Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος {Stavros Xarchakos} (b. 1939) is a Greek composer and conductor.

He was born on 14th March 1939 in Athens, where he studied at the Athens Conservatoire. He emerged in the Greek music scene in around 1963, composing music for the theatre and cinema. Among his collaborators was lyricist Λευτέρης Παπαδόπουλος (Lefteris Papadopoulos).

In 1967 he went to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger. He stayed there for four years, and went on to study with David Diamond at the Juilliard School of Music.

While he mainly composed in the style of Greek popular music, Laïka, he also composed in the classical music genre. His musical output consists of forty-two albums, twenty-one film scores, and music for fifteen television productions. He has served director of the National Orchestra of Greek Music.

He has been involved in politics, elected Member of the Greek Parliament twice, before becoming an MEP. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.