Yanni

Early life and education

Yiannis Chryssomallis was born on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece, the second of three children of Sotiri and Triandafilitsa (Felitsa for short) Chryssomallis. In English, his name means "John", in reference to St. John the Baptist, and his name day is on January 7. His father worked at the National Bank of Greece in Kalamata for most of his life, working from an entry position to manager, and his mother was a homemaker. Yanni has an older brother, Yorgo, and a younger sister, Anda, and their parents were supportive of their interest in music. Yanni's mother gave him the nickname "Nightbird" as he enjoyed staying up late, and would not sleep unless his mother sang to him at night.

Yanni displayed musical talent at a young age, playing piano at age 6. He refused formal lessons that his parents offered to pay for, and instead learned his own style mainly by reciting what his brother, who was trained, was playing from memory. He also gained inspiration from listening to world music on an old shortwave radio in his bedroom which introduced him to various styles, cultires, and time signatures. The self-taught musician continues to use the "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child, rather than employing traditional musical notation. At 14, Yanni had become a competitive swimmer and set a Greek national record in the 50 meters freestyle competition with a time of 28.6 seconds. The event attracted media attention, and the Mayor of Kalamata gave Yanni a "Best Athlete of the Year" award in the form of a handmade silver cup. He went on to enter in 100-, 200-, and 400-meter races in the under and over age 14 categories, winning further gold medals and cups.

In November 1972, Yanni left Greece to study at the University of Minnesota, where Yorgo was living and attended before him. During this time he was known as John Chryssomallis, the name he used on his passport and enrolment forms. His course began in January 1973 where he took up calculus, French, and psychology, and his brother helped him learn to speak English fluently. For a short time Yanni earned money by washing dishes at the student union, his first paying job. Yanni later explained that learning English forced him to read paragraphs several times over in what he called a slow and frustrating process, but it helped him memorize the material and perform well in exams. Yanni went on to conduct laboratory tests regarding sound and the hearing system on rats. He graduated in June 1976 with a B.A. degree, and did consider studying for a Ph.D in clinical psychology. Upon graduating, when he dedicated himself exclusively to music for one full year and found he was the happiest he had ever been, he said he decided music would be his life's work.

1975–1987: Local bands and start of solo career

From 1975 to 1976 Yanni played in Zed, a local covers band who were looking for a keyboard player and advertised in the newspaper. He did not own any equipment, but once he met the group and discovered the sounds their Vox Jaguar organ and ARP Odyssey synthesizer could make, Yanni later wrote: "That was it. My life changed. All of a sudden I was absorbed. It was like God had spoken". Yanni only felt challenged playing keyboards in a group setting when he performed more complex passages, citing early works of progressive rock bands Yes, Genesis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer as examples and favourites of his. During this time, he left Zed in 1976 and joined the progressive rock group Archangel who played original material, which he preferred. This was followed by a stint in Straight Up.

In 1981, Yanni landed work as the keyboardist and co-producer of the self-titled debut album by Minneapolis-based rock band Chameleon. The line-up of the group included its founder, drummer Charlie Adams who would write and perform in Yanni's touring bands into the 2010s. Yanni's production work on Chameleon's album landed him a full time position in the group as their keyboardist and songwriter. He went on to play on their subsequent three releases: Techno-Color (1982), Balance (1983) and Hologram Sky (1984). Yanni then left the band to pursue a full time solo career, which included a relocation to Los Angeles in pursuit of working on film soundtracks.

In 1980, the 25-year-old Yanni recorded his first solo album Optimystique at Cookhouse Studios in Minneapolis, which did not see a release until Atlantic Records put it out in 1984. In 1985, he received a call from Richard Ginsburg, a DJ at WFMU in East Orange, New Jersey and host of Synthetic Pleasure, a radio program dedicated to electronic music. He had received a copy of Optimystique from a bus driver working on a Todd Rundgren tour who had liked it and sent it to the station. A subsequent broadcast which included Optimystique played in full led to the station being inundated with phone calls about the album, and a search for contact with Yanni that began discussions of having the album released. Sales of the album allowed Yanni, and those involved who invested in the project, to make a small profit.

