As part of the initiative to revive the village of Vamvakou with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), Vamvakou Revival and the Greek National Opera (GNO) have joined forces to create a small “hive” of arts and culture in Vamvakou! The Oros Ensemble, made up of young musicians who live and work in Greece and abroad, has taken up residence in the village of Vamvakou until May 2020.

The musical ensemble will live in the village with the aim of creating, studying, and sharing music. The effort focuses on promoting active coexistence, fostering the artistic growth of the musicians, and reinforcing the cultural identity of the village and the wider area. The final concert, presenting the work of the new ensemble, will take place on May 15, 2020, as part of a big event in the village. But in the coming months, music will be a constant presence there, through the ensemble’s open rehearsals, through scheduled solo concerts by individual members of the ensemble, or through extraordinary musical gatherings held from time to time.

The first concert will take place on Saturday, February 22, 2020, in the Vamvakou school. We’ll meet ensemble member Konstantinos Zingeridis, who will present a musical program ranging from baroque to tango to contemporary music. Playing the bayan, an accordion, and the bandoneon, a concertina, he’ll bring us sounds that we rarely get the chance to hear. Baroque music opens up a dialogue with modern Greece, and melodies from children’s songs from the Russian steppes embark on a journey that reaches all the way to the tango in Argentina. The concert will present works by J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Vladislav Zolotaryov, Anselmo Aieta, Apostolis Koutsogiannis.

Oros Ensemble members:

Konstantinos Zingeridis – Accordion; Dimitris Karagiannakidis – Cello; Apostolis Koutsogiannis – Composition, Recorder, Artistic Direction; Irene Krikoni – Violin; Giorgos Madikas – Percussion; Antonis Tsachtanis – Clarinet

For more information visit www.vamvakourevival.org