Item details
Date
March 17, 2024 2:00PM
Description
VBGIGS (globally inspired gatherings): Mediterranean Blues featuring Melos
Sunday, March 17th at 2pm
Simon Family Jewish Community Center - 5000 Corporate Woods Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Spyros Koliavasilis and his protégé, Nicholas Mitrione, perform together in the duo known as Melos, meaning melody in Greek. This free, family-friendly concert features Rebetiko music, sometimes referred to as the Greek Blues. Started by people known as Rebetis – the marginalized communities, such as refugees and the urban working class of the 1920s and 1930s, it captures the feelings of oppression, despair, hope, and love, like no other music. Rebetiko is now a Greek national treasure –recognized and protected by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage to Humanity and in the last 40 years it has become more famous and well-known all over the world with Greek and non-Greek musicians. Honoring the repertoire of the iconic Jewish Greek Rebetiko singers, Melos performs many Rebetiko classics sung and recorded by Istanbul-born, Jewish singer and dancer, Roza Eskinazi-- who later moved to Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece and became an icon, synonymous with Rebetiko music. Other Jewish-origin Rebetiko singers, such as Stella Haskil, were also prominent and synonymous with this musical genre. It is a passionate music which unified strangers, people of different religions and countries, all together looking for better life at the crossroads of the world, it still resonates with listeners today.
Spyros and Nicholas perform on the Laouto-guitar and Bouzouki. Rebetiko is typically performed with the pairing of a Bouzouki and Guitar and on occasion, a Bouzouki and Laouto. Spyros is probably the only musician that performs Rebetiko with a
customized, hybrid Laouto-guitar in the manouche style – a cross between a Mandocello and Laouto. Spyro prefers this unique instrument for the better harmony and richer tones he achieves with it. To honor the repertoire of the iconic Jewish Greek Rebetiko singers, Melos performs many Rebetiko classics sung and recorded by Istanbul-born, Jewish singer and dancer, Roza Eskinazi-- who later moved to Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece and became synonymous with Rebetiko music. Other Jewish-origin Rebetiko singers, such as Stella Haskil, were also prominent and synonymous with this musical genre.
Melos duo will perform a selection of songs and present a meet and greet in the Fleder Multipurpose Room.
The City of Virginia Beach would like to thank the Greek Embassy of Washington D.C. for their assistance.
The program is presented in partnership with the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
About Spyros Koliavasilis
Spyros Koliavasilis is a gifted vocalist and multi-instrumentalist performer, teacher, and luthier. He is a recognized expert in traditional Greek music with a passion for music that extends to other genres, such as ethno-jazz and other types of world music. His true passion, however, is Rebetiko and Asia Minor/Smyrneika music, and his research focuses on the music of the Asia Minor region (“Mikrasia”) and Greek composers and singers of the past. Born in Attiki, Greece, he started his music career playing oboe and bassoon before discovering his love for the Oud, Cappadocian Lyre, and a wide range of other fretted and fretless instruments. He is expert in Makam Theory and modular scales and plays music from his areas of expertise, original arrangements, and teaches and performs improvisations of Greek traditional music, known as Taksimi. He plays more than 20 instruments, including Oud, Bouzouki, Saz,Lyra, Kemane (Cappadocian Lyra), Laouto, Lavta, Cumbus, and Baglama.
After moving to the United States where he has lived for the past 15 years, Spyros has become recognized as a Master of Greek Traditional music and has received many awards, honors, and recognition over the years, including two
Maryland State Arts Council Apprenticeship Awards and recognition as a Master of Greek Musical Traditions. He performs regularly at the Washington Folklife Festival and other venues in the Washington DC Metropolitan area. He also has performed for organizations such as the Greek Archdiocese of North America for commemorative events, and Washington DC area cultural and philanthropic organizations, the Embassies of Greece, Cyprus, and the EU, the University of Maryland, and the US Library of Congress. He has many music projects going on at any one time, including Rebetiko duet Melos, Rebetiko band Mortes, Greek traditional music band Karpouzi Trio, Greek-Turkish Rebetiko group DC Café Aman, ethno-jazz group Trela, Oud trio TriOud, and new projects are always in development. Spyros is passionate about keeping traditions alive for the coming generations and has taught for 20 years, “passing the tradition” of Greek traditional music as well as Eastern Makam system to hundreds of students. He teaches singing/canto and provides instruction on than 20 instruments, including the Greek, Iraqi, and Syrian Oud, Cappadocian Lyre (Kemane), Cretan Lyra, Cretan mandolin, Cretan laouto, Cumbus, Electric Balagma Saz, Greek Baglama, Greek Bouzouki, Greek tzoura, Greek mainland Laouto, Lavta (Constantinopolitan Lute), Mandola, Mandolin, Mandocello, Pontian Lyra, Romanian Cobza, Saz, Viola de gamba fretless, and many more in his
Germantown, MD studio. He also restores and modifies traditional and old instruments and has a particular passion for modifying new, modern instruments to customize them for the needs of each player, whether playing modern or traditional music.
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