Rodopi Ensemble | Traditional Music of Thrace

Rodopi Ensemble has been presenting the sounds, rhythms and melodies of Thrace for almost three decades. The group started its musical journey in the 1990s, and took the name Rodopi Ensemble to indicate its border-crossing musical style. The mountains of Rodopi, the largest mountains in Thrace, act as a musical unifying link that connects people living in the three countries crossed by the mountains: Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria. “The idioms and nuances of Thracian music derive from the harmonious coexistence of people from different cultures.. people who use music and singing to come together as one,” says vocalist and lute-player Drosos Koutsokostas. Rodopi Ensemble is composed of Koutsokostas on lute and vocals, Kyriakos Petras on violin, Nikos Angousis on clarinet, Alkis Zopoglou on kanun, and Yorgos Pagozidis on percussion. These instruments comprise the classic lineup known as the café-amán orchestra, the rural precursor of the more urban and better known rebetiko style. Rodopi Ensemble plays romantic love songs and lively dances native to the region, such as the chasapiko, tsifteteli, karsilamas, and zeibekiko. Rodopi Ensemble sticks to its roots by working at local and regional events such as community celebrations, weddings, and traditional fairs. But the band has also performed internationally at festivals and in concert halls, and has released the CD, Thraki: The Paths of Dionysus to international acclaim.

For more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10408

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