Son of Soctates and Anna Tsourdalakis, he was born in Melbourne in July 1975. He grew up in a Cretan family environment and he was introduced early to Cretan music by his parents. His father, born in Melambes of the Agios Vasilios district of the Nome of Rethymno, migrated to Australia in 1965. Ηis mother from Asi Gonia of the Apocoronas district of the Nome of Chania migrated also to Australia in the same year.
From an early age Sifis, together with his twin sister Eleftheria and his older brother Antonis, were the main members of the of the Rethymnians Association of Melbourne, “Arkadi”, dancing group and later of the Cretan Brotherhood of Melbourne and Victoria. Sifis has inherited the musical talent of his ancestors as his grandfather Antonis Tsourdalakis was a famous mandolin player in the district of Agios Vasilios since 1918. All his grandfather’s brothers also were players of Cretan musical instruments. Two of his uncles, Kostas and George, in Melbourne, were skilled Cretan musical instrument players as well as two of his cousins. Sifis in this environment has followed the family tradition.
His father, Socrates, was one of the founding members of the of Rethymnians Association of Melbourne, “Arkadi”, and its Secretary for ten years. In this capacity he was in contact with many of the Cretan musicians that the Association was inviting to Australia from 1973 onwards. Most had been provided with hospitality at his home, such as Mountakis, Sifogiorgakis, Skevakis, Melessanakis, Skordalos, Papadakis, Kaklis, Makrogiannakis, Alefantinos, and many more. Listening to their music made an impact on young Sifis that resulted in him wanting to follow the family tradition of a career in Cretan music.
In 1979 when George Papadakis was visiting Melbourne together with Manolis Kaklis, recognising the emerging talent of young Sifis he gave him as a gift of one of the two Cretan lyras that he had with him. Since then young Sifis treasured this gift of the lyra. With the only teacher his Cretan musical instinct and listening to the recordings of the early Cretan musicians, his love for the Cretan music flourished and started his early musical career.
ΤIn 1991 as a young man now he visited Crete and was given the opportunity to listen to Cretan music at its birthplace and to take his first musical steps alongside experienced Cretan musicians. In 1995 he revisited Crete to listen again to local musicians and to make new contacts and come to know better some of them. He participated with some well-known musicians in a number of musical events and had exposure to the Cretan viewing public through his participation to television programs on KYDON TV and CRETA CHANEL.
In 1996 he formed in Melbourne a musical group, the “Cretan Folk Music Company” together with the Australian born Andreas Vardakis, lute, Antonis Iliou, lute, and Kostas Kyrkotsios, guitar. The group toured all the major towns of Australia and New Zealand and performed at a number of Greek and multi ethnic festivals and concerts.
From then his musical career blossomed, always learning and improving his talent, trying to get better in his performance. Other than lyra, Sifis also played lute, mandolin, oud and saz. In Melbourne he worked together with the lute player, Giorgis Xylouris and the Kurdish musician of saz, Dersen Akar.
In March 1999 he issued his first CD, titled “My Crete” that circulated in Australia and other countries. In 2001, while in Crete, he issued his second CD, titled “Sending to Crete my dream” in which participated also Elena Giannalaki.
From 2003 he lives permanently in Crete that he loves. In 2004 he also did his military service in the Greek Air Force. From 2004 together with lute players Manolis Kalkis and Kyriakos Stavrianoudakis and others they perform at various events around Crete and also in Athens, Thessaloniki and other parts of Greece. He appears in many television musical programs in Crete and one in Athens. In 2004 he issues another CD, “Musical Journeys”, in which the lute player Kyriakos Stavroudakis participates and which circulated in both Crete and Australia.
In 2006 he wrote and released in Crete and Australia the 4th CD "Now What Stays" with the participation of Manolis Kaklis and Kyriakos Styrianoudakis.
In June 2006 he visited America and played at Cretan events in various States, along with the late Manolis Kaklis and Kyriakos Stavrianoudakis. Other musical trips followed in America, Canada and Germany. He has many appearances on all TV channels of Crete in ERT and Blue Sky in Athens.
Finally, in November 2011, with the participation of Manolis Hammogiorgakis, he wrote and released the 5th CD entitled "On the Seas of the World" in Crete and Australia.
© Sifis Tsourdalakis
