Dimitris Gkoulimaris

Dimitris Gkoulimaris is a Ph.D.student in ethnomusicology at The University of Texas in Austin. He received his bachelor’s degree in music composition and popular music studies from Northwestern University, where he graduated summa cum laude. He is currently researching the musical practices of Greece, Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean, with a secondary focus on the music of Latin America. He has presented his research at conferences in the US and Mexico. At UT Austin, he has served as a Teaching Assistant for three consecutive years, and will serve as an Assistant Instructor for the 2024-2025 academic year. Dimitris is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and sound engineer. He has performed professionally since the age of 15, in various genres from rock and the blues to Greek, Turkish, and Arabic music. He is a member of the Middle Eastern Ensemble “Bereket” and of the Hispanic Caribbean Ensemble, while he also performs regularly with Shams Band and other groups in Austin’s vibrant international music scene. In 2016, Dimitris received a degree in classical percussion with highest honors from the municipal conservatory of Thermi, Greece, and he has since shifted his focus onto the lute-family instruments of the eastern Mediterranean, such as oud, buzuq, folk guitar, and lute/lavta.