Nikos Zarkos (b. 1981, Kavala, Greece) commenced his guitar studies at the age of 8 at the Municipal Conservatory of Kavala, continued at the Municipal Conservatory of Thessaloniki with professor Evangelos Assimakopoulos and acquired his Diploma from the Thoukidideion Conservatory of Athens with professor Stelios Moustos.

During the period 1999-2003 he studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London, with Robert Brightmore as his guitar professor and David Miller as his theorbo tutor. He graduated with the degree Bachelor of Music.

During the period 2003-2007 he continued his postgraduate studies at the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg/Augsburg with guitar professor Franz Halasz and Eduardo Egüez as his baroque music tutor. He acquired the degrees Diplommusiker (K.A.) and Meisterklassendiplom.

Nikos Zarkos has performed in masterclasses of the world guitar elite: Leo Brouwer, Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Pepe Romero, Roberto Aussel, Aniello Desiderio, Joaquín Clerch, Marco Socías, Zoran Dukic, Oscar Ghiglia, Hubert Käppel, Alex Garrobé, Ricardo Gallén, Costas Cotsiolis and Kazuhito Yamashita.

Nikos Zarkos collaborates regularly with the Greek Composers Union and in 2012 he presented the programme Greek Guitar Music (works by Christos Samaras, Giorgos Kouroupos, Nikos Kypourgos and G. A. Papaioannou) and in 2013 the programme Mediterranean Guitar Sonatas premiering the works Sonata for Guitar by Theodore Antoniou and Sonata for Guitar “The Four Silences” by Christos Samaras (both Sonatas will be released in his third solo CD Monologue in 2016). In 2014 he presented the programme Music for Guitar by Theodore Antoniou and during 2015-16 he will be presenting the programme Sonatas and Sonatinas for flute and guitar with flutist Nikos Nikopoulos.

Nikos Zarkos has performed as a duo with cellists Asterios Pouftis and Angelos Liakakis. He has also performed as a member of the Greek Ensemble of Contemporary Music, the Ergon Ensemble and the Ionian Festival Ensemble. To conclude, he has given recitals and chamber music concerts in Great Britain, Germany and Greece and he plays exclusively with Hannabach Titanyl strings.