10th Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival

Claudia Madur

Cláudia Madur began her career as a fado singer in 2006, when she joined the fado group Prelúdio. In 2009, she published her first album Fado Sem Tempo, which includes five exclusive poems by Cláudia Madur and recovers traditional Fados. Fado Sem tempo was recorded with renowned musicians, in the Portuguese Guitar José Luís Nobre Costa, in the Classic Guitar Artur Caldeira and José Fidalgo in the double Bass.

Claudia Madur is yet another young voice that came to give new essence to Fado. With her elegant posture on stage and her stunning vocal interpretation of poems, she is recognized as one of the most beautiful voices in Portugal.

Musicians:

Cláudia Madur: Vocals

Mario Henriques: Portuguese Guitar

Bruno Brás: Classical Guitar

Ross Daly: RIALTO Residency

Another edition of the Rialto Residency will mark this year’s World Music Festival, under the artistic direction of internationally acclaimed musician, Ross Daly. The virtuoso musician, playing a variety of instruments, has established a number of music synergies with many renowned musicians from across the globe, and works on the music discipline of Eastern traditions, exploring new music forms and creative improvisation. Among other instruments, he plays the Cretan lyra, Afghan rabab, lute, Constantinople lyra, sarangi, oud, saz, tambur.

Through his collaboration and study with artists living in Cyprus, as well as with Kelly Thoma, a revived combination of music traditions will be developed and performed at Platres Cultural Centre.

Musical Landscapes of Native Land, Yamma Ensemble

Yamma Ensemble brings to the forefront an original Hebrew music alongside early traditional materials.

Insisting on acoustic instruments, the ensemble integrates music elements from Middle East with Western music forms. Combining melismatic riches of the Eastern Maqam and the charming irregular rhythms, they explore the territory of free improvisation. The ensemble stays true to the character of Middle East region in which the musicians were born and raised.

Musicians
Talya G.A Solan: vocals
Aviv Bahar : oud, kupuz, guitar
Yonnie Dror: Middle Eastern and western-style
wind instruments
Avri Borochov: double bass
Ben Dagovitch: percussions

Afro Banda Banana

Returning to its main venue, the Heroes’ Square opposite the Rialto Theatre, the Festival hosted Israeli Yamma Ensemble, on Wednesday July 8th while on the 14th of the month, the popular Cypriot band Afro Banda Banana promises to light up the stage with their Afrobeat music.

his nine-member band, devoted to Afrobeat rhythms combines traditional Afrodance music with jazz funk styles. With vocals, winds, percussions, strings, funk riffs and Afro, the Afro Banda Banana promises to make everybody feeling deliriously happy.

Musicians
Michalis Michail: trumpet
Marios Charalambous: saxophone
Nikos Koukouvinos: trombone
Cotsios Pikatillis: vocals
Ermis Michail: electric guitar
Antreas Panteli: piano
Lefteris Moumdjis: bass
Rodos Panayiotou: percussions
Andreas Stephanou: drums

Savina Yiannatou & Primavera en Salonico, Songs of Thessaloniki

Savina Yannatou returns to Rialto World Music Festival, together with Primavera en Salonico to present their latest album Songs of Thessaloniki. The album is a dazzling evocation of her band’s hometown, plunging deep into its rich and complex history.

Known as ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’, Thessaloniki has been a welcoming home to a range of cultures, religions and ethnic groups. Greeks, Jews, Turks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Armenians, Slavic Macedonians and Greeks of the Black Sea have shared the diverse life of the city. This tradition of tolerance and mutual understanding is reflected in Songs of Thessaloniki.

Savina Yannatou gives voice to all of these cultures, in a multilingual repertoire, in which her performance lights up the myths of the city. Primavera en Salonico are some of the most inventive bands, as it performs the inspired musical arrangements of Kostas Vomvolos.

Beneath the particular sounds of the group lies each musician’s unique personality. A group with intense temperament, Primavera En Salonico is made up of musicians who have been working together for more than 20 years. Primavera en Salonico, was founded in 1993 to perform the musical arrangements of Kostas Vomvolos in a selection of Sefaraditika songs, with Savina as the lead singer.

The musical bonds between many of the band members go far back at the beginning of the 1980s. Working closely together, they have been playing traditional music and experimental arrangements while their wide range of experiences opens up new perspectives in the interpretation of these songs.

Musicians
Savina Yannatou: vocals
Yiannis Alexandris: ud, guitar
Kostas Vomvolos: kanonaki, accordeon
Charis Lambrakis: ney
Michalis Siganides: bass
Kostas Theodorou: percussions

Amalgamation Choir

A group of female singers perform original traditional compositions and re-arrangements of traditional songs from the Mediterranean and the Balkans, conducted by Vassiliki Anastasiou. Their singing gets carried away by the cool Mediterranean breeze to finally arrive echoing in the Balkan mountains. It is a celebration of the polyphonic traditions and a celebration of the human voice. Amalgamation Choir is a group of singers who have come together after the completion of last year’s Fengaros Music Village.

Rumba Attack

Rumba Attack performs a repertoire of songs including diverse rhythms and music genres, such as World, Ethnic, Latin, Jazz, Flamenco and, of course, Rumba and Blues.

They will be presenting their own compositions, popular traditional Greek songs, and they will take us on a musical journey with ethnic melodies.

Musicians

Konstantinos Lyras: Guitar

Memnor Arestis: Guitar

Savvas Thoma: Cajón, percussions, vocals

Special Guests: Elizabeth Theodorou (Flute)

Elli Michael (Alto Saxophone)