Greek virtuoso duet Nikos Papageorgiou and Asineth Fotini Kokkala from Instanbul (Constantinople) are arriving in Australia for their debut performance Down Under. NikoTeini.
The pair go under the artistic name NikoTeini. Papageorgiou plays the lavta (Istanbul lute, πολίτικο λαούτο), and Kokkala , the kanun (zither, κανονάκι). Βoth instruments are rarely heard in the Australian contemporary music scene.
Inspired by the traditional music of Greece and Turkey, as well as contemporary compositions written especially for them, NikoTeini will be joining Sydney-based group Melisma Ensemble, on a journey of Greek urban folk and Anatolian melodies, for one night only in Sydney on the 3rd of March. As a duet they will also be touring Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania organised by the Greek Fringe.
“Hailing from Greece and living in Constantinople (Istanbul), we play and sing music that we love from the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean." said Nikos and Fotini.
"Our story started in 2019, when we began to study music together. During Covid lockdowns, we decided to share our music every Monday through our YouTube channel.
"These videos, made with as simple technical means as a mobile phone, are essentially a demonstration of the simplicity and immediacy which represent us. Thus, for at least two years through our continuous presence, we have maintained contact with our audience.
"The repertoire we engage with is mostly classical or folk modal music traditions from different eras and regions; mainly those of Greece and Turkey. Additionally, we often get involved with newer compositions that we love and which suit our style.
"Our journey led us to the need for a new YouTube channel section, called “NikoTeini & friends”. In it, we feature musicians we appreciate and collaborate with, such as Antonis Apergis, Apostolos Sideris, İsmail İlgün, Alexia Mouza, Efren Lopez and others.
"Our most recent YouTube channel section (called “NikoTeini & composers”) is an invitation and a challenge at the same time which we pose to musicians and composers of styles different to our own. We present music they write specifically for our duet, which creates a novel type of interaction."
Sydney-based Melisma Ensemble, and its director Dimitri Koubaroulis, are delighted to bring NikoTeini duet from Instanbul to Australia for their debut tour.
Dimitri Koubaroulis, founder and director of Melisma, is a chanter and teacher of Byzantine Chant and folk music with a special interest in the music of the Eastern Mediterranean.
For more information visit:
https://melismaensemble.wordpress.com/nikoteini-melisma/