Around early 1986, a friend of Yanni's sent in a demo tape of music to Private Music, a newly-formed nage label founded by Tangerine Dream musician Peter Baumann. It was well received, and Yanni spent his last $500 travelling to New York City meeting him in the office. A second label also expressed their interest in the tape, but it was declined after Yanni agreed to a four-album deal with Private Music. His deal allowed him to rent a 32-track Mitsubishi recording machine which was used to re-record the music on his demo tape. The completed album was named Keys to Imagination, as suggested by Ginsburg, and released in 1986. Ad Lib magazine, published in Japan, named it the best new age album of the year. In the week following his trip to accept the award, Kalamata was struck by an earthquake in September 1986 which inspired Yanni to write a new piece based on the disaster, "Standing in Motion". Yanni then started work on Out of Silence, released in 1987 and dedicated to Kalamata.

1987–1993: Los Angeles, film scores, and rise to fame

In 1987, Yanni relocated to Los Angeles at the suggestion of music agent Sam Schwartz, who had heard his solo albums and offered him work as a film composer. The keyboardist built a home studio and began work on his fourth album, Chameleon Days. He avoided the nightlife and became career focused, calling the opportunity as "my shot to create my dreams". For extra income, he landed work as a film composer for the HBO film Steal the Sky (1988) and two films shown on ABC Movie of the Week which earned him $120,000, but soon ended side projects to concentrate on his albums. He went on to contribute to the soundtracks of Heart of Midnight (1988), I Love You Perfect (1989), She'll Take Romance (1990), When You Remember Me (1990), and Children of the Bride (1990).

Released in 1988, Chameleon Days peaked at number 2 on the Billboard New Age Albums chart. To promote it, Yanni embarked on his first solo tour with Adams on drums, who had moved to Los Angeles after Chameleon split, and Giovanna Joyce Imbesi with former Entertainment Tonight co-host John Tesh, a fan of Yanni's, on additional keyboards. Rehearsals took place in a space in Burbank for sessions that lasted for as long as ten hours, partly due to the time required to arranged the music for live performance. Yanni toured around 12 theaters across the United States, ignoring Private Music's advice to play in clubs and willing to risk losing money. The tour began in Dallas to around 2,000 people, and included a triple bill concert dubbed An Evening of New Music with fellow Private Music artists Patrick O'Hearn and David Van Tieghem. At the tour's end, Tesh left the group, and Yanni decided not to pursue a career in film scoring full time as the tour had sparked an interest in performing live. His fifth solo album, Niki Nana, was released in August 1989 which signified an increase in sales and concert attendances, and went to number 2 on the Billboard New Age chart.

Later in 1989, Yanni entered a relationship with American actress Linda Evans. They met in person in July that year, after Evans and her group of friends were listening to his music and wanted to call him to express their interest. As Evans was the most notable figure she was chosen to make the call; she invited Yanni to her home in Beverly Hills and the pair hit it off. Evans personally selected the track listing for Yanni's 1990 album Reflections of Passion, compiled of tracks from his previous releases and three new songs. Yanni then fulfilled a goal by performing live with an orchestra in June 1990, after a Dallas, Texas radio station invited him to play with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a benefit concert for an AIDS charity. He wished to have the show filmed and was willing to spend $40,000 for George Veras, producer of CBS Sports, to record it using ten cameras, but Private Music put an end to the plan. Despite the setback, the show received a positive review from a Dallas Times Herald critic who described it as "exhilarating, moving and inspiring", and took place time when public interest in contemporary instrumental music was rising.

Yanni received greater nationwide exposure following his November 1990 appearances with Evans in People magazine and The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which he performed on the piano. As a result, sales of Reflections of Passion tripled and the album reached Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) within a week of the broadcast, signifying 500,000 copies sold in the United States. A spokesperson for Private Music reasoned the sudden interest in Yanni down to his appeal in the female market. The album reached number one on the Billboard New Age Albums chart and, in early 1991, peaked at 29 on the Billboard 200. Yanni's newfound commercial success continued with his next studio album In Celebration of Life, released in November 1991, reaching number 60 on the Billboard 200.

His eighth studio album, Dare to Dream, was released in March 1992. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album. It included "Aria", a song based on Léo Delibes' "The Flower Duet" and popularized by an award-winning British Airways "Face" commercial. A second Grammy-nominated album, In My Time, followed in 1993.

1993–1998: International success, touring, and hiatus

Yanni's 1993 tour included a sell out show at the 2,000-year-old Herodes Atticus Theater at the Acropolis of Athens in Greece on September 23, his first concert in his home country. The concert, featuring his band and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Shahrdad Rohani, was broadcast live as a US television special on Public Broadcasting Service. It was released on CD, VHS, and LaserDisc as Live at the Acropolis (1994). Without financial backing, Yanni risked $2 million of his own money on its production in a strategy to boost his artistic profile and open new markets for his music. The resulting video was broadcast on PBS and became one of its most popular programs ever, seen in 65 countries by an estimated half a billion people. It became the second best selling concert film of all time after Michael Jackson's Thriller. It remains Yanni's highest selling album with 4 million certified units sold in the United States and an estimated 7 million sold worldwide. In the summer of 1995, Yanni ranked the fifth in the highest grossing touring act in the United States between Van Halen and Elton John.

