GNO Alternative Stage Percussion Festival

Alternative Stage founding donor

Alternative Stage sponsor: PPC (Public Power Company)

The Percussion Festival of the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage is coming to sweep audiences away with a big, colourful, and vibrant celebration. For three days, on 3, 4, and 5 July 2024 and with free admission for the public, the Percussion Festival will resonate at the GNO Alternative Stage and the SNFCC Agora, revealing the full extent of this fascinating world of sounds.

The Festival’s rich and diverse programme, curated by Marinos Tranoudakis, includes a wide range of events extending from independent workshops and masterclasses to unique concerts featuring distinguished ensembles and soloists. It also includes a variety of music styles, ranging from captivating world music traditions to sophisticated Western modern music styles.

The first day (3/7) will feature performances by the Anasa Drummers percussion group from the Anasa Cultural Center, the percussion duo Behind Bars (Panagiotis Ziavras, Marinos Tranoudakis), the POLIS ensemble, and Giannis Angelopoulos (Jan Van). Featured on the second day (4/7) will be the Point Two project by Christos ilidis and Petros Klampanis, the marimba virtuoso Theodoros Milkov, as well as Giannis Papagiannoulis, Panos Kartibelis, and Electra Chrysanthou. On the third and final day of the Festival (5/7), the programme will feature an uplifting concert by the Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble Bloco Swingueira and the dynamic performance of the internationally acclaimed percussion soloist Adélaïde Ferrière in her debut solo concert for the audience in Athens.

Exploring the democratic spirit inherent in producing sound through percussion, the Festival hosts a select range of educational activities. These include hands-on body percussion workshops for children, percussion performances in different world music styles like those from Greece, the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa, and the Flamenco tradition, along with seminars on marimba, vibraphone, and timpani.

PROGRAMME | WEDNESDAY 3 JULY 2024

Concert

Call and Response

The Cultural Centre ANASA’s Approach to Dance and Rhythm

GNO Alternative Stage - SNFCC / Starts at: 22.00

Featuring the musicians: Michalis Afolayan, Dimitris Akinoal, Hara Christopoulou, Katerina Aretaki, Aris Kokkou, Maria Paleologou, Bafouli Kamara, voice

Dancers: Jessica Ben Anosike, Ezen Bappe Mikano, Vasiliki Mavridou, Luciana Christoforidou, Sammy Jan

The percussion group Anasa Drummers, made up of students from the African percussion department of the Anasa Cultural Center, is bringing an explosive concert featuring original compositions, traditional rhythms, improvisation, and dance to the GNO Alternative Stage. In collaboration with the dance groups BANTU Dancers, Twende Project, and Kelenya, Anasa Drummers will showcase the energy and healing power of the African percussion polyrhythmic music and dance from Western Africa, combined with MC Dash’s hip hop vocals. A colourful celebration and gathering!

Concert
Reunion Behind Bars

Panagiotis Ziavras, Marinos Tranoudakis

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 20.30

The percussion duo Behind Bars, founded by Panagiotis Ziavras and Marinos Tranoudakis, both members of the Greek National Opera Orchestra, will be presenting a concert titled Reunion Behind Bars on the GNO Alternative Stage. The concert is inspired by Giorgos Apergis’ work Retrouvailles and will feature pieces by Koppel, Reich, Siegel, and Moore, combined with an improvisational element. The programme highlights the great timbral palette of percussion through compositions ranging from Steve Reich’ minimalism to Giorgos Apergis’ experimental music theatre. Behind Bars was formed in 2018 with the goal of bringing out the rich repertoire available for two percussionists, as well as presenting new pieces written specifically for the duo.

Concert

The Travelling Sound
POLIS Ensemble

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 19.00

POLIS Ensemble: Stefanos Drobarakis (qanun), Alexandros Kapsokavadis  (lutes), Manousos Klapakis (percussion), Giorgos Kontogiannis (lyres), Theodoros Kouelis (double bass), Nikos Paraoulakis (winds)

Τhe POLIS Ensemble presents the concert The Travelling Sound, featuring original compositions created by the Ensemble and inspired by the ports of the Eastern Mediterranean, where the musical traditions of Greeks, Turks, Arabs, Persians, Armenians, Romanians, Italians, Jews, and Gypsies have intersected for centuries. Using the sounds and influences of these stations, the sextet POLIS Ensemble guides the audience through a musical journey full of original orchestral compositions created by its members. These compositions are processed and arranged in line with modern aesthetics, combining the older musical modes with new concepts.

