Angelo Pentaris

Location: Athens

Challenge: Cerebral Palsy

Website: www.angelopentaris.com

Angelo Pentaris is a drummer from Athens, Greece.

Angelo says "I first made a connection with drums when I suffered an injury that put me in a wheelchair for two years. I was unable to do most things that I had achieved with hard work, the things that I thrived when doing, but thankfully, in one of the lowest points of my life, music became my driving force.".

During this time, the drums lit a fire in Angelo to overcome the challenges that he faced and to become the best version of himself not only as drummer but as person. He adds "I decided to pursue music professionally because it was a huge form of empowerment for me and today I hope to do the same for others through my creative voice."

At the age of 17, Angelo moved to Los Angeles to study music in a challenging program at Los Angeles College of Music in California. He says "I was one of the three students to graduate from a class of initially 15 people."

Since then, Angelo has played in various bands and collaborated with prominent artists in Greece, Poland, and the United States. He adds "The past few years, I have toured around the world doing motivational speeches that are accmpanied by live drum performances". In Poland, during his last tours he collaborated with the amazing musicians, singers & songwriters Shandy & Eva. Currently, Angelo is hosting his own Drum Up The Volume shows in some of the most well-known venues of the Athenian entertainment scene.

In Los Angeles, Angelo had the opportunity to meet with people who "embraced" him for his talent but also for his positive energy. One of the most important experiences was his interview at Drum Channel, one of the largest YouTube Channels, that has hosted artists like the drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers (Chad Smith) and that of Ariana Grande (Aaron Spears).

Angelo says "A few years ago, I completed my first personal YouTube Project, called Reflection, with tracks inspired by my life. Reflection consists of five episodes, with five songs dedicated to different stages of my life. In each episode I talk about my songs, my music, and my life."

In May 2022, Angelo was one of the drummers who participated at the 5th Athens Drum Festival, the biggest Drum Festival in Athens.

In 2022, Angelo also had the opportunity to share his story with the world in TEDxAthens, where he talked about turning my fear into faith. Later during the event, along with singer Danai Nielsen, he played drums on the stage of the Greek National Opera.

Nowadays, equipped with his love, experience and knowledge on music, Angelo managed to start my first music studio in Athens, Gem Studios, to give shelter to other musical talents and help them bring their artistic vision to life

Angelo Pentaris "In The End (Linkin Park)"