In 1997, Yanni signed a record deal with Virgin Records. Following the Acropolis concert, Yanni made plans to perform elsewhere, including Table Mountain and Robben Island in Cape Town, and Teotihuacan, Mexico, but problems with staging a show at the sites, including delays obtaining permission, led him to cancel. On March 20 and 22, 1997, Yanni became one of the few Western artists permitted to perform and record at the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The process of staging the show began in January 1996, and was held in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of India's independence. The event cost almost $6 million of his own money, but was met with controversy after local farmers, who use the land of the concert's site, protested against it with threats of self-harm. After meeting the farmers, Yanni agreed to compensate for sacrificing their crop. In May 1997, Yanni toured China for shows in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing which included a show at the Forbidden City in the latter, the first Western artist in modern times permitted to perform at the historic site. These two events formed the live album and video, Tribute, released in November. The album features "Love is All", Yanni's first song written with lead vocals. To assist him in writing it, he called his former Chameleon bandmate Dugan McNeill and his wife Lynda, to write the lyrics.

In January 1998, Yanni ended his nine-year relationship with Evans and in the following month, expressed a wish to take some time off after his 1997–1998 world tour and spend time to himself. He continued the third leg of his tour, which included ten consecutive sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City that month, equalling Bette Midler's record run from 1993 with a combined 60,000 people in attendance. The leg was commercially successful, becoming the highest grossing North American act between January and July 1998 with $36.98 million across 92 shows.

The show near Toronto, Canada on July 5 was Yanni's last before a two-year hiatus; he had cancelled the remaining dates and was unsure for how long the break would be. The demands of the tour caused him to suffer from burnout which led to a period of depression. He returned to Greece and lived with his parents for three months, after which he spent time travelling "to see other people's ideas of life, get out of the American dream." He did not play a piano for a year. His return to music was sparked by his sister, who sent him around 70 letters from fans who expressed their gratitude for the role his music had in helping them.

1999–2010: Resuming career and touring

After a period of recuperation, Yanni returned to the United States in the summer of 1999 and dedicated his time building his new, state-of-the-art home studio. Upon completion, he entered the studio one night, "rolled the DAT machine, sat on the piano bench, closed my eyes, and let the music play in my head" for around five hours. The music he wrote during this time was released on If I Could Tell You, his first studio album in seven years. Released in October 2000 by Virgin, it sold 55,000 copies in its first week and landed at No. 20 on the Billboard charts, his highest debut to date. Yanni described the album as more of an even-tempered "listening" album, less dramatic than the live concert albums Live at the Acropolis or Tribute. He explained that he himself created all of the album's sounds, including apparent vocalizations, through the manipulation of sound in his studio.

The music in Yanni's 2003 album Ethnicity represented many of the world's cultures, Yanni saying it uses ethnicity to reflect the color and beauty of a multicultural society. On October 23, 2003, Yanni performed a keyboard instrumental version of The Star-Spangled Banner before Game 5 of the 2003 World Series.

For the first time in his career, Yanni brought vocalists to the forefront in the Ric Wake collaboration Yanni Voices, the artist's first studio album in six years. PBS broadcast video of a November 2008 Voices Acapulco concert weeks before the album's March 24, 2009 release by Walt Disney Records' Disney Pearl Imprint, the album release preceding a tour produced by Pearl's Buena Vista Concerts division.

The album Mexicanisimo, released in November 2010 during Mexico's bicentennial year, was a tribute to that country through Yanni's collaborative interpretation of its folk music. It involved collaboration with singer-songwriter Pepe Aguilar and singer-actress Lucero.

2011–present: Recent projects

Truth of Touch was released in February 2011, Yanni's first studio album of new material in eight years. Its varied style reflected contemporary instrumental, electronic, and cinematic influences, and crossed over into popular, new age, and world music. Though Yanni said that Truth of Touch was started by experimenting with new sound designs, Allmusic's James Christopher Monger said that the album shows Yanni returning to his instrumental roots, and should appeal to fans of his music from the mid-1990s. Three of fifteen tracks on the predominantly instrumental album included vocals from those featured on Yanni Voices.