Concert

Patching Drums

Giannis Angelopoulos (Jan Van)

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 16.30

Drummer and composer Giannis Angelopoulos, also known as Jan Van, links acoustic drums with modular synthesizers, turning his drums into a link of a multi-level musical chain. The acoustic sound of drums and grooves, along with the synthesizers, bass synthesizers, arpeggiators and drones, leads to the creation of an original musical blend of frequencies and rhythms that is performed live.

Workshop for children

Clap Your Hands, Stomp Your Feet

Introduction to body percussion and tap dancing

Designed and led by: Georgina Vardoulaki

Stavros Niarchos Hall – SNFCC /  The workshop last from 18.00  to 19.00 (age group: 7-10 ), and from 19.00 to 20.00 (age group: 10 – 12)

Information / applications: nationalopera.gr

Every movement produces a sound. In Georgina Vardoulakis’ workshop, children transform their bodies into percussion instruments and learn tap dancing. They combine different movements, primarily using hand tapping on the body and foot tapping on the ground, to create a beat, rhythm, and polyrhythms. This process helps in constructing phrases and complete musical compositions. Tap dancing, a form of body percussion with Afro-American origins, emphasizes footwork and is an integral part of the jazz culture. A workshop that feels like playing. Bring along only comfortable clothes, sneakers, and abundant energy. 

Workshop

West-African Rhythm and Rhythmic Perception

Workshop leader: Michalis Afolayan

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 15.00

Michalis Afolayan, founder of the cultural center for African art and culture – Anasa, presents a workshop based on percussion and the polyrhythmic aesthetics of Western African music. The participants will also have the chance to come in contact with the energetic world of the legendary Mamady Keïta, one of the key performers of Kotedjuga African percussion.

Workshop

Traditional Percussion and Rhythms in Greece

Workshop leader: Manousos Klapakis

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 13.30

Virtuoso musician Manousos Klapakis will lead a workshop on traditional percussion. It will cover the techniques, phrases, rhythmic motifs, and sounds of various percussion instruments encountered in the music and songs of the Balkans, Asia Minor, and the Eastern Mediterranean, which may vary from one region to another. A workshop on the role of percussionists in ensembles and the use of percussion instruments in arrangements.

Workshop

The Contribution of Timpani to Opera Dramaturgy

Workshop leader: Dimitris Tzafestas

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 11.00

The Principal Timpanist of the GNO Orchestra Dimitris Tzafestas looks back on the history and progression of timpani in opera. Through his own experience, he will speak about the role, particularities, and challenges faced by orchestra timpanists in opera. Moreover, the audience will have the chance to enjoy musical motifs and short excerpts from scenes, where the role of timpani is of decisive importance in the dramaturgy, along with video projections and a piano accompaniment by Marilena Souri.

PROGRAMME | THURSDAY 4 JULY 2024

Concert

Point Two

Christos Rafalides, Petros Klampanis

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 22.00

Two Greek world music performers, the leading vibraphonist and composer Christos Rafalides, who is also the founder of the band Manhattan Vibes, and the acclaimed contrabassist and composer Petros Klampanis will join forces on the GNO Alternative Stage to present their successful project, Point Two. Through the prism of their experiences, they will perform their own compositions, adaptations, and standard jazz pieces. With Point Two, these two Greek/New Yorker musicians promise to deliver a performance of balanced dynamics between lyricism, passion, knowledge, and virtuosity.  

Concert
Marimba Recital by Theodoros Milkov

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 20.30

Russian-Greek percussionist Theodoros Milkov is considered a pioneer marimba musician. Known for his “pianistic” approach, groundbreaking ideas, and technical skills, he has managed to elevate marimba performance to new heights. In his first concert at the GNO Alternative Stage, he will present a programme of original compositions by the celebrated composer Christos Hatzis, the distinguished composer and pianist Georgios Tsolis as well as marimba versions of piano works by the American pioneer of minimalism Philip Glass.

