Born into a musical family in Larnaca, he began piano and violin lessons with his father, a distinguished conductor and violinist.
He gave his first concert at the age of six, performed Haydn's Concerto in D at eight and when only twelve he conducted seven complete performances of Verdi's La Traviata, including soloists from La Scala, Milan.
At the age of sixteen he won the Franz Liszt Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with the highest honours, after which he completed his studies in Vienna.
In 2006 he recorded the complete piano works of Mozart, at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, on 12 CDs.
In 2010 this culminated in a series of 12 concerts at Kings Place, London, where Tirimo was joined by Polish musicians including Iwona Sobotka (soprano) and the Silesian String Quartet for a survey of Chopin's entire output.