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Yanni

Yanni

Overview
Yanni born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.
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Quotations

Sometimes we get caught up in our troubles and our problems and we let life slip away, but life is precious, all of life, and one must try to take in as much of it as possible.

My father once said, 'If the whole world wants to go left and you feel like going right, go right. You don't have to follow. You don't have to make a big deal about which way you're going. Just go. It's very easy.

The less you want, the richer you are. The more you need in order to be happy, the more miserable you'll be.

My father taught me that one of the most important abilities in life is to be able to take the pain and persevere, and for years this lesson had served me well.

The most important battle is one to conquer yourself.

I don't want problems solved for me. I want the fishing rod, not the fish.

You need a mind open to possibility, conditioned to love the creative spirit we all have inside ourselves.

Whether a person is spiritual or not, we all seek to get away from the stress, anger, and anxiety of everyday life. Some people drink, do drugs, or do worse to escape, and they hurt themselves in the process. Some people listen to music, mine included, and feel better.

I don't dwell in the past; I don't wallow in old events and emotions. I don't waste time on regret. No use going over and over the details of what already happened.

You do good work for a long-enough time, I believed, and you'd get noticed.

Encyclopedia
Yanni born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream
Dare to Dream (Yanni album)
Dare to Dream is Yanni's eighth album, released on the Private Music label in 1992 . The album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #32 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year...

, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time
In My Time
In My Time, Yanni's ninth album, released on the Private Music label in 1993, . This album is a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces. It attained Platinum status and was the second Grammy nomination for Yanni...

. His breakthrough success came with the 1994 release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...

, deemed to be the second best-selling music video of all time. Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people in more than 20 countries around the world. He has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 20 million copies. Yanni is considered to be one of the top fundraisers of all time for public television. His compositions have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988, and his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events. His music is frequently described as "new age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...

", though he prefers the term "contemporary instrumental".

Early life


Yanni was born on November 14, 1954, in Kalamata
Kalamata
Kalamata is the second-largest city of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. The capital and chief port of the Messenia prefecture, it lies along the Nedon River at the head of the Messenian Gulf...

, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, and began his career by giving recitals for family members though he had no formal training and could not read musical notes. He was also a competitive swimmer in Greece and set a national record in the 50-meter freestyle competition at the age of 14. At the age of 18, he attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

. As a student, Yanni joined an upcoming local group called Chameleon
Chameleon (American band)
Chameleon is a late 1970s/early 1980s American rock band founded by Charlie Adams. Chameleon made Billboard charts and was renowned for Adams’ two-axis revolving, upside-down drum set, which he played in live concerts and on MTV. The band toured extensively performing up to 260 shows a year...

 where he met drummer Charlie Adams
Charlie Adams (drummer)
Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...

. Chameleon earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest, particularly in the states of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

. After receiving a B.A. in psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 in 1976, he sought a life in music. He moved to Los Angeles, in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987 he put together a small band which included John Tesh
John Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...

 and Charlie Adams, and began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums, Keys to Imagination
Keys to Imagination
Keys to Imagination is Yanni's second album, released on the Private Music label in 1986 .-Track listing:#"The North Shore of Matsushima" – 5:08#"Looking Glass" – 6:35#"Nostalgia" – 4:27...

, Out of Silence
Out of Silence
Out of Silence is Yanni's third album, released on the Private Music label in 1987 . It was during this year that Yanni was putting together his first touring band which included Joyce Imbesi and John Tesh on keyboards, and Charlie Adams on drums.The album was reissued in 2009 by Valley...

, and Chameleon Days
Chameleon Days
Chameleon Days is Yanni's fourth album, released on the Private Music label in 1988 . It peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart in the same year...

.

1990s


Dare to Dream
Dare to Dream (Yanni album)
Dare to Dream is Yanni's eighth album, released on the Private Music label in 1992 . The album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #32 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year...

was released in 1992. It was Yanni’s first Grammy-nominated album and featured "Aria", a song based on The Flower Duet
The Flower Duet
The Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river...

 and popularized by an award-winning British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

 commercial. A second Grammy-nominated album, In My Time
In My Time
In My Time, Yanni's ninth album, released on the Private Music label in 1993, . This album is a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces. It attained Platinum status and was the second Grammy nomination for Yanni...

