Participating Musicians



Christos Tsiamoulis, oud / ney / sazi / vocal

Katerina Papadopoulou, vocal

Sokratis Sinopoulos, cretan, pontian and politiki lyra, laouto 

Panos Dimitrakopoulos, kanonaki

Kiriakos Petras, violin

Kostas Meratakis, percussion

Giorgos Kotsinis, clarinet

Andreas Katsiyannis, santouri (dulcimer)

Dimos Vougioukas, accordion

Vaggelis Maheras, guitar / laouto / bouzouki

Christos Tsiamoulis, oud / ney / vocals

Christos Tsiamoulis was born in Athens in 1961, and studied guitar and music theory at the National Odeion (Conservatory). From 1980 on, he focused on the study of Greek traditional musical forms and instruments, like the oud, the politico (Constantinopolitan) and steriano (mainland) laoúto, the tambourás, the polítiki lýra, the kementsés, and others. He received his diploma in Byzantine music from Lycourgo Angelopoulo, and since 1985 he has been teaching in major schools and institutions, such as the Odeion Skalkota, the Gouladris-Horn Foundation and the Museum of Folk and Popular Instruments. With the founding of the troupe "Dynameis tou Aigaíou" in 1985 he set out on a creative course that was mindful of ancient traditions but also of new trends in contemporary Greek song, participating in many concerts and recordings in Greece and Europe, in collaboration with major Greek artists, such as Simonas Karras, M. Hatzidakis, D. Savvopoulos, G. Markopoulos, C. Aidonidis, D. Samiou, N. Saragoudas, Mario, S. Giannatou, A. Ioannidis and others. His discography includes: Dynameis tou Aigaiou, 1985; Anatoliko Parathyro, 1989; Erotokastro, 1994; Mousikes tis Ionikis Gis, 1996; Tragoudia kai skopoi tou Pontou, 1998. He has written music for theater and film, and has published a book /collection titled "Romioi Synthetes Tis Polis (Greek Composers of Constantinople) from the 17th to the 20th Century", Domos Publishers.

Sokratis Sinopoulos, politiki lyra

Sinopoulos was born in Athens in 1974. He studied classical guitar with B. Gratsounas and theory of western music with M. Adami, while taking lessons in Byzantine music and demotic (folk) song, initially at S. Karas' school and then at I. Tsiamoulis' where he sang with the school's children's choir. In 1988 he started studying kementsé and polítiko laoúto with Ross Daly and a year later he joined his group "Lavyrinthos". In 1990 he represented Greece in a world conference of young musicians (JMF - Jeunesse Musiqual de France) in Paris. In the last ten years he has collaborated with composers, musicians and singers in various genres, from demotic song to jazz, participating in countless recordings and helping re-introduce the kementsé in Greek music. He has worked extensively with musicians and groups outside of Greece, such as Bustan Abraham (Israel), Amina Alaoui (Marocco-France), Suleyman Erguner (Turkey), Keyvan & Bijan Chemirani (Iran-France), Musica Ricercata (Italy), among others. He was recently honored with the Melina Mercouri national award for young artists. He is a graduate of the Department of Music Studies at the University of Athens, and under a grant from the Onassis Foundation he is completing his dissertation on "The theory and application of 'makam' in the scholarly musical tradition of Constantinople".

Panagiotis Dimitrakopoulos, kanonaki

Panos was born in Aigio, Peloponnese, in 1973. He's been playing kanonáki since he was 1 year old. He has collaborated with major Greek folk musicians (Domna Samiou, Chronis Aidonidis, N. Saragoudas) as well as with leading pop singers (Dalaras, Arvanitaki, Xydakis). He also actively participates in groups that specialize in the music of Eastern Mediterranean. He has taken part in numerous concerts in Greece and abroad and in various recordings and broadcasts for Greek radio and television. In recent years he has been teaching kanonáki at the National Conservatory (Odeíon) in Athens.