Fengaros Music Village 2015

Louvana Records is once again teaming up with ArTree, the organising team behind the international music community “Music Village” based in Greece, to organise Fengaros Music Village for the second consecutive year. Artists from Cyprus, Greece and England will be leading music and theater workshops, proposing fresh and alternative methods of artistic learning.

The village of Kato Drys inspired the organisers and was once again chosen as the ideal setting to host the workshops, lectures and concerts of the Music Village. Workshops wil 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 Music Village's instructors and local bands, as well as performances by the Fengaros Music Village students.

The organisation aims to offer:

- educational sessions in the form of interactive masterclasses, which will be instructed by artists / musicians of international caliber in the areas of modern and traditional music. The themed sections of each workshop intend to approach the art of music and theater more broadly, yet effectively, whilst putting particular emphasis on original areas of artistic development.

- both organised and spontaneous performances of musical / theatrical pieces by the students

- the productive exchange of ideas and experiences between artists, students and participants of varied musical backgrounds and nationalities

- the creation of a long-lasting hybrid, artistic community, characterised by solidarity, both in the fields of collective creativity and in the production / distribution of artistic work.

The workshops:

Andys Skordis | Takedimi – Tadighinaton – Take
Takedimi-Tadighinaton-Take, is a workshop in both theory and practice, dedicated to the techniques and concepts of Karnatic music (South Indian Classical Music) and their application to modern music, entirely focused on rhythm. Travelling through the world of polyrhythms and polypulses that Karnatic Music is enriched by, the workshop teaches musicians how to perform polyrhythms, how to play phrases in quintuplets and septuplets with complete accuracy and feeling, and most importantly, how to create a better sense of pulse in the musician. To achieve these ends, the usage of the so-called 'solkattu' (South-Indian set of rhythmical syllables) plays a very important role in order to memorise and feel rhythmic patterns and phrases. The workshop applies to musicians of all genres, who want to greatly improve and explore their rhythmic abilities.

Emmanuel Vourakis | Blues Guitar and Blues Music
This workshop will attempt a deep comprehensive look into the Blues, as a form of music and genre, and the guitar as a crucial, if not the main protagonist of the instruments used in it. During its course, the workshop will include: an in-depth historic recursion of the Blues beginning from the late 19th century until today, the origins and and the many different styles of the style, its instrumentation, arranging, harmony, and of course the variety of guitar styles and techniques used. The workshop applies to anyone who is interested in this style of music, regardless of musical background.

Giorgos Xylouris / Zacharias Spyridakis | Cretan Music
Lutist Giorgos Xylouris and lyra player Zacharias Spyridakis present a workshop on Cretan music which invites the following instruments: lute, lyra, mandolin, tampoura (sazi), violin, guitar and percussion. A short introduction to the history of Cretan music and Cretan song will be given, using the lute and the lyra as reference instruments. The two will cover several different techniques, tunings and a wide repertoire. The workshop participants will be grouped into music ensembles, which will perform in concerts during the Music Village.

Davide De Rose / Colin Somervell | Spontaneous Collaborative Music
This is a workshop about group creativity that aims to share essential tools to help develop a stronger sense of musicianship. The workshops will be focusing on rhythmic strength, musical conduction and analysis. Over the course of the week students will work towards the absorption of many different styles and engage in lateral thinking, aiming to improvise and perform whilst hearing the group as one entity. The workshop will be delivered through group playing and will contain practical exercises that anyone can use. All levels and instruments are welcome.

Vasiliki Anastasiou | The Power of your Voice
This vocal workshop will explore some of the strengths of the human voice in a journey of song-learning from the music traditions of the Mediterranean. The songs will be taught in a group, developing the relationships and dynamics of the participants within it. The workshop will include experimentations with several non-conventional sounds that the voice can produce as a musical instrument, as well as theoretical analysis of sound production and advice on healthy and correct voicing. The workshop is applicable for anyone who wants to develop their vocal abilities through group work, regardless of occupation or musical background.

Kostas Makrygiannakis | Guitar Wired
What is the relationship between a song with guitar accompaniment written in the 19th century by Fernando Sor with the song “Under the bridge” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers? How can we perform a masterpiece like Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles on the guitar, without the song losing its power? This workshop for acoustic / classical guitar aims to familiarise the musician-guitarist with the procedure of music making. Understanding the ‘geography’ of the fret board, acoustic exercises, aesthetic approaches, one on one lessons and a lot of group playing will be used as tools to cover the subjects of: basic and specific sound production, techniques for the guitar, repertoire, lead-sheet preparation and rearrangements. Applicable to guitarists of all levels.

