Fengaros Music Village

Louvana Records is organising the first Fengaros Music Village in Cyprus, in collaboration with Music Village in Greece, which takes place in Pilion* every summer for the past eight years. With nine different workshops for music and theatre, and with instructors from Cyprus, Greece and England, this event will attempt to give a different approach to artistic learning. Music Village will take place right before Fengaros Music Festival, which will follow right after the five-day workshops, from Friday the 1st of August up until Sunday the 3rd of August.

The workshops will take place in the beautiful setting of Kato Drys village. They will run on a daily basis, divided into two sessions, morning and afternoon. Following the ending of all workshops every day, there will be free concerts by the Village's instructors and local bands, as well as performances by the Fengaros Music Village students.

The organisation's goals are:

- To offer educational units in the form of symbiotic masterclasses, which will be instructed by artists/musicians of international calibre in the area of contemporary or historical performance and creation. The themed sections of each workshop will function integrally and will intend to approach musical art broadly, yet effectively, whilst putting particular emphasis on original and unconventional areas that have not yet been integrated into the Cypriot educational system.

- The pre-scheduled and spontaneous performances of musical ideas and the productive exchange of ideas and projects among artists of diverse nationalities.

* The Music Village is one of the largest musical communities in Europe. It was founded in 2006 by musicians Thymios Atzakas, Kostas Makrygiannakis and Giorgos-Emmanuel Lazarides. It has been taking place every August for the past eight years in the village of Ayios Lavrentios, in Pilion, Greece.

Sponsors:
Ministry of Culture and Education
Supporters: Cyprus Music Information Center, Minstrel Project, Kato Drys Community Conucil, Kato Drys Youth Center, eleven63 studio

The following workshops will take place at Fengaros Music Festival.

GIORGOS XYLOURIS – Introduction to Cretan music

The well-known lute player-performer Giorgos Xylouris (Psarogiorgis) will present a workshop of traditional Cretan music, where he will teach melodies, tunes, improvisation, dances (syrtos, maleviziotis, pentozalis, kontylies), as well as contemporary trends of this incredibly agile instrument. This workshop is intended for players and lovers of Cretan music, who wish to experience a new approach to this musical tradition, taught first-hand by one of its most respected and active members.

Biography:
Giorgos Xylouris, an offspring of the great music family of Xylouris, is considered one of the most important lute players of Crete, but also an open-minded musician who has proven more than capable of collaborating creatively with musicians from other music genres. He has traveled all over the world and has participated in a great number of international festivals and Cretan music seminars.

DAVE DE ROSE – Drumming and Beyond

Professional drummer, Dave De Rose, shares his extensive experiences acquired after an impressive 30-year musical evolution. A five day workshop aimed primarily at drummers of all performance levels, but also suitable for any instrumentalist looking to strengthen and broaden their rhythmic sense, production techniques, musical approaches, and gain inside knowledge on the music business.

Biography:
Drummer, producer, recording and mixing engineer, Dave De Rose,is an important member of the English music scene. He has worked and performed with artists such as Mulatu Astatke, Moloko, Mark Ronson, Rokia Traore, Jamie Cullum, Corinne Bailey Rae and many more.

ANDYS SKORDIS - Takedimi -Tadighinaton - Take

A workshop dedicated to the techniques and concepts of Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) as well as how they can be applied to current musical genres such as contemporary classical, jazz, traditional, progressive rock etc. These workshops will be entirely focused on rhythm and are intended for any individual that wishes to enrich their musical knowledge with a completely new rhythmic approach.

Biography:
Andys Skordis is a multi-award winning Cypriot composer of contemporary classical music based in Amsterdam. After finishing his studies at Berklee College of Music in 2007, he moved to Amsterdam for postgraduate studies in composition with Richard Ayres and Carnatic Music with Rafael Reina. He got his Master’s in Composition in 2011 and he also finished the 4-year Carnatic Music programme in 2012. He is now focusing on music from South India, Indonesia and free improvisation.

ATHINA KASIOU - Starting from the text (Open Arts)

This workshop is intended for actors, directors, writers, and at the same time individuals that have a relationship, or want to build a relationship with the theatrical world. The director Athina Kasiou will focus on the information a text gives us about its world, its characters, its circumstances, its intentions, its main themes and facts etc.