In April 2012, Yanni released the Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico live album CD and DVD which were recorded and filmed at two outdoor concerts on December 16 and 17, 2011 on the grounds of the Castillo (Fort) San Felipe del Morro ("El Morro"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The recorded concerts were broadcast on PBS beginning in March 2012.

Yanni performed in China in the February 9, 2013, CCTV Spring Festival Gala with Chinese zither artist Chang Jing, in what was the first year that China Central Television had invited foreign artists to perform.

In March 2014, Yanni released his seventeenth studio album Inspirato, a collaboration with operatic tenor Plácido Domingo and producer Ric Wake that, like Yanni Voices, highlighted vocal performances. Inspirato distinguished operatic vocalists performed remakes of songs that Yanni had previously released over his career with the songs' titles and lyrics being predominantly in Italian.

Yanni wrote "Dream of the Hexi Corridor", the title song for the Chinese documentary Hexi Corridor.

On October 30 and 31, 2015, Yanni performed two concerts on the grounds of the Egyptian pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza, his first performance in Egypt. The concerts included fireworks and a video broadcast from International Space Station commander Scott Kelly, and were recorded in 4K HD for subsequent broadcast on PBS. To convey an image of stable security after the Egyptian Crisis (2011–14), an Egyptian security force of 3,000 people secured the concert area.

In December 2015, Yanni produced a song, "Seven Billion Dreams", for a NASA video that marked the 15th anniversary of the International Space Station.

In January 2016, Yanni released his eighteenth studio album, Sensuous Chill which, being built around synthesizers, programmed rhythms and electronic sounds, was said to "come full circle" to his albums of the late 1980s.

Yanni continues to perform in various capacities and venues worldwide.

Musical Influences

From childhood, Yanni accepted a wide variety of musical styles, listening to radio stations from Northern Africa, Arab countries, and Europe. He observed that "there were no rock stations or classical stations--each station would just play everything." Yanni's music has been said to reflect his encounters with cultures around the world and embody his philosophy of “one world, one people.” In this vein, Booth Newspapers' Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk perceived the eclectic inspirations of Yanni's music to be an element of his success: Yanni's "Middle Eastern and Oriental scales and mixed meters sound just exotic enough to entice his middle-of-the-road fans, but not so authentic as to mystify folks who grew up with a backbeat, so you can’t lose it," adding that certain songs "leave you with a sense that you’ve just heard a bit of a steel drum or a Greek bouzouki or a Japanese koto or possibly all three".

Yanni's musical influences include music from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as classical, rock and roll, and electronic music. Yanni explained that the 1970s, with its new technology and electronic instruments, were particularly influential at that stage in his career, and that even recently his Truth of Touch album (2011) was started by experimenting with new sound designs. Having been exposed to classical music very early in life—listening to Bach at age 8—he counts several classical pianists and composers among his influences, citing Beethoven as a favorite and Chopin as "No. 2 favorite." Yanni mentioned being influenced not only by classical composers like Mozart and Bach, but also rock and roll bands such as Led Zeppelin, the People!, and Black Sabbath.

Yanni explained that "the most influence I’ve ever had from music was doing (soundtracks for) movies, ... mostly instrumental music," mentioning his love for the work of Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. The Augusta Chronicle's Kelly Jasper noted that most of Yanni's music is instrumental, indicating that Yanni surmised that the lack of lyrics is what allowed his music to become popular internationally. Yanni went on to say, "There are no lyrics in my music for the most part, so the whole message is transmitted through the rhythm, melody, and sounds, and I think that has to do with crossing all the borders and being able to go to different countries". "It is very difficult, if not impossible, to lie with instrumental music because it deals in emotions only". He said lyrics "tend to put a song into a box".

However, Yanni performed with four vocalists in the forefront in Yanni Voices (2008-2009), and performed with two vocalists on tours (2010-2012) and in the Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico concerts (December 2011) and CD/DVD (2012). In late 2011 Yanni remarked that he tends to prefer instrumental music "because it's more open, but the human voice too can be the most expressive instrument known to man. There is power to it." Referring to his creative experiences on the 2009 Voices project, Yanni explained that "while most of the music I write is instrumental, I love to use the human voice as another instrument".

