Themos Mexis
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Themos Mexis was born in Rhodes, Greece , in 1947 and, with his family, migrated to Australia in 1953. He began to show his love and skill in music from a very young age, teaching himself instruments such as harmonicas, small accordions, drums and guitars.
Following high school, during which he undertook preliminary studies at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, Mexis left for Europe in 1967 to further his musical studies. He studied first at the Conservatorium of Santa Cecilia in Rome and in 1970 was granted a scholarship to complete his studies at the Hellenic Conservatorium in Athens, graduating in 1972 and gaining honours in piano, composition and teaching.
Returning to Australia in 1974, Mexis was awarded a Composer’s Award to study electronic music at the NSW Conservatorium. In 1976 he conducted the first of seven major concerts featuring music composed and arranged by Mexis. These concerts were presented to audience in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.
Mexis’s music ranges from symphonic works through to simple popular songs. His output includes music for film and television, and numerous of his works have been funded through grants from the Australia Council. He has been guest conductor of the Kuring-gai Philharmonic, Melbourne Philharmonic, and Australian Pops Orchestra. He has also held the position of President of the Music Arrangers’ Guild of Australia ( MAGA ).
