmark, Malaysia, and the US. Their songs have been remixed from EDM artists in the UK and Greece.
Their music style expands in various genres (contemporary, rock, Greek, classical, cinematic, folk) very often combining elements and making hybrid music.
Ioanna & Areti were born in the late '80s to a doctor, Magdalini, and an electronics engineer, Stefanos, in the center of Athens, Greece.
They went to public school and simultaneously got their music degree in Electric Organ(Keyboards) from Philippos Nakas Conservatory, the leading conservatory in Greece, before getting to university, where they studied economics (accounting , marketing and international trading). Once they got their degrees in economics, they presented their papers and researches in conferences and congresses.
At the same time, they started their popular orchestra "Spanomarkou Orchestra", and continued composing , which resulted in releasing their first album in 2012 which became a best seller for 6 consecutive weeks to "Public", the biggest retail store chain in Greece.
Since then, they have produced hundreds of songs, released 11 albums and 9 singles, and composed the scores for 2 stage plays. They have also participated in film soundtracks, for feature films that thrived in festivals, and streamed in VOD platforms.
In 2013 they started producing and directing music videos and later on they moved to directing, writing and producing short films, feature films and documentaries. They are based in Greece and they have founded their own production company ”STROFINX” in 2018.
They are both married to their university sweethearts, and they recently became mothers.
Ioanna Spanomarkou together with her sister Areti, love the challenge of dealing with classical and modern trends of music, and they experiment with mixing the patterns.
However, Ioanna and Areti especially love Greek music and have created many folk and "rebetiko" compositions with bouzouki, as they believe they ought to keep alive the passionate flame of the Greek soul which is expressed through these special kinds of original Greek music. The two sisters have already received excellent reviews, and there are many references in the Greek press. Their music is inspiring people all around the world and the Greek communities in Germany, UK, the US and Australia are considered the heart of their fan base.
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Awards & Nominations
2023 – Barcelona Indie Awards (Barcelona, Spain) Best Director Nomination (results to be announced) for Documentary ”Caryatids”
2022 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Silver Medal for the composition and lyrics of their album "Deadly Fire", category "Composition-Lyrics/Songwriter)"
2022 – Cine Paris Film Festival – Winners- Best Director, for Documentary ”Caryatids”
2020 - Film Music Contest (London), 3rd place winner - category "Original Theater Music", for the music score of stage play (A Christmas Carol)
2018 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for the music score of the stage play (A Christmas Carol), category "Best Album"
2018 Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for the music score of the stage play (A Christmas Carol), category "Original Score"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "Best Album"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "Protest Music"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "World Music"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), announced as "Best of Show" for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner),category "World Music"
2015 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Varethika Tin Parapliroforisi", category “World”
2015 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Plethora", category “Instrumental”
2014 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Oi Neratzies Anthizoun" (Sour Orange Trees Are Blooming), category “World”
2012 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), Honourable Mention for their track "Amethystos", category “Instrumental”
2012 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Ime Eleftheri & Orea" (I'm Single and Beautiful), category “World”
Together with her sister Areti Spanomarkou they have been an established artistic duo (aka Spanomarkou) since childhood, and together they have achieved international recognition through their work. Their music has been featured in the Emmy-winning series “TED LASSO”, and many feature films streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Ioanna Spanomarkou, is an award-winning composer and songwriter, producer, lyricist, filmmaker, and Grammy voting member (New York Chapter of the Recording Academy). She is also a voting member of the World Soundtrack Awards, and member of the Alliance For Women Film Composers. Legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba’s Dance, Serpico, Z), in his last self-biography book “Journey in the Ocean of Music and History”(ISBN: 9786185141936) that was released in 2021, stated that Areti & Ioanna Spanomarkou are among the top 10 of greatest Greek composers of the last decades.
They are regularly mentioned in the international and Greek press and news websites (including Billboard), and at least twice a year they get interviewed on TV talk shows.
Areti Spanomarkou began her journey as a songwriter, and started to compose music from an early age together with her sister, with their own original music and imaginative lyrics, and performed in small live gigs with her Yamaha synth, together with her sister. In 2012 together with her sister Areti, and officially established as a duo, they released their first album which was a commercial success, and as of 2023 they have produced more than 209 tracks, many of which were considered for Grammy Awards and some of them are featured in films and series streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV+.
They have collaborated with many Greek singers and actors, as well as with artists from Portugal, UK, Denmark, Malaysia, and the US. Their songs have been remixed from EDM artists in the UK and Greece.
Their music style expands in various genres (contemporary, rock, Greek, classical, cinematic, folk) very often combining elements and making hybrid music.
Ioanna & Areti were born in the late '80s to a doctor, Magdalini, and an electronics engineer, Stefanos, in the center of Athens, Greece.
They went to public school and simultaneously got their music degree in Electric Organ(Keyboards) from Philippos Nakas Conservatory, the leading conservatory in Greece, before getting to university, where they studied economics (accounting , marketing and international trading). Once they got their degrees in economics, they presented their papers and researches in conferences and congresses.
At the same time, they started their popular orchestra "Spanomarkou Orchestra", and continued composing , which resulted in releasing their first album in 2012 which became a best seller for 6 consecutive weeks to "Public", the biggest retail store chain in Greece.
Since then, they have produced hundreds of songs, released 11 albums and 9 singles, and composed the scores for 2 stage plays. They have also participated in film soundtracks, for feature films that thrived in festivals, and streamed in VOD platforms.
In 2013 they started producing and directing music videos and later on they moved to directing, writing and producing short films, feature films and documentaries. They are based in Greece and they have founded their own production company ”STROFINX” in 2018.
They are both married to their university sweethearts, and they recently became mothers.
Ioanna Spanomarkou together with her sister Areti, love the challenge of dealing with classical and modern trends of music, and they experiment with mixing the patterns.
However, Ioanna and Areti especially love Greek music and have created many folk and "rebetiko" compositions with bouzouki, as they believe they ought to keep alive the passionate flame of the Greek soul which is expressed through these special kinds of original Greek music. The two sisters have already received excellent reviews, and there are many references in the Greek press. Their music is inspiring people all around the world and the Greek communities in Germany, UK, the US and Australia are considered the heart of their fan base.
----
Awards & Nominations
2023 – Barcelona Indie Awards (Barcelona, Spain) Best Director Nomination (results to be announced) for Documentary ”Caryatids”
2022 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Silver Medal for the composition and lyrics of their album "Deadly Fire", category "Composition-Lyrics/Songwriter)"
2022 – Cine Paris Film Festival – Winners- Best Director, for Documentary ”Caryatids”
2020 - Film Music Contest (London), 3rd place winner - category "Original Theater Music", for the music score of stage play (A Christmas Carol)
2018 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for the music score of the stage play (A Christmas Carol), category "Best Album"
2018 Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for the music score of the stage play (A Christmas Carol), category "Original Score"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "Best Album"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA) , Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "Protest Music"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), Gold Medal for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner), category "World Music"
2016 - Global Music Awards (California, USA), announced as "Best of Show" for their album (Greece, A Political Prisoner),category "World Music"
2015 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Varethika Tin Parapliroforisi", category “World”
2015 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Plethora", category “Instrumental”
2014 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Oi Neratzies Anthizoun" (Sour Orange Trees Are Blooming), category “World”
2012 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), Honourable Mention for their track "Amethystos", category “Instrumental”
2012 - International Songwriting Competition (Nashville, USA), semi-finalists with their song "Ime Eleftheri & Orea" (I'm Single and Beautiful), category “World”