Music genres distinguished from the "new age" spiritual movement

While Yanni has said that new age is "a spiritual definition more than a musical definition", his music has been said to be "adopted by" the New Age movement as it gained mainstream momentum. His music is also called "contemporary instrumental" and has been described as "an instrumental blend of fusion-jazz, world music, classical, and soft rock." However, at least as early as 1988, Yanni was said to shun labels such as "Greek" and "new age," emphasizing that "when someone says new age music, I think of something that you put on in the background while you're vacuuming the house. I don't want to relax the audience; I want to engage them in the music, get them interested." Distinguishing his work from what others have called ambient mood music, Yanni pointed out in 1994: "New age implies a more subdued, more relaxed music than what I do. My music can be very rhythmic, very energetic, even very ethnic".

In 2012, Yanni remarked that he has never liked putting art into categories or assigning labels, adding that he always composed music "to honestly reflect the lessons learned and the experiences I have shared throughout my life." For example, Yanni's university study of psychology influenced his music: “When I create music, it is a reflection of my soul, my experiences in life and my relationships with other people and cultures. Psychology, and understanding who we are as people in this world, is present in almost every creative thought I have."

Unconventional career track

The genre of Yanni's music made it unsuitable for most commercial radio or for music television. In 2012 Yanni expressed the importance of PBS to his career, saying that the network "always allowed me to present my music without any censorship or influence, and encouraged me to be the artist that I am," and had been "a great part of my career for over 20 years".

Yanni took an unconventional path to recognition, for example, by risking his personal fortune to fund historic-monument events such as his 1993 Acropolis concerts, by producing specials on public television, by creating alone in his home-built studio, and by performing many of his own production duties—thus by-passing the conventional music industry. In 2000, The Washington Post's David Segal wrote that Yanni was "a living metaphor for 'success on your own terms,' the dream of every American with an idea that is either ridiculed or ignored."

Music

In 1995, The Los Angeles Times' Don Heckman wrote that Yanni's music is "based on sweeping romantic melodies underscored with energetic Mediterranean rhythms." More analytically, the Hartford Courant's Steve Metcalf "deconstructed" Yanni's music as being "from a harmonic standpoint, constructed of materials found in a lot of late-19th, early 20th century classical music. It is essentially tonal, tinged with mild whiffs of dissonance here and there, sometimes rhythmically frisky, graspable on first listening, and self-evidently mood-inducing. There are two basic moods to Yanni music: struttingly heroic with martial overtones, and dreamily contemplative. ... A kind of peaceful, easy-feeling link between pop music and classical music".

More recently, Allmusic's Mark Deming characterized Yanni's compositions and performances as having "a pronounced sense of drama, dynamics, and romanticism," writing that Yanni has a "commanding performance style." Rob Garratt wrote in The National that Yanni "breaks all the rules" in producing music "typically in two modes – poundingly heroic or reflectively ambient". In 2012 Howie Grapek remarked in The Palm Beach Post's PBPulse that "there are few modern-day composers with a unique sense of music and style which is truly their own. To compare new-age music with classic rock is a stretch, but for Yanni, it is possible. This Greek composer marries contemporary new-age spirituality with today’s pop attitudes and delivers a unique sound." Yanni popularized the combination of electronic music synthesizers with a full scale symphony orchestra.

Having been called a "true global artist", Yanni has employed musicians of various nationalities, and has incorporated a variety of exotic instruments from around the world from an Australian didgeridoo to a Peruvian charango, to perform with his classical orchestra, rock rhythm section, and electronic keyboards. His music has been described as "an eclectic fusion of ethnic sounds, from Native American chants to African rhythms and Asian harmonies."

The Morning Call's John L. Moser wrote that "trends come and trends go," but that Yanni's music "seems to defy trends and ... feels like it's music for all time". Moser interviewed the composer, asking if he intentionally tries to create "something that’s going to last forever as opposed to something that’s just going to sell 1 million copies right away," Yanni replied that "There's no way you can create art to last forever... so you can't have that in your mind." Instead, describing his creative process, Yanni explained that his knowledge of music and instruments and his experience in different cultures is a "primordial soup that comes together and it shows itself and it appears. And it's fluid. It's effortless."

Yanni's popularity with the public and his success on public television have contrasted sharply with views of some critics. The more extreme criticisms have been paraphrased as characterizing Yanni as a "no-talent poseur" whose music has little intellectual weight, while his fans' opinions have been paraphrased as calling Yanni a "highly original artist whose profound spirituality has created a unique kind of music".

Yanni claims to have had perfect pitch since childhood. He continues to use the "musical shorthand" that he developed as a child rather than employing traditional musical notation, and hires someone to perform the tedious process of making conventional written charts for orchestra members. Even so, since music is an auditory domain, Yanni must train the musicians in what cannot be conveyed in that writing.