, was released in 1993. His music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events, including the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

, Wide World of Sports, U.S. Open
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...

, Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

, World Figure Skating Championships
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

, The Olympics, and ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

.

Yanni's breakthrough commercial success came with the release of his album and video, Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...

, filmed on September 23, 1993 at the 2,000-year-old Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece, and released in 1994. This was Yanni’s first live album and utilized a full orchestra under the supervision of the Iranian
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...

 conductor, Shahrdad Rohani, in addition to his core band. Subsequently, the concert was broadcast in the US on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 and quickly became one of their most popular programs ever, having been seen in 65 countries by half a billion people. It has almost continuously remained on the charts since its release and is the second best-selling music video of all time, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide, A composition from this album, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion", was determined to have the "Mozart Effect
Mozart effect
The Mozart effect can refer to: * A set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as "spatial-temporal...

," by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine because it is similar to Mozart's K 448
Sonata for Two Pianos in D major (Mozart)
The Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448 is a piano work composed in 1781 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at 25 years of age. It is written in strict sonata-allegro form, with three movements. The sonata was composed for a performance he would give with fellow pianist Josephine von Aurnhammer...

 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability. He has appeared on several major PBS Pledge TV Specials such as A Decade Of Excellence, including segments from Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...

, Tribute
Tribute (Yanni album)
Tribute, recorded live at the Taj Mahal, India, and the Forbidden City, Beijing, China from March to May, 1997. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

, and Live at Royal Albert Hall
Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall
Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall is an intimate concert presentation which features the majestic Royal Albert Hall organ in performance with Yanni's very own symphony orchestra. See...

, London.

In March 1997, Yanni became one of the few Western artists permitted to perform and record at the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...

 in India. Later that year he performed at the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...

 in China. From these two events he created his next live album and video, Tribute
Tribute (Yanni album)
Tribute, recorded live at the Taj Mahal, India, and the Forbidden City, Beijing, China from March to May, 1997. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

, which was released in 1997. Armen Anassian
Armen Anassian
Armen Anassian is an Armenian violinist who has played with the Los Angeles Opera and is concertmaster of the Santa Clarita Symphony, in Santa Clarita, California. He has performed in hundreds of concerts around the world with many notable symphony orchestras...

, Conductor, concedes that he had some doubts about the artist's plans to perform at India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City for Tribute: "To be honest, a few years ago when he was talking about it, the idea was so amazing. I myself was very skeptical, understandably so. But the truth is, it happened. We did it." Anassian describes Yanni as "very optimistic" and has observed that "nothing really fazes him." That outlook carries over naturally to his music. "I don't think it's a goal, per se. He's very honest with his own feelings. His music really comes from the heart. He writes music with ease, the music comes out with relative ease. The feel-good portion of the music is a by-product. It coincides with what the people love to hear."
Lighting Designers Lee Rose and David "Gurn" Kaniski received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special" for both Live at the Acropolis and Tribute .

2000s


In 2000, after a two-year sabbatical, Yanni released his first studio album in seven years: If I Could Tell You
If I Could Tell You
If I Could Tell You is Yanni's 12th studio album, released in 2000 . It peaked at #1 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #20 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

.

Yanni toured in 2003 and 2004 following the debut of the Ethnicity
Ethnicity (Yanni album)
Ethnicity, is Yanni's 13th studio album, released in 2003, extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. It peaked at #27 on Billboard's "Top Internet Albums" chart and at #27 on the "Billboard 200" chart in 2003...

album, extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. This album sparked what would become the fourth largest concert tour of the year ranked by Billboard Magazine. During an early stop on the tour, in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

, he played The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

 before Game 5 of the 2003 World Series
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series marked the 99th baseball World Series event. The Florida Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in six games, 4–2.-Background:...

, played at Dolphin (now Sun Life) Stadium.

On May 6, 2004, the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...

.

He kicked off his 2004–2005 "Yanni Live!" tour at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, Nevada, and his next live album and video, Yanni Live! The Concert Event was released in 2006.

