Born in Greece, educated in the United States and a Canadian citizen since 1985, award-winning composer Christos Hatzis is enjoying international recognition for his work. He is the recipient of the 1996 (Governor General) Jules Legôr Prize for Erotikos Logos. He has composed major works for all media and is the recipient of numerous commissions from some of the best-known artists in Canada and abroad. Christos' works are "brilliant, complex, and intellectually and emotionally challenging but [they] touch the heart of the average listener" (Paul Pedersen). His music has been featured in many international festivals, is being broadcast regularly by CBC and foreign networks and is frequently performed worldwide. In addition to composing, Christos teaches composition full-time as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto.

Christos was born in Volos, Greece on March 21, 1953. He received his early music training at the local branch of the Hellenic Conservatory and later at the Eastman School of Music and SUNY at Buffalo, from which school he received his Ph.D. in 1982. He is married to percussionist Beverley Johnston and they live together at their rural home outside of Uxbridge, Ontario.