Vanessa, Yvonne, and Alexandros come from Greece, Juliano from Brazil, and Josue from Mexico. Having a common ground and starting at Codarts in Rotterdam, they shared the stage for the fringe program of the Brandhaarden festival (ITA, 2024) and performed some of their original compositions. Instantly, they realized that the cultures where they grew up have many similarities, expressed in their ways of thinking, living, and composing. The Rebetiko origins, the makams, and the odd rhythms blend naturally with jazz elements and Brazilian modes and patterns. They decided to host a spring concert to share, create, and recreate their compositions.
Line-up:
JOSUÉ AMADOR (Guitar)
Josué Amador is a composer, improvising performer, and researcher, based in Rotterdam. With a strong grounding in experimental music, improvisation, and sound studies, Amador’s practice reflects a keen interest in exploring the various dimensions of sound and its impact on human perception. His work delves into experimental approaches to music composition and performance, incorporating various forms of improvisation and indeterminacy.
VANESSA KOURTESI (voice)
Vanessa Kourtesi is a music maker, vocalist and songwriter originally from Athens,Greece and based in Rotterdam, NL. Her music derives from her roots, the East Mediterranean and Greek modal music, jazz, pop, ambient and improvisation. As a songwriter and lyricist she narrates memories from reality and imagination exploring the limits between poetry and song.
JULIANO ABRAMOVAY (Guitar, Ud)
Juliano Abramovay is a versatile musician, composer, and researcher with a passion for exploring diverse music traditions. After studying classical guitar at São Paulo’s Municipal School of Music and musicology at University of São Paulo, Juliano delved into fretless guitar and oud, researching traditional music from Greece and Turkey. He obtained his masters at Codarts (Rotterdam) before proceeding with a PhD research project at Durham. Currently, Juliano is a teacher at Codarts, where he is actively involved with the Rotterdam Arts and Science Lab (RASL) and with research disciplines.
YVONNE MELISSA (violin)
Yvonne Melissa was born in Kavala in 1998. She began her studies on the violin at the age of seven, under the tutelage of Z. Zlateva. She studied classical violin and music theory and obtained her diploma with “excellency unanimously” in 2022 at “Orfeio” Conservatory in Athens, guided by her professors M. Plesti and D. Semsis. From 2023 is a student of Codarts WMDC (Rotterdam, Netherlands) – Bachelor of Turkish music.She has been a member of many orchestras, as well as in numerous and various chamber musical ensembles, seminars of classical, eastern music and composition, and she has performed in some of the most important music scenes of the country. She has composed the music in dance performances and short movies. Moreover, she is a post-graduate student of National and Kapodistrian Athens Law School. Her first disc named “Myrra” with T. Kofodimos released in December of 2023.
ALEXANDROS PAPAGEORGOPOULOS (clarinet)
Alexandros Papageorgopoulos was born in Paris in 1989. He graduated from the Department of Music Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, having previously attended the music school in Trikala and studied at the music conservatories of Trikala and Larissa. He has attended seminars on traditional clarinet with Manos Ahalinotopoulos and Nikos Philippidis. He has received several awards and distinctions in regional and national student competitions. He was a member of the traditional orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the philharmonic orchestra of the Municipality of Trikala, as well as various musical ensembles both within and beyond the boundaries of traditional music. He has performed at events and concerts in Greece and abroad (USA, Canada, Australia, Europe). Since 2023 he is a master student of CODARTS, WMDC, Rotterdam.
