The 34th Paxos Festival opens its doors in spring this year, aiming to present cultural events as early as March and April 2020.
The main Festival programme will begin around the 20th of June when two 1930s silent films will be projected with live performances of original scores by the composer Minas Alexiadis.
Then, on 25th June, we will introduce our Festival’s new Composer-in-Residence, Harris Papatrechas, who will be arriving straight from the U.S.A. with a brand new quartet performing four of his compositions.
The spotlight then falls on Irish Wings IV when an astonishing array of Greek and Irish talent join the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon on 7th July as he hosts ‘Muldoon’s Picnic’, his ‘omnium-gatherum’ of literature and music.
The ‘most significant English-language poet born since the Second World War’ (The Times Literary Supplement), Muldoon will introduce Irish musicians and actors, including the legendary Horslips (Ireland’s answer to the Rolling Stones).
But this is a Picnic with a very special Greek dimension: none other than the great Maria Farantouri will sing from ‘The Hostage’ suite by Mikis Theodorakis (which was inspired by the Irish writer, Brendan Behan) and tell the story of ‘To Gelasto Paidi’ (Behan’s song ‘The Laughing Boy’) which, written originally in Ireland, was adapted by Theodorakis with Greek lyrics by Vasilis Rotas and, in the hands of Farantouri, became one of the best-known and most enduringly popular songs in Greece.
July events will include songs of the early Renaissance by the National Opera singer, Nikos Ziaziaris, with Aggelos Aggelou on the lute, contemporary Greek songs by Dimitris Maramis performed by the composer on the piano, and singers Nikos Ziaziaris and Eleni Dimopoulou, as well as a guitar recital by the virtuoso Michalis Kondaxakis who will present a very exciting programme.
The Festival is also honored to introduce Lammine Chissoco, a virtuoso cora player from Senegal, who joins the Greek ney player, Harris Lambrakis: West African melodies will be blended with Oriental and Mediterranean sounds in an improvised musical extravaganza (around the 20th of August)
On August 27th Flamarabenco band will perform a surprising mix of Arabian and flamenco music with a Mediterranean twist.
A modern dance performance, a classical music concert, and a concert of Greek traditional music will conclude 2020’s music events during the first fortnight of September.
Our visual arts events include a retrospective exhibition of photographers and painters who have been inspired by Paxos seascapes, which will open after the 26th of June, lasting for a month, and a wonderful exhibition of “ceramics for the house” taking place in August.
Guided walks around Paxos Footpaths Network will continue this summer focusing on local springs, Venetian Aqueducts, British cisterns and stone-carved water reservoirs spread all over our beautiful island.
Specific dates and further information can be found on our website (www.paxosfestival.com) and on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/paxosmusicfestival.
You can also read about our charity projects on our Friends of Paxos website (www.friendsofpaxos.org)
We hope that you will join us!
Faye Lychnou, Chris Boicos, Kathryn Baird