Concert

Balance, Flamenco Perfomace

Giannis Papagiannoulis, Panos Kartibelis, Electra Chrysanthou

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 19.00

Giannis Papagiannoulis (percussion, composition), Panos Kartibelis (guitar, composition) and Electra Chrysanthou (dance, choreography) present a unique performance called Balance. Balance was born out of their need to create an original blend of music and dance. Having worked together over the last decade on their own original compositions and choreographies, and having developed their own codes of communication, they wondered how it would be to set up a performance based on the alignment between percussion, guitar, and dance. The three of them, holding melodies, movements and rhythms, aim to find a balance between the traditional form of flamenco and a more modern approach to it.

Workshop

Percussion in Flamenco

Workshop leader: Giannis Papagiannoulis (guitar)

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 15.00

The workshop titled Percussion in Flamenco, led by experienced percussionist Giannis Papagiannoulis will introduce the audience to the basic rhythms of flamenco, from handclaps (palmas) to the cajón – the predominant percussion instrument in this musical genre in recent years. Moreover, the workshop will focus on common communication elements among musicians, dancers, and singers in various musical traditions worldwide.

Workshop

Marimba Workshop

Workshop leader: Theodoros Milkov

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 13.30

The workshop is based on the book on learning marimba "My Pianistic Approach" written by Theodoros Milkov. Through examples, techniques, and musical phrases, Milkov will guide the audience across the magical world of marimba, performing classical repertoire pieces along with original compositions created by himself.

Workshop

Vibraphone Workshop

Workshop leader: Christos Rafalides

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 12.00

In addition to being a top vibraphonist and composer, Christos Rafalides is also an exceptional educator. In his masterclasses, he manages to attract the interest of his students in a unique way and maintain it unabated. Through workshops, he imparts his expertise in vibraphone, improvisation, as well as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music.

PROGRAMME | FRIDAY 5 JULY 2024

Concert

Bloco Swingueira – Samba Reggae Atenas

Agora – SNFCC / Starts at: 21.30

The Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble Bloco Swingueira will conclude the first GNO Alternative Stage Percussion Festival with a hot, colourful, and uplifting celebration at the Agora of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC). The multicultural percussion band was formed in 2014 and since then it has always managed to captivate audiences with its live performances, creating vibrant celebrations filled with Brazilian rhythms and showcasing its boundless energy. Get ready for rhythmic vibrations, powerful doses of samba reggae, and dance until the final drop.

Concert
Recital in Blue

Adélaïde Ferrière

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / Starts at: 20.30

The internationally acclaimed French percussion soloist Adélaïde Ferrière, described as a “phenomenon” by the French newspaper Le Monde, “personifies the arrival of percussion on the classical stage.” (Le Figaro). From Georg Friedrich Handel to Iannis Xenakis, the diverse programme of Recital in Blue, to be presented on the GNO Alternative Stage by Adélaïde Ferrière in her debut solo performance for the Athenian audience, explores the rich percussion repertoire and percussion aesthetics. The programme includes transcriptions for marimba of classical pieces, such as Handel’s Passacaglia and George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, as well as original compositions by Michael Burritt and Keiko Abe. The programme will come complete with Rebonds, a milestone piece for percussion by Iannis Xenakis.

Masterclass
Adélaïde Ferrière’s Solo Percussion Masterclass

GNO Alternative Stage – SNFCC / The masterclass will last from 14.00 to 17.00

Adélaïde Ferrière’s Solo Percussion Masterclass is aimed at both active participants and observers. The masterclass is open to conservatory students studying at higher education institutions specializing in European percussion, and/or  professional musicians holding diplomas. Candidates will be required to perform only one piece for marimba, vibraphone, or snare drum, up to 7 minutes long. The application deadline is 27/6/2024. For more information / applications: nationalopera.gr

The production “GNO ALTERNATIVE STAGE PERCUSSION FESTIVAL” is part of the GNO Alternative Stage’s unit of programming titled “PERCUSSION FESTIVAL”, which falls under the ACT “FESTIVAL EVENTS OF THE GNO ALTERNATIVE STAGE 2024-2025” » (MIS 6002467) with code 2024ΕΠ08570049 (Priority: “Fostering regional social cohesion through the enhancement of mechanisms and infrastructure to support employment, education, health care and socioeconomic inclusion” of the programme “Attica 2021-2027) and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and National Resources.