Welcome
May 1st, 20122012
News for May,
Dear Friends,
Just a quick note about some things I am up to this month you might be interested in:
Tune in to BBC Radio 3 on Friday the 11th May at 11pm, for live music and an interview of ‘Paprika’ with Mary Ann Kennedy for the World Music program ‘World on 3’. I appeared as a guest singer with ‘Paprika’ on their recent CD and will be joining them in the studio to sing some Balkan tunes. Click here for more details.
I am looking forward to being back at the British Museum for a concert for their exiting new exhibition on the Arabian Horse. I will be performing my own compositions as well as Arabic Classics with: Soufian Saihi (oud), Ruth Goller (double bass) and Vasilis Sarikis (percussion). This is a member’s only night on Monday the 28th of May, starting at 6.15pm. For more info click here.
The Youth Music Project I am running at Whitefeild School with the support and funding of ‘BBC Children in Need’, is getting close to the final stages of recording an album. The group have learnt a repertoire of songs and soon this month we will take their fresh new arrangements into the studio for recording.
I had some exciting recording sessions last month including working at Intimate Studios with Nick Page and recording nay parts for a Pampers TV advert to be released in the Middle East, commissioned by Attab Haddad.
Have a Happy Month of May! (or as we say in Greece: Kalo Mina!)
Kalia
News for April
Dear Friends,
I hope Spring finds you with a fresh new outlook and re-energized from the dark winter months. I am certainly overcome by the chorus of birds outside my window every morning and the new flowers blossoming every day, as this year is the first time I’ve been in London and had a garden! Though London is a great place to live and work, what is a buzz can soon become a burden if you don’t escape frequently enough. I’m going to have a great escape to New York this month to give a little ‘spring cleaning’ to mind and soul. I’m looking forward to meeting some friends in the Big Apple and starting some new collaborations with members of the New York Arab Orchestra, click here for more details on their work.
I’m very happy to have started a new youth music project funded and supported by ‘BBC Children in Need’ (click here). The aim of the project is to record a CD with a group of young children. I am teaching a group of teenage children at Whitefeild School the basics of composing, arranging, recording and producing a CD. We have had our first three sessions this month and the group is looking very promising! We have a short performance coming up at Middlesex University, on the 19th of April, 6-8.30pm, along with other groups that have received part of the same arts grant.
I also wanted to bring to your attention the fact that last month Greece lost one of its national treasures – Domna Samiou. I have included a eulogy for this fantastic woman who devoted her life to Greek Folk Music:
Domna Samiou passed away on Saturday the 10th of March, aged 84. She was the mother of Greek Folk Music and her voice will be dearly missed. She inspired many of the younger generation of Greek musicians such as myself to learn and transmit Greek Folk Music. Through her work she ensured the continuation of a dying oral tradition, by transcribing and recording thousands of songs and creating a library of music. Her interpretation was pure, strong and vibrant. She was a powerful and persevering woman with a cause she lived for till the end. She sought detail and authenticity and sang with the integrity these songs deserve. It is through her recordings that I have learnt songs which I would not have otherwise come across. Those of us involved in Greek Folk Music owe much to her. She was the last surviving female folk singer of her generation, and there will never be another like her. May her memory live on and may she continue to inspire future generations through her recordings. Domna you will be truly missed.
Click here for Domna Samiou’s website or here for a YouTube link.
Happy Easter to all that are celebrating!
News for March
Dear Friends
Here’s a quick update of my activities this month:
Next week I will be touring York with ‘Dunya Duo’ for a series of concerts in hospitals and day-care centres organised by Live Music Now.
On the 9th March I’ll be playing nay with Natacha Atlas’s band for a concert in Cherbourg, France. It will be part of the Festival Femmes dans la Ville 2012 at the Theatre l’Italienne at 8.30pm.
At the end of the month, on the 31st March, I will be leading a second round of workshops on Middle Eastern Music at the British Museum as part of their new exhibition on ‘Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam’. The first of these sessions was much enjoyed by the children as they take part in a wide range of activities and then get to sleepover at the museum amongst the exhibits once they are too tired for more! The event starts from 6.15pm till 9am the next morning, and costs £32.50.
