Our Team

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Nikoletta Polydorou is a Social Music Educator with a PhD in Music Education. Between 2011-2021 Nikoletta worked as the Music Instructor in the most disadvantaged schools in Nicosia within the “School and Social Inclusion Actions (DRA.S.E.)” Programme by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth. In addition, Nikoletta worked as a Scientific Collaborator at European University Cyprus between 2010-2022 and is currently working as an adjunct staff at Nicosia University in Cyprus teaching Community Music.

In 2020 Nikoletta was awarded by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II with the Commonwealth Points of Light Award. In 2018 Nikoletta was chosen as a Role Model through the European Initiative #LifeStories and the Youth Board in Cyprus for her work with migrants. Through these years, she has established a good relationship with the Faneromeni community in Nicosia. She has the general supervision of Sistema Cyprus.  

Co-Founder & Director of Communications

Myria is a co-founder of Sistema Cyprus and Director of Communications. As an Associate Professor in Marketing, Myria has always been interested in bridging the gap between academic and industry as well as applying principles of Marketing to the non profit sector and in social enterprises. Myriai received her Ph.D from the Nottingham University Business School, where she also worked as a Teaching Assistant between 2012-2016. Upon her return to Cyprus, she was appointed the role of Academic Director at CIM, Cyprus Business school. She is interested in the areas of consumer behaviour, digital marketing and societal marketing. 

At Sistema Cyprus, Myria is in charge of branding, communications as well as utilising media in acquiring funds and donations, which help the organisation fulfil its vision as well as to ensure maximum exposure of Sistema’s impact on societal stakeholders.

Co-Founder & Artistic Advisor

Petros Stylianou studied Symphonic and Operatic Conducting at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. Petros collaborated with various symphony orchestras in Russia, Germany, Greece and Cyprus, such as the Symphony Orchestra of Opera and Ballet Theatre of St. Petersburg State Conservatory, St Petersburg Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Greek Radio National Symphony Orchestra. He had his debut with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra in November 2016. Petros worked also as an Assistant Conductor at the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra in various Symphonic and Operatic productions.

Petros has served as the Artistic Director of Sistema Cyprus between 2019-2020, before moving on to the position of Artistic Director of The Music Talent Development Programme (MTDP) at the University of Cyprus. He is now serving as the Artistic Advisor of Sistema Cyprus.

Artistic Director & Conductor

Santiago Ossa Alzate is a young Colombian conductor who studied at EAFIT University. His first steps in music was when he started in “La Red de Escuelas de Música de Medellín” There he has acquired the talent and love for music which has allowed him to travel in different countries such as, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Spain, conducting and playing with different groups which stand out, Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Amadeus, Orquesta Sinfónica de Antioquia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Caldas, Orquesta Sinfónica EAFIT, Camerata Antonio Soler and Orquesta Juvenil SODRE among other ensembles.

Santiago Ossa Azlate is the Artistic Director of Sistema Cyprus since September 2019. His responsibilities in Sistema Cyprus focus on the artistic supervision of the education aspect, rehearsals with the Orchestra, chamber groups, sectionals, working with soloists and choir and conducting general stage rehearsals and performances.

Teaching Artist & Project Manager

Tasos is a Project Manager at Sistema Cyprus as well as the French horn and trumpet teacher. Since his masters’ graduation from the University of Amsterdam in 2021, he moved back to Cyprus and has been very active in multiple music projects around the island. Besides his role in Sistema, Tasos has been performing in concerts across the country and has worked as a music school teacher. In addition, he is part of the stage managing and administration team of Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2023-2024, Tasos had the pleasure to participate and successfully complete the Firebird Fellowship by AIM (Academy of Impact through Music), a 15-month learning journey with experienced pedagogues and expert coaches from around the world, focusing on pioneering teaching methods for outstanding teaching.

He has a particular interest in music education and pedagogy, and views Sistema Cyprus as a great initiative and an opportunity to offer to the community through music education.

Teaching Artist & Project Manager

Loukia is a Choral Conductor with a PhD in Music and Gender Studies. She is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Larnaka Municipality Children’s Chorus since 2017 and the president of the Folkloric Institute ‘Vasilitzia’ in Larnaka. She has worked at Latsia, Ayios Antonios and Ayios Kassianos Primary Schools at ‘Project for the Confrontation of School Failure and Functional Illiteracy in Education Priority Zones (ZEP)’.

Loukia has been a violin teacher at Sistema Cyprus since its inception in 2018. She is also the Project Manager of the European Solidarity Corps Project ‘Agents of Change’ since 2023. She has also graduated from the Academy for Impact through Music (AIM), a pioneering program looking into fundamentals of teaching music within social action programs, guided by expert coaches and international artists and supported by a global community of peers.

Grants & Educational Programmes Advisor

Marios is a teacher, a scholar and an activist who believes that access to good education contributes to the reduction of poverty, the increase of opportunity for a better quality of life and the strengthening of a civil society that lays the foundation for the creation of peaceful democracies. He finds inspiration in the beauty of cultural diversity and teaches about the necessity of openness to cultural understanding and the promotion of inter-culturalism.

He earned his Ph.D. in Education from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has previously worked as a Research Associate at the Open University of Cyprus, as the Director of Grants and Educational Programs at Teachers2Teachers-International and taught at UNC’s Curriculum in Global Studies. At Sistema Cyprus, Marios contributes to the program’s pedagogical design, assesses its impact, takes a lead on grant proposal writing and has fun.