In 2008, in collaboration with producer Ric Wake
Ric Wake
Ric Wake is a record producer who has won an Academy Award and two Grammy Awards. During his tenure as staff producer with Sony Music Entertainment he has worked with vocalists such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Barry Manilow, and Marc Anthony...

, Yanni showcased vocal artists singing his songs on the album Yanni Voices
Yanni Voices
Yanni Voices, is Yanni's 14th studio album and 5th live DVD, released in 2009. The album debuted on Billboard's Top 200 and #1 on the New Age chart. The Spanish version, Yanni Voces, debuted at #2 on Billboard's New Age chart, #5 on the Latin Pop chart, and #13 on the Latin overall chart.This...

. On March 24, 2009, Disney Pearl Imprint released Yanni Voices, the artist's first studio album in six years, and its Buena Vista Concerts division produced the tour that began in April 2009.

2010s


The Yanni Live in South America tour included September 2010 performances in Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

, and Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...

, and a November 2010 performance in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Hato Rey is a former ward located in the northwest part of the dissolved municipality of Río Piedras. It now stretches over three wards of the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico:*Hato Rey Central*Hato Rey Norte*Hato Rey Sur...

. Performances in Mexico (January 2011) and Panama (February 2011) were followed by a 43-stop tour of Canada and the United States. In September-November 2011, Yanni toured fifteen stops in Eastern Europe and Asia. The 2010-2011 tours included new vocalists, distinct from the 2008–2009 Yanni Voices
Yanni Voices
Yanni Voices, is Yanni's 14th studio album and 5th live DVD, released in 2009. The album debuted on Billboard's Top 200 and #1 on the New Age chart. The Spanish version, Yanni Voces, debuted at #2 on Billboard's New Age chart, #5 on the Latin Pop chart, and #13 on the Latin overall chart.This...

 vocalists.

The album Yanni Mexicanisimo
Yanni Mexicanisimo
Mexicanisimo, is Yanni's 15th studio album released in November 2010. It is a musical tribute to Mexico during their period of Bicentennial celebrations. Yanni has collaborated with Mexican producer Manuel Cázares, interpreting many of Mexico’s songs that embrace the beauty of their heritage...

, released in October 2010, was dedicated as a tribute to Mexico, a combination of Mexican music with Yanni’s style.

Yanni released the album, Truth of Touch
Truth of Touch
-Track listing:#"Truth of Touch"#"Echo of a Dream"#"Seasons"#"Voyage"#"Flash of Color"#"Vertigo"#"Nine"#"Can't Wait"#"Guilty Pleasure"#"O Luce Che Brilla Nell'oscurità"#"I'm So"#"Long Way Home"#"Yanni & Arturo"#"Mist of a Kiss"#"Secret"...

, early in February 2011.

Honors


Yanni has been permitted to perform at such world landmarks as the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...

 (Greece), the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...

 (Agra, India), the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...

 (Beijing, China), and the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building; Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

During Yanni's October 2011 tour of China, Yanni became the first Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

 artist to be invited to adopt a giant panda
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...

 (bear) at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or simply Chengdu Panda Base, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals. It is located in Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China....

, a "privilege... usually reserved for countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...

 rather than personalities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...

." "Officials from the research base invited the musician to adopt the animal, saying their decision was made from the inspiration and harmony that derives from his music." Yanni named the panda "Santorini," also the name of a Greek island
Santorini
Santorini , officially Thira , is an island located in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera...

, explaining that the Greek word irini means 'peace'."

Autobiography


Yanni's autobiography, Yanni in Words, co-authored by David Rensin, was released in February 2003. It is a memoir which includes information about his early childhood in Greece, his college years in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, his success as an international music artist with his exploration into the creative process by which he composes, and his nine-year relationship with actress Linda Evans
Linda Evans
Linda Evans is an American actress. She is known primarily for her roles on television, and rose to fame playing Audra Barkley in the 1960s Western TV series, The Big Valley...

. The book coincided with the release of his 13th album Ethnicity
Ethnicity (Yanni album)
Ethnicity, is Yanni's 13th studio album, released in 2003, extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. It peaked at #27 on Billboard's "Top Internet Albums" chart and at #27 on the "Billboard 200" chart in 2003...

and was a New York Times best seller
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...