Andreas Panteli | Improvisation
We understand music (and the world) by recognising patterns. The harder they are to find, the harder it is for us to find ‘meaning' in what we’re hearing. On the other hand, the more static they are, the more predictable they become and we lose interest. So the composer / improviser's main challenge is to find that fine balance between chaos and predictability, and spark interest from their listener. If the intelligent game of developing variations on a pattern is played correctly, it leads to the telling of a coherent story, rich in content on the following areas which will be discussed: rhythmic variation, dynamics, sonic areas (low – high), melodic order, timbre and colour of sound. The workshop will be divided into two parts, the morning session where all the different techniques of developing and variating will be analysed, and the afternoon where the participants will jam together, aiming to utilise these different techniques with musicality. Applicable to performers of all levels/genres.

Harris Lambrakis | Constantinople's Makams
The Ottoman Empire may have fought wars from Algeria through to the Indian Ocean, and Poland through to Ethiopia, it may have had in its dominion most of the known languages and religions of the times, but when we talk about Ottoman Music we mostly refer to the music of Constantinople. So the main subject of this workshop are the so called makams and in a broader sense the whole music of the Constantinople. The idea is to approach this set of makams practically, through a wide repertoire - mainly from Ottoman music. The workshop’s main focus will be on listening exercises, the recordings and practical exercises on the instruments, although the required analysis will take place as well. Wherever necessary, the repertoire will be extended beyond Ottoman music, based on old recordings of taksims, and gazels. The set of makam that this workshop will concentrate on are: Rast, Bayati, Saba, Hijaz, Segkiach and Huzam. Musicians of all levels, playing instruments relevant to this genre of music are welcome, as long as they have a basic knowledge of reading music.

Barnaby Keen / Jonathan Clayton | Songwriting and Music Production
In collaboration with Cyprus Music Information Centre
This workshop gives an opportunity to explore and learn about the art of songwriting and the creative processes behind it. Writing a song is a process of letting go, releasing an idea without crushing the life out of it with the weight of expectation. We will create a space for voicing our own thoughts and insights on songwriting whilst learning from each other. There will be time to reflect on some of the underlying motivations behind why we write songs, learn what we can do to remove creative barriers and ask the question: What is there to write about? We will also look into and learn some more traditional aspects of songwriting such as: the song structure, lyric writing, harmonic modulation and arrangement. The workshop will also offer its participants the chance to play some of their material to an audience. Time will be spent on practicing recording demos. Some of the songs presented at the workshop will be chosen for a proper production in the studio at a later stage. Anyone interested in the art of songwriting/music production is welcome.

Athena Kasiou | From The Text
Τheater director Athena Kasiou focuses on the techniques of reconstructing a text with the intention of locating the information that it provides regarding its surrounding world, its characters, its circumstances, its intentions, its main themes and facts, keeping in mind its potential evolution into a theatrical performance. Through exercises, specific scenes will be brought to life, shining a light on what makes a scene immediate and spontaneous. This workshop is applicable to actors, directors, writers, and individuals that have a relationship, or want to have a relationship with the theatrical world.

Elenitsa Georgiou | Around the world with music!
In this interactive workshop, children will have the opportunity to get in touch with cultures from different parts of the world through musical games, traditional children’s songs and bizarre fairytales. The children will also be taught how to distinguish a song from speech, to use voices they have hidden inside them, and breathe correctly while they perform funny vocal exercises. Appropriate for ages from 5 to 12. Two 2-hour long workshops will be given on the 28th and 29th of July - 5.30 to 7.30pm.

Workshop Duration: around 30 hours each

Cost of Participation:
- €200 (includes 5 lunch meals + invitation to Fengaros Festival 2015)
- €170 (includes invitation to Fengaros Festival 2015)
* Cost for "Around the world with music":
- €10 per child per workshop (Siblings: €7.50 each)

Accommodation:
- Agrotouristic lodges available for rent
- Free camping (with showers and toilets)

Registration: The online participation form is available at Louvana’s website (PayPal fees apply). You can also visit office in Nicosia for a cash payment, or call the number below for details regarding a bank transfer.