Sofoklis Gkekas was born and raised in Chalcis, Greece. His interest in the drums began at the age of 12, leading him to start private lessons at the Modern Music School of Chalcis. There, he had the privilege of studying under Spyros Dorizas and Kallistratos Drakopoulos, who inspired his deep passion for the instrument and music as a whole.
In 2015, Sophocles was awarded the "Spyros Dorizas" scholarship from Lab Music Education鈥攁 pivotal moment that reshaped his musical perspective. During this period, he studied with esteemed educators including Marios Ioannou, Dimitris Klonis, Manos Matsos, Kallistratos Drakopoulos, Michalis Kapilidis, Giorgos Katsikas, Grigoris Danis.
Driven by a continuous desire for artistic growth, he furthered his education through private studies with Menios Pasialis, Spyros Lignonis, and Gabor Dornyei. He has also participated in seminars led by world-renowned musicians such as Bill Stewart, Antonio Sanchez, Dom Famularo, Mark Guiliana, Jojo Mayer, Benny Greb, Rudy Royston, Bill Frisell, and Steve Pruitt, as well as prominent Greek drummers Kostas Liolios, Spyros Panagiotopoulos, and Fotis Giannopoulos.
In 2021, Sophocles moved to Rotterdam to study at Codarts University for the Arts, where he spent two years studying under Martijn Vink, Hans Eijkenaar, and Eelco De Boer.
Sofoklis is currently an active member of Nikos Portokaloglou鈥檚 band, performing alongside prominent Greek artists including Yiannis Kotsiras, Natassa Bofiliou, Eleni Tsaligopoulou, String Demons, Kostas Tzimas, Thodoris Kotonias, Vicky Karatzoglou, Nefeli Fasouli, Maria Papageorgiou, Myrto Vasiliou, and Andriana Achitzanova.
He is also a member of Alexandra Koniak鈥檚 and Dimitris Samolis鈥檚 bands, and has collaborated on projects with Marios Laz Ioannidis and Vicky Karatzoglou, sharing the stage with Babis Stokas, Giota Negka, and Mariza Rizou.
During his time in the Netherlands, he collaborated with artists such as Sophie Van Hasselt, Phil Higgins, and NEFELI. He toured extensively across the country as part of Popronde, one of the most significant tours for upcoming artists, and performed live on the NPO 2 radio station. Additionally, he contributed as a session drummer for the debut album of the band The Port and the Bard.
Sophocles Gekas is a proud Meinl Cymbals artist.