.

Discography


Studio albums

  • 1984 Optimystique
    Optimystique
    Optimystique is Yanni's first album, released on the Atlantic label in 1984, and Private Music label in 1989, .*From album liner: Optimystique was recorded in 1980 and released for the first time in 1984...

  • 1986 Keys to Imagination
    Keys to Imagination
    Keys to Imagination is Yanni's second album, released on the Private Music label in 1986 .-Track listing:#"The North Shore of Matsushima" – 5:08#"Looking Glass" – 6:35#"Nostalgia" – 4:27...

  • 1987 Out of Silence
    Out of Silence
    Out of Silence is Yanni's third album, released on the Private Music label in 1987 . It was during this year that Yanni was putting together his first touring band which included Joyce Imbesi and John Tesh on keyboards, and Charlie Adams on drums.The album was reissued in 2009 by Valley...

  • 1988 Chameleon Days
    Chameleon Days
    Chameleon Days is Yanni's fourth album, released on the Private Music label in 1988 . It peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart in the same year...

  • 1989 Niki Nana
    Niki Nana
    Niki Nana, is Yanni's fifth album, released on the Private Music label in 1989, . It peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart in the same year.The liner notes dedicate the album to his father and mother respectively:...

  • 1990 Reflections of Passion
    Reflections of Passion
    Reflections of Passion, is Yanni's sixth album, released on the Private Music label in 1990, , with a concert tour the same year and same title. Although it is categorized by the RIAA as a full album, all but three of the tracks on the album had been released at least once prior...

  • 1991 In Celebration of Life
    In Celebration of Life
    In Celebration of Life, is Yanni's seventh album, released on the Private Music label in 1991, . It topped at #3 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #60 on the "Billboard 200" in the same year....

  • 1992 Dare to Dream
    Dare to Dream (Yanni album)
    Dare to Dream is Yanni's eighth album, released on the Private Music label in 1992 . The album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #32 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year...

  • 1993 In My Time
    In My Time
    In My Time, Yanni's ninth album, released on the Private Music label in 1993, . This album is a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces. It attained Platinum status and was the second Grammy nomination for Yanni...

  • 2000 If I Could Tell You
    If I Could Tell You
    If I Could Tell You is Yanni's 12th studio album, released in 2000 . It peaked at #1 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #20 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

  • 2003 Ethnicity
    Ethnicity (Yanni album)
    Ethnicity, is Yanni's 13th studio album, released in 2003, extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. It peaked at #27 on Billboard's "Top Internet Albums" chart and at #27 on the "Billboard 200" chart in 2003...

  • 2009 Yanni Voices
    Yanni Voices
    Yanni Voices, is Yanni's 14th studio album and 5th live DVD, released in 2009. The album debuted on Billboard's Top 200 and #1 on the New Age chart. The Spanish version, Yanni Voces, debuted at #2 on Billboard's New Age chart, #5 on the Latin Pop chart, and #13 on the Latin overall chart.This...

    and Yanni Voces (Spanish Version)
  • 2010 Yanni Mexicanisimo
    Yanni Mexicanisimo
    Mexicanisimo, is Yanni's 15th studio album released in November 2010. It is a musical tribute to Mexico during their period of Bicentennial celebrations. Yanni has collaborated with Mexican producer Manuel Cázares, interpreting many of Mexico’s songs that embrace the beauty of their heritage...

  • 2011 Truth of Touch
    Truth of Touch
    -Track listing:#"Truth of Touch"#"Echo of a Dream"#"Seasons"#"Voyage"#"Flash of Color"#"Vertigo"#"Nine"#"Can't Wait"#"Guilty Pleasure"#"O Luce Che Brilla Nell'oscurità"#"I'm So"#"Long Way Home"#"Yanni & Arturo"#"Mist of a Kiss"#"Secret"...


Live albums/videography

  • 1994 Yanni Live at the Acropolis
    Yanni Live at the Acropolis
    Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...

  • 1995 Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall
    Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall
    Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall is an intimate concert presentation which features the majestic Royal Albert Hall organ in performance with Yanni's very own symphony orchestra. See...

  • 1996 Yanni One on One
    Yanni One on One
    Yanni One on One shows a presentation at Interlochen Center for the Arts - one of the nation's leading artistic institutions. Students at the Interlochen school and from around the world join Yanni in an enlightening and far-reaching debate about music, creative vision, and his unique compositional...

  • 1997 Tribute
    Tribute (Yanni album)
    Tribute, recorded live at the Taj Mahal, India, and the Forbidden City, Beijing, China from March to May, 1997. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

  • 2006 Yanni Live! The Concert Event
  • 2009 Yanni Voices Live in Concert

Soundtracks

  • 1988 Steal the Sky
    Steal the Sky (soundtrack)
    Steal the Sky is the soundtrack album from the HBO the movie of the same name by Yanni.- Track listing :#"Steal the Sky" – 2:59#"Fountain/Life is Serious" – 5:33#"I'll Think About it/Fenesta Vaseia" – 2:34...

  • 1988 Heart of Midnight
    Heart of Midnight (film)
    Heart of Midnight is a 1988 American thriller film written and directed by Matthew Chapman and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh. The story follows a young woman with a troubled past who has a hard time dealing with the reality of her new surroundings...

  • 1989 I Love You Perfect
    I Love You Perfect
    I Love You Perfect is the soundtrack album from the TV movie of the same name by Yanni.- Track listing :#"Opening Credits/Theme" – 4:19#"The Lover's Quarrel" – 0:55#"Allan Fired" – 0:55#"Chair Shower & Court Room Montage" – 1:35...

  • 1990 Children of the Bride
    Children of the Bride
    Children of the Bride is a 1990 TV movie directed by Jonathan Sanger. The film premiered in 1990 and was released on DVD in 2003. The film was followed by Baby of the Bride and Mother of the Bride .-Cast:...

  • 1990 She'll Take Romance
    She'll Take Romance
    She'll Take Romance is a 1990 television movie aired on ABC.Linda Evans plays Jane McMillan, a Seattle tv meteorologist, Jane is assigned to host a contest to find the most romantic man in Puget Sound; Evans boyfriend played by Tom Skerritt is a nice but borish judge who spends most of the time on...

  • 1990 When You Remember Me
    When You Remember Me
    When You Remember Me is a 1990 fact-based television movie based on the story of Mike Mills, a teen with muscular dystrophy, who is placed in a state nursing home by his destitute single mother...

  • 1994 Hua qi Shao Lin

Compilations

  • 1992 Romantic Moments
    Romantic Moments
    Romantic Moments is a 1992 compilation album by Yanni and released on the BMG label.- Track listing :#"Reflections Of Passion" – 4:35#"Santorini" – 4:34#"After The Sunrise" – 4:38#"True Nature" – 4:35...

    , BMG
  • 1994 A Collection of Romantic Themes
    A Collection of Romantic Themes
    A Collection of Romantic Themes is a 1994 compilation album by Yanni released on the Private Music label. It is the second compilation album to be released by Yanni....

    , Private Music
  • 1997 Devotion (The Best of Yanni)
    Devotion (The Best of Yanni)
    Devotion is a 1997 compilation album by Yanni released on the Private Music label.Nine of this compilation's fifteen tracks are from two of Yanni's quieter recordings, 1992's Dare to Dream and 1993's delicate In My Time...

    , Private Music
  • 1997 Port of Mystery
    Port of Mystery
    Port of Mystery is a 1997 compilation album by Yanni and released on the Windham Hill label.- Track listing :#"The Sphynx" – 4:16#"You Only Live Once" – 7:22#"Port Of Mystery" – 4:51#"Butterfly Dance" – 6:27...

    , Windham Hill
  • 1997 In The Mirror
    In the Mirror
    In The Mirror is a 1997 album by Yanni released on the Private Music label.This is often billed as a "Compilation of Yanni favorites" , including "In the Mirror" which is a solo piano piece and faster pace tracks such as "Forbidden Dreams" and "Chasing Shadows"- Track listing :#"In The Mirror"#"In...

    , Private Music
  • 1997 Nightbird
    Nightbird (Yanni album)
    - Track listing :#"North Shore of Matsushima" – 5:10#"Point of Origin" – 5:58#"Within Attraction" – 4:11#"Dance with a Stranger" – 5:02#"Chasing Shadows" – 5:38#"Days of Summer" – 4:25#"Nightbird" – 6:01...

    , Unison
  • 1997 Songs From The Heart, BMG
  • 1999 Someday
    Someday (Yanni album)
    - Track listing :#"Within Attraction" – 4:09#"Enchantment" – 3:52#"A Word in Private" – 3:46#"Before I Go" – 4:32#"Felitsa" – 4:52#"Someday" – 4:35#"The Rain Must Fall" – 4:37...

    , Unison
  • 1999 The Private Years
    The Private Years
    The Private Years is a compilation project released by Private Music in 1999, . It is a Box set that features five of Yanni's albums for Private Music — Reflections of Passion, In Celebration of Life, Dare to Dream, In My Time, and Yanni Live at the Acropolis, as well as the DVD of his concert...

    , Private Music
  • 1999 Love Songs, RCA Victor
  • 1999 Winter Light
  • 2000 Snowfall
  • 2000 The Very Best of Yanni (2000–10), Windham Hill Records, RCA Victor
  • 2003 Ultimate Yanni
  • 2010 The Essential Yanni

Concert tours


  • 1987: Out of Silence
    Out of Silence
    Out of Silence is Yanni's third album, released on the Private Music label in 1987 . It was during this year that Yanni was putting together his first touring band which included Joyce Imbesi and John Tesh on keyboards, and Charlie Adams on drums.The album was reissued in 2009 by Valley...

  • 1988: Chameleon Days
    Chameleon Days
    Chameleon Days is Yanni's fourth album, released on the Private Music label in 1988 . It peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart in the same year...

  • 1990: Reflections of Passion
    Reflections of Passion
    Reflections of Passion, is Yanni's sixth album, released on the Private Music label in 1990, , with a concert tour the same year and same title. Although it is categorized by the RIAA as a full album, all but three of the tracks on the album had been released at least once prior...

  • 1991: Revolution in Sound
    In Celebration of Life
    In Celebration of Life, is Yanni's seventh album, released on the Private Music label in 1991, . It topped at #3 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #60 on the "Billboard 200" in the same year....

  • 1992: Dare to Dream
    Dare to Dream (Yanni album)
    Dare to Dream is Yanni's eighth album, released on the Private Music label in 1992 . The album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #32 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year...

  • 1993: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1993
    In My Time
    In My Time, Yanni's ninth album, released on the Private Music label in 1993, . This album is a gentler collection of piano-focused pieces. It attained Platinum status and was the second Grammy nomination for Yanni...

  • 1994: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1994
    Yanni Live at the Acropolis
    Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at...

  • 1995: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1995
    Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall
    Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall is an intimate concert presentation which features the majestic Royal Albert Hall organ in performance with Yanni's very own symphony orchestra. See...

  • 1997: Tribute
    Tribute (Yanni album)
    Tribute, recorded live at the Taj Mahal, India, and the Forbidden City, Beijing, China from March to May, 1997. . This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year....

  • 2003–4: Ethnicity
    Ethnicity (Yanni album)
    Ethnicity, is Yanni's 13th studio album, released in 2003, extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. It peaked at #27 on Billboard's "Top Internet Albums" chart and at #27 on the "Billboard 200" chart in 2003...

  • 2004–5: Yanni Live!
  • 2008–9: Yanni Voices
    Yanni Voices
    Yanni Voices, is Yanni's 14th studio album and 5th live DVD, released in 2009. The album debuted on Billboard's Top 200 and #1 on the New Age chart. The Spanish version, Yanni Voces, debuted at #2 on Billboard's New Age chart, #5 on the Latin Pop chart, and #13 on the Latin overall chart.This...

  • 2010: Yanni Live in South America
  • 2010: "Yanni Live in San Juan, Puerto Rico" [November]
  • 2011: Yanni Live in Eastern Europe and Asia
  • 2011: "Yanni Live at El Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico" [December]

External links