Vasilis Kostas is a Grammy-nominated laouto player, composer, and educator from Epirus, Greece, widely known for reintroducing the laouto as a melodic instrument in both traditional and contemporary musical contexts.

He is especially known for his close collaboration with the late legendary clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias, with whom he recorded two albums under the title The Soul of Epirus. The first volume was voted Best Album of 2019 by the Balkan World Music Chart, and the two albums have since been presented at major venues and festivals, including the Philharmonie de Paris and the Richmond Folk Festival in Virginia.

Kostas has performed at renowned venues and international festivals such as Carnegie Hall, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, WOMEX, and the Panama Jazz Festival. He has appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Berklee World Strings and the Chatterbird Chamber Orchestra.

His artistic path has also included performances alongside the late Christos Zotos, a revered master of the laouto, with whom he shared the stage in both Greece and the United States — honoring the instrument’s deep-rooted tradition while helping carry it into a new era.

He currently teaches the course The Music of Epirus at Hellenic College Holy Cross in Boston — among the first university-level offerings in the U.S. focused on Greek traditional music — and has also taught laouto at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. He serves as the artistic director of the New England Greek Orchestra and the Epilekto Epirus Ensemble of the Holy Metropolis of Ioannina.

Kostas holds a master’s degree in Contemporary Performance from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. During his time at Berklee, he was mentored by Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Pérez, who invited him to join his group, the Global Messengers — with whom Kostas earned a Grammy nomination. His studies also included work with jazz greats such as John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, and Terri Lyne Carrington. He also holds a diploma from Berklee College of Music and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Pedagogy from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

His awards include the Artist Fellowship in the Traditional Arts from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Forty Under 40 Award by the Greek America Foundation, recognizing his efforts in preserving and promoting Greek traditional music in the United States.

Kostas continues to present and share Greek traditional music — along with his own musical projects — in concert halls, festivals, and academic institutions across the U.S. and internationally.