Artist description An independent artist, Van Sotraidis (pronounced Sa TRAY' dis) solely composed, arranged, performed, and engineered all music on both his Notes to a Friend and Seven Shades of Morning CDs.

Music Style Powerful Instrumentals combining elements from a broad range of genres. Van's electrifying debut CD, Notes to a Friend, is a refreshing and truly eclectic mix of New Age, Progressive Rock, and Jazz Fusion. Please consider supporting independent artists and make this unique, top selling CD part of your collection today! Better yet, send Notes to a Friend to your best friend.

Musical Influences Pink Floyd, Rick Wakeman, U2, Alan Parsons, Rush, David Lanz, David Benoit, Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach

Similar Artists David Lanz, George Winston, Jim Brickman, Rick Wakeman, Jean-Michel Jarre, Jan Hammer, Vangellis, William Orbit, David Benoit, Yanni, Vivaldi, Bach. Rock Tracks: Pink Floyd, U2, Alan Parsons, Rush

Artist History Van has performed at both the amateur and professional levels for over 25 years. This has included drumming in progressive rock, jazz and dance bands, orchestral percussion, analog and digital keyboards, and piano. Originally from Steubenville, Ohio, Van began writing music in the early 1980's after moving to St. Louis, Missouri.

Group Members Van Sotraidis

Instruments Piano, drums, multiple keyboards (for guitars, bass, strings, sax, etc..), Latin and chromatic percussion

Albums Notes to a Friend (1999); Seven Shades of Morning (2002)

Press Reviews St. Louis Business Journal, June 7, 1999; CLIMBING THE CHARTS: Local musicians are making it big on MP3.com, the Internet's largest music site. MadelynIris, a Christian rock band from Waterloo made up of the husband-and-wife team of Mark and Carrie Munsell, was the featured artist last month on the site. Meanwhile, four songs composed and recorded by Maryland Heights musician Van Sotraidis are available for download on MP3.com. Among them is a piano solo he wrote and recorded called "Listen to Your Heart," which reached No. 1 in the solo piano genre, based on total number of downloads.

Additional Info Please direct inquiries regarding any commercial use of this music, such as film, television, multimedia, games, sporting or other events to Van Sotraidis.

Location St. Louis, Missouri - USA

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