Check out some new videos I uploaded onto YouTube this month from a concert I did with my group at the Green Note in London, in October 2012:
Happy Nowruz to those of you that are celebrating, and if you aren’t, I hope Spring brings you many fresh ideas and newfound energy!
News for February
Dear Friends,
I’m starting of the month with a concert on the 1st of February at Leeds College of Music. Vasilis Sarikis and I are performing our project ‘Dunya Duo’ as part of the Leeds International Concert Season. Those of you up North that would like to join us, come to this freebie at The Venue, Leeds College of Music, 3 Quarry Hill, LS2 7PD for a 1pm start. For more info click here.
I’m looking forward to working with kids on the 4th of February at the British Museum, as part of their new exhibition on ‘Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam’. Those of you looking for fun children’s activities in London, this is guaranteed to be a memorable one, as children get to sleepover at the museum amongst the exhibits! The event starts from 6.15pm till 9am the next morning, and costs £32.50. I will be delivering 4 workshops on Middle Eastern Music and there will be a full range of other activities as well. (The Sleepover will be repeated on 31st of March as well). Details can be found here.
That’s all for this month, and I’ll keep you posted with any further updates. Thank you again for your interest in my work. You inspire me to be all the more creative!
News for January
Dear Friends,
I hope that 2012 is a year full of health, happiness and creativity for all of you! I have had a really inspiring time in Crete over the holiday season and now I’m back in London planning lots of new concerts and projects for the New Year. The first concert will be a collaboration with various world music artists including Kuljit Bhamra (Indian tablas), Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian (Armenian Harp), Rafael (flamenco guitar), Demi Garcia Sabat (percussion) and myself on nay and flute. In December I did a nay session with Kuljit at his ‘Red Fort Studios’ where he recorded ‘The Path of Pearls’, composed by Julene Siddique. This time we will be playing together for this concert he is organising in Coventry at the Warwick Arts Centre, CV4 7AL, on Sunday the 22nd of January at 7pm.
I also uploaded some videos on YouTube of a new project I’ve been involved in with Kit Downes (piano), Ruth Goller (bass) and Vasilis Sarikis (percussion) and myself on nay. We’ve been writing our own compositions based on Middle Eastern music and jazz. Click to watch: video 1, video 2, video 3. I’ll be in touch with further events throughout the year. Happy New Year!
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2011
News for December
Dear Friends,
I hope you are all enjoying the winter holiday festivities! In line with all the celebrations this month, I will be doing various function performances that are unfortunately not open to the public. I will be playing at the Switch in London with Arabic fusion group Syriana on the 12th of December and I will be singing some Women’s Songs from the Mediterranean and Middle East at a charity event for Afghan Women in Iran taking place at Kensington Library on Wednesday the 15th of December.
I have plans to spend the holiday season in my village Pahia Ammo in Crete, where I find the tranquillity and inspiration needed to work on new repertoire, transcribe some pieces I’ve been listening to, practise and make plans for the year ahead. Spending time with my family and absorbing the beauty of the Cretan landscape is essential for keeping the balance for a hard working year ahead!
I hope you all have the opportunity to take a break, weather you are celebrating or not. The drop in temperatures, the shorter days, all call for a winding down and settling. May your days be merry and bright!
News for November
Dear Friends,
I hope you have had a good start for this month with its thrilling bonfire nights and fireworks. Growing up in Greece I used to associate these sounds with Greek Orthodox Easter, but since coming to London the sound of crackling, banging and popping seem to be the music signalling Autumn. This month will also be one full of music for me, with three great performances in the last week. Here are some ‘cracker’ events for you, with music that will send you rocketing sky high!
For those of you based in Shropshire, do come and hear ‘Dunya Duo’ performing in Shrewsbury at St.Mary’s Church, SW1 1EG. Vasilis Sarikis (percussion) and I (voice, nay) will be presenting music from the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as part of the Shropshire Music Series on Monday the 21st of November at 1pm. Tickets are £5/2.50 and can be bought in advance here
Syriana are back in London for two performances in November, this time at the legendary MOMO’s restaurant in Picadilly Circus (W1B 4BH) on the 23rd and 24th. Our Arabic fusion group signed by Real World Records (Peter Gabriel) will perform an acoustic set of music from the album ‘The Road to Damascus’. The line up will be Nick Page (electric guitar), Nizar al Issa (oud), Bernard O’Neill (double bass), Sharif (percussion), Vasilis Sarikis (percussion) and myself on flute and nay. Entrance is by reservation only, so click here to book.
As 2011 is gradually coming to an end, I hope this month is a time for you to harvest and gather together all the benefits of the work you planted this year.
News for October
Dear Friends, This month I have two exciting concerts taking place. The first is a concert with music from the film ‘Rebetiko’ by Costa Ferris, with Pavlos Carvallo on bouzouki, Kostas Vorros on guitar and myself singing. This film is considered a masterpiece for Greek Rebetiko music and all the songs which were composed by Stavros Xarhakos went on to become ‘anthems’ since it was produced. Come and join us at the Green Note on Sunday the 2nd of October at 2.30pm. Click here for more info on this proejct. Later on in the month I will present a personal project of mine, with some of my own compositions and music I have learnt through my travels and studies across the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Joining me will be Vasilis Sarikis on frame-drums (Natasha Atlas, Shekoyokh) Nikos Baimpas on kanoun (Estoudiandina), and Ruth Goller on double bass (Acoustic Ladyland). Be the first to hear this fresh project at the Green Note on Friday the 21st of October. Doors will open at 7pm and music will start at 9pm, more details here. Make a saving with advance tickets at £8 which you can purchase here or £10 at the door. On Friday 25th of the month I will be performing music for the book launch with Victoria Hislop. Award winning British author Victoria Hislop, will present her new book ‘The Thread’ at the London Hellenic Centre. After her No.1 UK Best seller ‘The Island’, which was made into a mini-series on Greek Television, she returns with a new story of love, loyalty and family set against the turbulent history of Thessaloniki. Joining me will be Nikos Baimpas (kanoun) and Vasilis Sarikis (percussion). This event is by invite only, but if you’d like to find out more about Victoria’s inspiring work, click here. I am very happy to be performing music from Crete, where I am from, with Theo Lais playing the traditional Cretan laouto, Georgre Arestis on the lyra (Cretan fiddle) and myself singing. Join us for some food and dance at Mythopolis, 277 City Road, EC1V 1LA, Thursday 27th of October, music starts at 9pm, tickets £5 on the door. I hope you all have a good month and maybe see you at one of the gigs!News for September Dear Friends, September always gives me a sense of new beginnings. Since going to school I have been left with that feeling of making a fresh start every September. This month is in fact a fresh start with two new projects that have been growing over the summer. The first is the Rebet Asker project with Pavlos Carvallo (bouzouki), Kostas Vorros (guitar) and myself on vocals, singing Rebetika, the so called ‘Greek Blues’. Our first performance will be at the Green Note on Tuesday 20th of September at 9pm. Click here for more info on this project. The second project is a quartet with Kit Downes (piano), Ruth Goller (bass), Vasilis Sarikis (percussion) and myself on nay. We will be opening a mini-festival ‘Celebrating 5 Years of Jazz at the Green Note’ on Sunday 25th September at 9pm. Joining us that evening will be Kairos 4Tet and a jam session lead by Sam Crow Trio. Grab some £10 tickets in advance here . Apart from concerts I have new times available for taking on students this academic term and am making a special offer just for September by giving a free introductory lessons on flute or recorder to any new students. I’d like to wish a good start to all of you that are studying, and for the rest of us, New Year isn’t the only time to make resolutions…! News for August Dear Friends, August is one of my favourite months of the year and I’m so pleased to be spending it in Edinburgh and Crete this year. Vasilis Sarikis and I will be performing two concerts at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of our project Dunya Duo. We have the honour to open the festival series at the National Museum of Scotland on Saturday 6th of August at 12.45pm and again on Monday 8th of August at 12.45pm. Come and join us if you are there for the festival! Click here for details of the full line up. Summer would not be complete if I was not in Crete, in my village of Pahia Ammo. I will be there to do some swimming, spear-fishing and to just lie on the beach under the stars! I will also spend a week at the village of Houdetsi to study composition with Ross Daly. Ross is one of the musicians who has influenced and inspired me the most, so I am really looking forward to studying by his side. Click here for more details about his work. By the end of the month I should be revived and back for lots of good concerts and projects planned for autumn! I hope that you all have a wonderful summer. Enjoy your holidays if you are having them, and if not, then let the music transport you! .