Antonis Rouvelas was born in Papadianika (Greece) in 1987 and since 2012 he
lives in Graz, Austria. He holds a PhD in multimedia composition from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Department of Music Studies, focusing on the interaction between sound, video, and light. He also holds a Master Degree from the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (supervisor: Beat Furrer) and a Bachelor Degree in Music Composition from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Department of Music Studies (supervisor: Dimitri Papageorgiou).
As a composer, his works have been performed and commissioned by numerous ensembles and organizations, including the Athens State Orchestra, the ensembles Musikfabrik, Schallfeld, DissonArt, Airborne Extended, Between Feathers, the organizations European Recorder Players Society, Open Music, New Greek Composers nowadays, the associations die Andere Saite, aXe, etc. Antonis Rouvelas has been selected for composition competitions, calls for scores, workshops and scholarships, including the 5th PanHellenic Composition Competition in memory of Dimitris Dragatakis (2nd prize, 2012), Tellogleion Arts Institution (scholarship, 2013), Composer Collider Europe (ensemble Musikfabrik, 2017), Microfest competition (Prague, 2019), BMKÖS scholarship Arbeitsstipendium (2021), BMKÖS scholarship Startsstipendium (2022) etc. In July 2023, Antonis was selected as ARTface of the Week for the state of Styria. He has composed multimedia performances, chamber music, music for theater, electronic and improvised music. Some of his compositions are published on the online platforms BabelScores and eScholarship.
Lighting design and operation have become an important part of Antonis Rouvelas’ artistic practice since 2022. He has designed lighting for more than 30 productions, including the multimedia performances Seems Like a Portal, Synesthetika, Alive and Qu4D, the theatre productions Traum:A:Welt and Pandora ausgebuxt, and the festivals BrückenBauen and EnjoyFest. Since 2026, Antonis has served as chair of NOW! Oper der Gegenwart, an organization dedicated to contemporary opera and multimedia performance.
Antonis has performed modal music on plucked-string instruments from a young age, beginning with Greek traditional and folk music and later expanding into Eastern musical traditions. Currently he is performing with multiple music groups based in Graz, while he is the chairman of the association for eastern oriented music Echos, organizing and leading various cultural and educational projects. Antonis is also experienced in free improvisation performance, on various instruments.