Corfu mourns the loss of a great musician

Last Saturday ,at the age of 80 years, died the distinguished corfiot musician and conductor, for many years, of "Mantzaros", Stefanos Dolianitis.
He was born in Corfu in 1929. He was the conductor of the band (husband of Nena Dolianitis and father of Lina and Spyros Dolianitis). He was an offspring of the Philharmonic Society Mantzaros, in which joined in 1946 (his first teacher was Christos Dapergolas).
There he trained in theoretical and practical music (clarinetto and saxofono). He continued his studies at the Athens Conservatory, at the class of the great Corfiot teacher Spyros Lazaros. In 1951, he returned to Corfu and continued his studies with Theodoros Kavadias and Alexandros Grek (theory and piano). In 1958 he attended the National Conservatory, graduating in 1960 with a degree in direction and band instrumentation (he was a student of M. Kalomiris). Since then he `d been conductor and Director of Schools of Philarminic Band " Mantzaros "in which previously had been a vice conductor.
At the same time he composed music for the play of Theodoros Zamanis "` One Corfiot hustler" and wrote the music of well-known songs as "Na ksanartheis" ," Korfiatopoula, etc. He remained the director of "Mantzaros" for over 35 years and directed the entire "classic" repertoire for band, having himself transcribed numerous tracks from the international and lyrical symphonic repertoire, but also from that of the quality "light music". Also he composed marches and marchias.
In 1974, in Corfu, he created the first "student band" (mpantina) and in 1986 he conducted the Philharmonic in Pleven, Bulgaria, with the distinguished soloist of trumpet, Socrates Anthis.
Stefanos Dolianitis was also commendable because, despite the tempting artistic proposals that occasionally received from various music organizations outside Corfu, he did not give in and remained in his home as a conscious and inspired servant of the unique music tradition of the island of culture, Corfu.

The funeral will be held today at 3 pm at the first cemetery in Garitsa. May he rest in peace!