Nikos Myrogiannis-Koukos
Office: Dunham Hall Rm 1105(618) 650‑2404
nmyrogi@siue.edu
Greek conductor, educator, composer, singer, and musicologist, Dr. Nikos Myrogiannis-Koukos (known to his students as Dr MK) serves as the Director of Choral Activities at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. An active performer and clinician, Nikos is the director of the SIUE Concert Chorale and the SIUE Choral Union. His teaching assignments include courses in Undergraduate Conducting and graduate private lessons, a Choral-Orchestral literature course, as well as Advanced Aural Skills courses.
A native of the Greek island of Lesvos, Dr Myrogiannis-Koukos hails most recently from Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he earned a doctoral degree in Choral Conducting, Pedagogy, and Literature from James Madison University. At JMU, Nikos served as a graduate conductor for The Madison Singers, the JMU Chorale and other vocal ensembles. His teaching responsibilities have included teaching Basic Choral Conducting, as well as General Education music classes.
Before pursuing a doctoral degree, Nikos resided in Fort Worth, Texas, where he earned a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Texas Christian University. Before his time in Texas, Nikos received an MA in Musicology and Music Education from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a Diploma in Composition/Music Theory from Seirios Conservatory.
As a church musician, Nikos has most recently served as the Director of Music Ministries at Dayton United Methodist Church in Dayton, Virginia, where he conducted the DUMC Chancel Choir. During his time as an undergraduate student in Thessaloniki, Greece, Nikos founded and directed the "YouTune Vocal Ensemble", while he collaborated with various collegiate, church, and community ensembles both as a singer and a conductor.
His research interests include creating and instituting techniques for the development of harmonic audiation and harmonically informed sight-singing, implementing the use of Laban movement analysis in choral conducting, customizing the warm-up routine to fit the needs of ensembles consisting of mature adults, and reassessment of the relationship between music analysis and choral pedagogy in preparation of large-scale choral masterworks. He has presented his research in conferences both in Greece and the US, including the 2025 National College Music Society Conference, and the 2024 Organization of American Kodaly Educators Conference.
Nikos strives to be an integral part of the choral and academic communities in his native country, in the Metro-East St. Louis region, and in the national scene. He currently serves as co-chair of membership on the board of the Illinois chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (IL-ACDA), and has active engagements with the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA), the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), and the College Music Society (CMS). Additionally, he currently serves as the president of the Delta Beta chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda (PKL), encouraging students of all levels to join the organization and the vast musical community it represents.