Concerts

The Palm Beach Post's Howie Grapek remarked about an April 2012 performance that the show was not a one-man keyboard show, but spotlighted individual long solos showcasing the band members' talents, and that Yanni "loves giving them the opportunity to shine individually." Booth Newspapers' Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk commented that Yanni "has great sidemen – always has."

Yanni's concerts, known for their lighting and other technical aspects, require over 2,000 timing cues for a show's lighting. Yanni's longtime lighting designer remarked in 2013 that the lighting is critically timed to Yanni's music itself, accommodating its variety of time signatures, further observing that since Yanni plays mostly theatrical venues rather than arenas, the lighting can include subtle moves and color. The lighting also emphasizes band members' solos, as well as specific moments in the concerts.

Commenting on Yanni's "great lighting" on the stage and "plenty of reverb in the audience," Booth Newspapers' Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk remarked that a Yanni concert "can be an intoxicating experience."

In 2017, Yanni began his An Evening in Conversation with Yanni tour in which audience questions guide the show and Yanni plays a piano without a band.

Honors, awards and distinctions

In addition to performing at historic venues such as Royal Albert Hall (London; 1995 & 2014), Yanni has been permitted to perform at such world landmarks as the Acropolis of Athens (Greece; 1993), the Taj Mahal (Agra, India; 1997), the Forbidden City (Beijing, China; 1997), the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 2011), the Kremlin (Moscow, Russia; 2011), the Castillo San Felipe del Morro (UNESCO World Heritage Site, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, U.S. territory; 2011), the ancient city of Byblos (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Lebanon; 2013), the Roman Theatre of Carthage (Tunis, Tunisia; 2014), Laxmi Vilas Palace (Vadodara, India; 2015), the Egyptian pyramids and Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt, 2015), and the Amman Citadel (Jordan, 2016).

Rising in popularity with the new age music boom of the 1980s and 1990s, Yanni's music became more well known through adult alternative radio airplay, appearances on public television and in television commercials, as well as international music tours. Yanni's music has been used in television shows and televised sporting events, including the Super Bowl, Wide World of Sports, U.S. Open tennis championships, the U.S. Open (golf), the Tour de France, the World Figure Skating Championships and the Olympic Games. He also wrote music for ABC's World News Now.

Yanni's "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" was determined to have the "Mozart effect" by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine because the composition is similar to Mozart's K 448 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability, characteristics thought to decrease seizure activity and to enhance spatial-temporal performance.

During Yanni's October 2011 tour of China, Yanni became the first Western artist to be invited to adopt a giant panda (bear) cub at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, a "privilege... usually reserved for countries rather than personalities". Officials invited him to adopt the animal, saying their decision was made from the inspiration and harmony that derives from his music. Yanni named the panda Santorini, also the name of a Greek island, explaining that the Greek word irini means "peace".

Billboard named Yanni the sixth best selling new age artist of 2014. He was named to the same list in 2012 (ranked No. 5), 2011 (No. 1), 2010 (No. 4), 2009 (No. 3), 2007 (No. 4), and 2006 (No. 4).

Dare to Dream (1992) and In My Time (1993) received Grammy Award nominations for Best New Age Album".

Live at the Acropolis and Tribute received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries, Movie or Special, in 1994 and 1998, respectively.

Sixteen of Yanni's albums have peaked at No. 1 in Billboard's "Top New Age Album" category, the third highest behind Jim Brickman and Mannheim Steamroller.

Yanni received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Minnesota on May 6, 2004.

Charitable and humanitarian activities

Yanni has had a collaborative relationship with PBS in its fundraising efforts since the early years of his career, reportedly raising more than $13 million for the organization. Yanni Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico is Yanni's tenth collaboration with PBS.

Yanni has assisted the conservation efforts of the World Wide Fund for Nature (the World Wildlife Fund, WWF), sponsoring a symbolic Panda Adoption Kit program in which he guaranteed $50,000 in donations.

Yanni has performed concerts in troubled areas of the world, such as in Tunisia one week after the July 17, 2014 terrorist attack that killed 14, and in Egypt to convey an image of stable security after the Egyptian Crisis (2011–14) but between whose two Great Pyramids concerts occurred the October 31, 2015 terrorist downing of Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai Peninsula.

Autobiography

Yanni's autobiography, Yanni in Words, co-authored by David Rensin, was released in February 2003, coinciding with the release of Ethnicity. The book entered the New York Times best seller in the non-fiction category at number 14.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums