Petro-Loukas Chalkias was the patriarch of the Epirus clarinet, an authentic representative of the musical soul of Epirus, who honoured his homeland and Greece as a whole with his career and artistry.
Through his unique music, he brought the sound and richness of Greek tradition to every corner of the world.
The news of the artist’s death was shared by his colleagues on social media.
Yiannis Kapsalis wrote: “Bad news came at dawn for all of us. The great PETROS LOUKAS CHALKIS has left us. Bon voyage, Uncle Petros, you will always be in our hearts and souls and will never be forgotten because you were one of the few who took us on a journey with your playing and left your mark and your history on our traditional Epirus music. All of Epirus and all of Greece mourn today”.
The funeral will take place on Thursday in Delvinaki, Ioannina. The funeral service will be held at the Holy Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Delvinaki.
On Wednesday, 18 June, at 9 a.m. (Greek time), his body will lie in state at the Cathedral of Athens, before making the trip to Ioannia.
He was born on 27 July 1934 in Delvinaki, Pogoni, the birthplace of his mother, Kalliroi, née Charisiadi, who came from a musical family. His father, Pericles, came from the village of Kastania, Pogoni, and was a clarinet player.
He began playing the clarinet at the age of 11, despite the objections of his father, who was one of the best instrumentalists and studied alongside Filippas Rountas (known as ‘the best clarinetist in Zagori’), with whose help he made his first public appearance at that age.
In the 1950s, his clarinet was an indispensable companion in the joys and sorrows of the people in the villages of Pogoni in Epirus, where he gave his first performances. He lived in America from 1961 until the end of the 1970s, where he presented a panorama of traditional Greek music.
We will never know the outcome of the collaboration between Petros Halkias and Benny Goodman because, although both wanted it very much, the Epirus clarinet soloist had already given his word elsewhere. However, he became the man who made 8,000,000 musicians famous in America. His sound was the basis for That’s The Way I Like It by KC And The Sunshine Band.
The Epirote virtuoso travelled to the ends of the earth until the end of his life, playing our folk music tradition at major world festivals and improvising with Indian virtuosos in search of musical affinities. He also released important albums.
He remained true to the sound of his clarinet in the 1970s, when the experiments of most artists of the genre gave folk music a distinctly touristy flavour.
Petros-Loukas Chalkias’ clarinet was also heard at the Athens Olympics. I had the great honour of meeting him at his own venue, ‘Chalkias Pallas’ in Karaiskaki Square, his hangout, where he performed with his orchestra every Thursday to Sunday in the early 2000s.
The memory of Petro-Loukas Chalkias will remain alive through his music, his contributions and the indelible mark he left on the cultural life of Epirus.
