Pavlos Tsakalidis was born in Karataou, Kazakstan in 1955. He began his music studies on the piano since he was five. From an early age he showed great aptitude in composing an orchestra conducting. At the age of fifteen he formed his own group. He studied and worked in various towns of Kazakstan, Russia and Georgia. In 1989 he immigrated to Greece and he has been living and working in Thessaloniki ever since. His studies:

• Degree in Theoretical Mechanics, University of Alma-Ata Kazakstan.
• Choir master Diploma, Institute of Culture, Krasnontar Russia.
• Degree in harmony, Modern Conservatoire of Thessaloniki.
• Classical piano of upper class (11 years of studies).
• Two years counter point in the New Conservatoire of Thessaloniki.
• Student of the famous conductor and composer Odysseus Dimitriadis' in composing and orchestra conducting.

He has composed around 400 works of music for symphonic orchestra, Big Band, theater, chorus various small music groups, piano and voice. His works contain traces from jazz, traditional, classical music and several modern forms of art, trying to combine all the above. He has organised about 20 music groups and participated in various jazz and light music festivals, in which he was distinguished as the best in orchestration and as piano and synthesizer virtuoso. He has done several researches and has written articles and books on the traditional music of the Black Sea (Pontos) and jazz.