Biography:
Athina is the founding member of the Open Arts theatre group. Some of the plays she has presented so far are “A Mid- Summer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare and Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard”, in an abandoned amusement park, as well as Samuel Becket’s “Rough for Theatre I” which was presented at Fengaros Music Festival 2013. With studies in Boston, London, Moscow and Bali, she has developed her own unique, modern approach to the world of theatre.

ANDREAS PANTELI - Improvisational freedom

This workshop is designed for musicians interested in improvisation of any level, on any instrument and style of music. The main topics that will be covered are the psychological state that will allow the musician to improvise, the correct and incorrect habits of practicing, basic and advanced harmony, melodic consistency and development, rhythm, expression and emotion. Through the performance of musical ideas, the basic concepts of improvisation will be discussed, locating and clearing any problems that may arise, helping the improviser to achieve the desirable results.

Biography:
Andreas is a professional jazz pianist and composer, graduate of Codarts Rotterdam Conservatorium and the Royal Conservatory of Den Haag. He has taken part in numerous projects around Europe with styles ranging from traditional jazz to modern day jazz, soul and groove music. He is currently based in Cyprus, where he performs with several ensembles, and teaches piano and improvisation.

EMMANUEL VOURAKIS – The electric guitarist’s “package”

This workshop aims at covering in depth all the basic components that can a form a successful career for an electric guitar player. Within the five days of its duration, Emmanuel will focus on the schematics of the electric guitar, the function of its components (parts, pedals, cables, amps), the role of the guitarist as part of a musical ensemble, and draw the description of the “package”, required to complete the profile of a professional musician.

Biography:
Frontman for “The Zilla Project”. A Berklee College of Music alumnus. Also a former member
of “Blues Wire”. He has had numerous national TV appearances and gigs, in Greece, USA, Cyprus and Europe, and a slew of recordings and concerts for many diverse artists in a carrier that spans over 20 years.

VASILIKI ANASTASIOU - The power of your voice. Songs of our neighborhood and improvisations.

Α vocal workshop that will explore the abilities of the human voice through an educational journey, with songs from neighboring countries and beyond. The lessons will be taught in a group circle, exploring and developing a wide repertoire through interactive learning. This workshop is intended for anyone who wishes to improve and develop his/her vocal abilities through group-work, regardless of their profession or musical background.

Biography:
Vasiliki Anastasiou is the creator and vocalist of The Amalgamation Project, an ethnic-jazz project that brings jazz and traditional musicians on the same platform. She graduated from London College of Music from where she received the title Master in Music Performance (vocals) with distinction. She has performed all over the world with various bands and projects.

KOSTAS MAKRYGIANNAKIS - GUITAR WIRED..! Workshop for the classical and acoustic guitar

The workshop aims to familiarize the musician-guitarist with the procedure of music making. The understanding of the “geography” of the fret board, acoustic exercises, aesthetic approach, one on one lessons, and a lot of group playing will be used as tools. Some further topics that will be discussed are sound production techniques for the
guitar, repertoire, covers and re-arrangements etc.

Biography:
Kostas studied music in Thessaloniki and in London. He has worked with exceptional artists like viola player Rosemary Campton, tenor James Geer, and songwriters Giannis Aggelakas, Foivos Delivorias, Manolis Famellos and Maria Thoidou. He is a founding member of the international community of “Music Village”.

PAVLOS MICHAELIDES - Violin workshop

This is an introduction to the “traditional” violin’s art and techniques, its handling, style and aesthetics, within a repertoire that will mainly cover the area of Minor-Asia, the Aegean and Cyprus. There will be an in-depth analysis of existing melodic phrases, stylistic and aesthetic development, as well as studying and playing techniques, all based on the aforementioned repertoire, and within the context and style of their musical traditions.
Pavlos will also concentrate separately on the analysis and schematics of sheet music.

Biography:
Pavlos Michaelides is considered one of the most important Cypriot violinists, who successfully combines the techniques of classical and eastern modal system music, with plenty of experience as a performer, teacher and recording musician.