Yannis Zacharellis was born in Athens in 1978.
He obtained a guitar diploma from the National Conservatory of Athens in 2004, with professor Irene Konsta, with a unanimous grade of Excellent and First Prize.
In 2006, he won First Prize in the Panhellenic Guitar Competition organized by the Youth Choir and Orchestra.
In 2010 and 2021, he obtained his degrees in harmony and counterpoint respectively.
He has attended vocal and choir conducting courses.

He has participated as a performer and listener in various seminars with musicians from Greece and abroad: George Hatzinikos, Roland Dyens, Oscar Ghiglia, David Grimes, Hubert Kappel, Royal College of music and drama of Scotland, Pavel Steidl, George Mouloudakis.
He has written music for school performances, documentaries, advertising, medium-length films, fairy tales, theater and educational magazines.

In January 2013, the album “Whistling on the Road” was released with his own compositions for solo guitar. In the summer of 2016, the book was also published by Cambia Publications.

He is a member of the “Echovolli Group” where they present arrangements of traditional and art songs and has given various concerts throughout Greece (Athens, Arta, Naxos, Evia, Southern Italy). He has created the group “Mousiki Valitsa”, presenting mainly his own music and songs, as well as arrangements from the Greek and international repertoire. The group has appeared in various music scenes and art venues in Athens.

In September 2022, his first album “That which remains in the end” was released with his own songs. In February 2025, his book, “Orchestra in six strings” was published by Philippos Nakas Publications. It is a selected collection of arranged pieces for an ensemble of 3 to 6 guitars. He has been teaching classical guitar since 2007, at the music school of the municipality of Dionysos. He is the founder of its Guitar Orchestra, “Hordeles”, where he also conducts it.