On Wednesday 3 April 2024, at The Shoe Factory, Nicosia / 8:30 pm, the Pharos Arts Foundation in collaboration with the Institut français de Chypre present a unique evening of sacred and magnificently mystical music.
Under the direction of the renowned Kudsi Erguner (ney), the Sacred Melodies of Cyprus project was born out of the deep need to manifest the richness of the common musical elements between the Byzantine and the Sufi music traditions, which are an integral part of Cyprus’ historic musical landscape.
Kudsi Erguner, joining forces with Giannis Koutis (ud & voice), will present the Byzantine music that has been practised for centuries and heard all over the churches in Cyprus, as well as the Sufi music from the ceremonies of the whirling dervishes of Nicosia, which were mainly practised at the historical Mevlevi-Hane, built in 1593 in the heart of the city. The performance will also feature Nikos Andrikos (lavta & voice).
The works of significant composers of Byzantine Music such as Ioannis Koukouzelis (1280- 1360), Petros Mpereketis (1680-1715), Petros Lampadarios (1733-1777) and the Cypriot Ieronimos (16th century), will be integrated in the most natural way with the Sufi music echoing from the Mevlevi-Hane, composed by great masters such as Osman Dede (1652- 1729), Ismail Dede Efendi (1778-1846) and Zekai Dede (1825-1897). A blend that will yield nothing short of an unparalleled artistic outcome. Employing Makams, Modal Music, or Echoes as a common musical language, the Sacred Melodies of Cyprus project aims at reminiscing the sounds through which the Greek and Turkish populations of the island have been expressing their deepest feelings for centuries.
KUDSI ERGUNER ney
The leading Ney flute master Kudsi Erguner is renowned for introducing and endorsing Sufi music to the world, boasting an extensive volume of internationally acclaimed projects and recordings. He currently lives and works in Paris as a musician, composer, musicologist, educator, and author. Alongside his concert performances all over the world, he teaches Modal Music at the Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, while he maintains a yearly master-class series at the Cini Foundation in Venice. Erguner is a Goodwill Ambassador & Artist For Peace UNESCO.
GIANNIS KOUTIS ud & voice
Giannis Koutis studied extensively the art of Oud and received his diploma in Byzantine Ecclesiastical Music from The National Conservatory of Athens. He received his degree in Classical Guitar, and completed his Master studies at the Codarts Conservatory for the Arts in Rotterdam, where he studied under Kudsi Erguner. He has performed in numerous concerts and music festivals around the world, both as a soloist and as a composer. He is currently based in Cyprus, working as a musician and composer, while he continues his longstanding research on the Monasteries’ unpublished Byzantine Music Manuscripts.
NIKOS ANDRIKOS lavta & voice
Nikos Andrikos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music Studies of the University of Ioannina. He lived in Istanbul from 2004 to 2007, working as a chanter in the first choir of the Ecumenical Patriarchate next to Archon Protopsaltis Leonidas Asteris. He has released three albums including his own compositions, which belong to the tradition of Ottoman music in terms of form, style, and melodic-modal behavior. His scientific interests are related to the compositional production in the field of Ecclesiastical and secular-urban music of the late-Ottoman period, as well as the idiomatic-oral dimension of the aforementioned genres. As a musician (lavta, saz, tanbur, vocal) he has given numerous concerts in Greece and abroad.
INFORMATION & BOX OFFICE:
www.pharosartsfoundation.org & Tel. 22-663871 (Monday – Friday 10:00am-2:00pm)
Tickets: €20 / €15 Concessions & members of the Pharos Arts Foundation
