For Pantelis Volaris, music was never simply entertainment.
It was — and remains — a carrier of culture, memory and ideas; a living thread connecting people across time, distance and generations.
For migrants especially, music often becomes a vital bridge to the homeland. Sometimes, a single familiar melody is enough to awaken memories and draw the heart back to places once loved, lived in and longed for.
For decades, Volaris’ contribution to Australia’s Greek community has been central to preserving and passing on Greek music — while opening pathways for new generations of musicians, particularly from the 1970s onwards.
“There is nothing more noble or fulfilling than knowing you passed on knowledge and gave continuity to something you believe in — something that benefits our community. I believe I did that,” Volaris told Neos Kosmos.
This year marks 50 years since the Volaris Music Centre first opened its doors in Brunswick, Melbourne — a milestone that places the Lemnian-born composer among the most enduring cultural figures of the Greek diaspora in Australia.
Photo: Volaris Music Centre / Facebook
Roots in Lemnos, foundations in music
Born in 1945 in Tsimandria, a small village on the island of Lemnos, Volaris grew up surrounded by music. His father Kyriakos played the violin and lyra; his grandfather was also a lyra player. By the age of seven, Pantelis had begun playing violin himself.
As a child, he accompanied his father to village festivals and weddings, sometimes so young that his feet barely touched the floor.
“When I’d start nodding off, my father would tap me gently with the bow — tak, tak — and I’d wake up,” he recalled, laughing.
That small gesture became symbolic: a lifelong reminder that discipline, effort and love for craft go hand in hand.
From teaching to creating a cultural home
After migrating to Australia, Volaris followed a demanding routine — teaching music during the week, performing interstate on weekends, and returning to Melbourne to teach again.
Rather than waiting for opportunity, he created it.
Guided by the belief “If life doesn’t hand you an opportunity, create one,” Volaris founded his own music school — a space where he could teach, compose, nurture community and promote Greek musical tradition.
The Volaris Music Centre began in Port Melbourne, moved briefly through Prahran, and finally found its permanent home on Sydney Road, Brunswick, in 1975.
“Nothing came without hard work. Nothing,” he said simply.
Over the years, the Centre became a multicultural hub. Students and musicians of Lebanese, Italian, Yugoslav and other backgrounds passed through its doors.
“You didn’t need to speak Greek or English. The language of music united us.”
An academic pillar of Greek music
Volaris was among the first educators in the community to introduce music theory alongside practical training — at a time when learning was largely informal and performance-focused.
By his estimate, 70–90 per cent of young Greek orchestras active in Melbourne during the 1970s and 1980s passed through his classrooms.
Many students went on to professional careers; others continue performing across Melbourne today.
Beyond teaching, Volaris organised concerts, children’s recitals, annual productions and charity events — often filling venues such as Collingwood Town Hall with proud families.
“Ta Levendopetha” and the performance years
Volaris also helped shape the sound of Greek-Australian nightlife through the iconic band “Ta Levendopetha”, synonymous with Greek entertainment in Melbourne during the 1970s and ’80s.
The final lineup included:
- Giannis Papadakis (bouzouki, vocals)
- Stelios Chondros (guitar)
- Stelios Koukoullis (drums)
- Pantelis Volaris (keyboards, vocals)
The group performed extensively across Australia, toured Sydney, and later appeared at Greek festivals in Singapore (1973 and 1976), where audiences encountered bouzouki, plate-smashing and ouzo for the first time.
Volaris also composed extensively, including for John Tikis, whose hit “Pos Pernoun Ta Chronia” became a defining song of his career.
A major milestone came in 1990, when Volaris composed the music for the Australian film Death in Brunswick, firmly establishing his name beyond the Greek community.
Lemnos: The island he never left
Though he left Lemnos physically, Volaris never truly departed from it.
Through song lyrics, community action and philanthropy, he remained deeply connected to his birthplace. He helped fund the restoration of a historic bridge in Tsimandria — the site where Admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis raised the Greek flag in 1912 — and worked to ensure Lemnos was recognised in ANZAC Gallipoli commemorations, given its crucial role in 1915.
His efforts contributed to the historic visit of HMAS Success to Lemnos in 2015 — the first in over a century — and later to the creation of a memorial in Port Melbourne, honouring Lemnian civilians and Australian nurses.
Redefining success
Volaris does not measure success in financial terms.
“Success is feeling fulfilled by what you’ve done. Money was never my driving force.”
He recalls a moment when a woman told him that one of his songs was not simply music, but “a photograph”.
“Isn’t that success and happiness?” he asked.
Passing the baton
Today, the day-to-day running of the Centre has passed to his son Ken, while a team of teachers continues the educational work. Volaris has authored 13 music textbooks, blending musical instruction with elements of Greek history.
Above all, he takes pride in his children, Anna and Kyriakos, and his four grandchildren — some of whom recently performed alongside him at Federation Square.
“I want them to know their grandfather was creative, used his talent well, and left a good example,” he said.
“Without work, nothing happens. Whatever you do, effort is essential.”
After 50 years, the legacy of Pantelis Volaris is not only musical.
It is cultural, educational, and profoundly human.
