Biography:

Petroloukas Chalkias (Greek: Πετρολούκας Χαλκιάς; 27 July 1934 – 15 June 2025) was a Greek traditional musician.[1]

Petroloukas Halkias at the Richmond Folk Festival in 2019

Chalkias was born on 27 July 1934 in Delvinaki, his father, Pericles, came from the village of Kastaniani in Pogoni, and was a clarinetist.[2] He began his involvement with the clarinet at the age of 11, despite the refusal of his father, with whose help he made his first public appearance at that age.[3] After this event he went to Athens where he played with his father and his violinist brother Achilleas (1937–2015) and where he made his first radio appearance.[4]

In 1960 he emigrated to the United States where he stayed for 20 years and spread Greek traditional music.[5]

In 1979 he returned to Greece and settled in Athens. He played in well-known music centers and concerts, appeared in radio and television shows and participated in recordings and albums with well-known artists.[6]

He died on 15 June 2025, at the age of 90.[7]

Credits: