Harpsichordist, organist, scene director, musicologist, Iakovos Pappas was born in Athens. His fondness for vocal music encourages him to take an interest in rhetoric, declamation and body movements, which are the essential elements to approach the musical work and theatre of the XVIIe & XVIIIe century as it should be. His research leads to a harmonious and clear theory concerning utterance as much as the pronunciation’s mechanism in order to change completely the actual vision and custom of baroque music’s interpretation. And that is why he is one of the few who can teach the art of declamation. In 1992, he sets up the Ensemble Almazis, in which he applies his research. His exceptional ability of accompanist and his practice of continuo quickly allow him to collaborate with the quasi-totality of other French baroque ensembles; some international theatres, like the opera of Los Angeles, have already asked for his services.

From 1983 to 1989 he used to be the assistant of William Christie at the “Conservatoire de Paris”, then from 1993 to 1997, the singing and declamation conductor at the music baroque centre of Versailles. In 2004, he was the guest conductor of the Ostinato orchestra for a pedagogical approach of L’amour et Psyché by Joseph Cassanea de Mondonville. The close collaboration with Philippe Lenaël between 1995 and 1999 gave some productions such as Zémire et Azor by André Modeste Gréty, L’Isle des Foux by Egidio Duni, Côté cours côté jardi, Les Histories Sacrées by Marc Antoine Charpentier. He also directed the contemporary creation of Des Amants Magnifiques by Lully-Molière at the theatre of l’Athénée in 1989, Tancredi et Clorinda by Monteverdi, Didon et Enée by H. Purcell.

The season 2004-2005 was a crucial period because at this moment he dared to show, for the first time since they have been written, an initial representation of erotic music and texts of the XVIIIe century Dévergondages baroques directed by Benoît Brumer. He created a new show entitled Les Fables de Jean de La Fontaine with Paul-Alexandre Dubois as a co-director which is the second reason of the season’s turning point. Wiser for this research in comic, burlesque or erotic music, he presented another new show called Les Libertins Baroques based on erotic texts and music of the XVIIIe century directed by himself using his knowledge acquired with Philippe Lenaël to recall original attitudes and body movements from the theatre as it was in the XVIIIe century. This representation generated a triumph within the audience as much as in the Medias.

One thing has lead to another, he has become the defender of French music and its publicist by providing a large activity around the world. Iakovos Pappas also approaches contemporary music as guest conductor by presenting in 2002 at the Pirée theatre La Femme de Zakynthos by Kostas Dimouleas. His discography is various but still shows us his good taste for rare music: harpsichord pieces of Pancrace Royer, Gaspard Le Roux or Jean-François Dandrieu; harpsichord sonatas of Giovanni Battista Platti; the transcription of Antonio Vivaldi’s sonatas from Opus 1. Since 2004, he has given a series of concert at “La Péniche Opéra” with exceptional programmes and unknown talents such as Pancrace Royer with La Fortune by Jean-Batiste Rousseau or by celebrating the 250^th anniversary of Marin Marais birth with the following two plays. From royal harmonies to ballad and French cantata he offered to his audience a panorama of the richness and diversity of the XVIIIe century. This series has been programmed again for the season 2006-2007. In 2007, he presented at Dreux’s theatre L’Isle des Foux by Egidio Duni with his own stage direction. His interpretation of the “Opéra Bouffon” with the play Le Maréchal Ferrant by André Danican Philidor created at “La Péniche Opéra” in 2005 lead to the audience giving him a standing ovation at the festival “La chabotterie” in 2007.