Yiannis Mitsios was born in 1997 in Ioannina and raised in Arta. His musical journey began at the age of nine, when his parents gifted him a bouzouki for his birthday. Soon after, he began taking lessons, and at eleven he switched to the electric guitar. He pursued intensive private guitar and music theory lessons at the local conservatory of Arta.

Early on, his main influences came from rock and metal, especially instrumental guitar music. Artists such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Andy James, and Guthrie Govan played a major role in shaping his sound and technique.

At eighteen, he moved to Nicosia, Cyprus, to study music and guitar. There, after attending a jazz concert by his teacher, saxophonist Charis Ioannou, he developed a deep interest in jazz. After a year in Nicosia, he was accepted to the Royal Conservatory of The Hague in the Netherlands, where he continued his studies and later in the Conservatory of Amsterdam. There, he studied with renowned musicians Jesse van Ruller, Maarten van der Grinten, Martijn van Iterson, Reinier Baas, and Peter Bernstein.

After graduating in 2021, he pursued his Master’s degree in Jazz Guitar at Codarts Rotterdam, studying under Tineke Postma, Marc van Roon, Ed Verhoeff, Ronald Schmitz, Nelson Veras, and Stefan Lievestro.

Since graduating in 2024, he has been based in Rotterdam, where he leads the Yiannis Mitsios Quintet, which released its debut album “Passage” in 2025. In addition to his work as a bandleader, he is also active as a sideman in various other projects.