En Chordais Ensemble
Artistic Director　Kyriakos Kalaitzides

With the East Mediterranean's numerous cultural influences, among them Greek-Byzantine, Persian, Arabic, and Ottoman, the region has a tremendous artistic heritage on which to call. En Chordais is a Greek ensemble that specializes in Byzantine secular music. In this programme, the group collaborates with musicians from Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan in a performance of traditional and contemporary works that illustrates the East Mediterranean's rich musical history.

Among the highlights are Ya Ummallah, a Maronite hymn to be performed by Rima Khcheich* in Syriac-Aramaic - the language spoken by Jesus Christ; and Aidonia tis Anatolis (Nightingales from the East), drawn from the historical manuscripts kept in the libraries of lveron and Xeropotamou monasteries on Mount Athos. There will also be a striking collaboration between percussionist virtuosi Misirli Ahmet from Turkey and Ziya Tabassian from Iran who use their own musical vocabulary to create an extraordinary dialogue between the two great civilizations, combining tradition and modernity.

To preserve the region's cultural legacy and develop it further, En Chordais regularly tours Europe, North America, North Africa and the Middle East, appearing at international arts festivals and taking part in cultural exchanges. In 2003, En Chordais was commissioned by the European Union to lead the MediMuses Project, which aims to promote Mediterranean music around the globe through concerts, publications and symposia.

Guest Artists:
Vocals: Rima Khcheich* (Lebanon)		Darbuka: Misirli Ahmet (Turkey)		Ney: Hassan Faqir (Jordan)
Setar: Kiya Tabassian (Iran)		Tombak: Ziya Tabassian (Iran)

Photo: Kostas Papantoniou
En Chordais Ensemble (from left to right)
Violin	Kyriakos Petras
Qanun	Alkis Zopoglou
Oud	Kyriakos Kalaitzides
Vocals	Drossos Koutsokostas
Contrabass	Vassilis Tzortzinis