Costas Tsougras was born in Volos, Greece, in 1966. He studied piano, accordion and theory at the Volos Hellenic Conservatory (accordion diploma, 1982). After studying chemistry (bachelor, 1987, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), he pursued studies in musicology and composition (bachelor in music, 1993, School of Music Studies, A.U.Th.; composition diploma, 1998, New Conservatory of Thessaloniki, Christos Samaras's class; PhD in music theory & analysis, 2002, A.U.Th, D. Yannou, supervisor). He has attended seminars on composition and music analysis with Theodore Antoniou, Fred Lerdahl, Tristan Murail, Jonathan Kramer, Eero Tarasti, et al. In 2000 he was a visiting scholar at the Music Department of the Columbia University, New York, where he attended advanced music theory and composition courses and worked on his PhD project with Fred Lerdahl. He is associate professor of systematic musicology at the School of Music, A.U.Th. and teacher of music theory and composition at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki. His research interests are music theory and analysis, contemporary music, cognitive psychology of music & computational musical models, and his musicological research has been published in Greek and international journals and collective volumes (Routledge, Grove Music Online, Musicae Scientiae, Music Perception, JNMR, Journal of Interdisciplinary Music Studies, Quaderni dell' Istituto Liszt, Polyphonia, et al). He composes since 1992 in a free atonal idiom, characterized by pitch centricity, elaborate harmonic structures and musical symbolism. His music has won awards at composition competitions and has been performed and recorded in Greece and abroad (UK, USA, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Russia, China, Bulgaria, etc) by acclaimed musicians, ensembles and orchestras (Thessaloniki State Symphonic Orchestra, Greek Contemporary Music Ensemble, dissonART, New Hellenic Quartet, Emilios Riadis Quartet, Piandaemonium, Iowa Brass Quintet, Norbotten NEO, Uwe Matschke, An Raskin, D. Chandrakis, K. Raptis, Th. Sotiriades, D. & N. Dimopoulos, A. Liakakis, T. Gouvelis, K. Chardas, O. Karydis, K. Destounis, F. Karagianni, E. Alakiozidou, et al). He is a member of the Greek Composers' Union since 1999, and in 2012 and 2019 he represented the Union as an invited composer at the ISCM World Music Days in Belgium and Estonia.