Fengaros Music Village enters its third year with twelve workshops!
Artists from Cyprus, Greece and England
are instructing workshops about music, theatre and storytelling, proposing alternative methods of learning and creating.
The village of Kato Drys in the Larnaka District has inspired the organisers who chose it as the ideal setting to host the workshops, lectures and concerts that take place in the framework of Music Village. the workshops and lectures will take place daily during the morning and afternoon hours, while the concerts, open to the public will complete the daily schedule.
Goals of Fengaros Music Village:
• Educational sessions in the form of interactive masterclasses, which will be instructed by artists / musicians of international caliber in the areas of modern and traditional music. The themed sections of each workshop intend to approach the art of music and theater more broadly, yet effectively, whilst putting particular emphasis on original areas of artistic development.
• Both organised and spontaneous performances of musical / theatrical pieces by the students.
• The productive exchange of ideas and experiences between artists, students and participants of varied musical backgrounds and nationalities.
• The creation of a long-lasting hybrid, artistic community, characterised by solidarity, both in the fields of collective creativity and in the production / distribution of artistic work.
Vasiliki Anastasiou - The power of your voice vol. 3
Singing is therapeutic, relaxing, it promotes good physical condition and self respect, it gives motivation and internal strength. It creates conditions of self-awarness, expands our knowledge and it activates our emotional world. Moreover, singing in a group creates new friendships and develops the feeling of belonging and sociability.
Participants of this workshop will have the opportunity to explore a plethora of timbres that the voice, as a musical instrument, can produce and learn about sound production and healthy ways of using the voice. All of the above will take place within a framework of learning songs from musical traditions of countries neighbouring Cyprus, through a modern prism and with a teaching method that evokes relationships within the group. The students will form their personal routine of exercises (range, tuning, longer phrasing, timbre, placement, breathing, support, relaxation, stage-fright control, warm up exercises, voice-breaking, voice-recovery etc.)
Open to all ages above 16. Concerns individuals who want to develop their vocal ability through group-learning, regardless of musical background or profession. No previous experience required nor musical knowledge.
Andys Skordis - Takedimi - Tadighinaton - Take
Rhythm is undoubtedly a big part of our lives. From the moment we are born, our heart beats and we are synchronised with something rhythmical that accompanies us until the “end”. In our workshop we will be studying rhythm extensively through a different approach, the polyrhythmic one; in other words the existence of two or more rhythms at the same time. During the lessons we will be taught various ways of approaching rhythm, through the techniques of Karnatic Music (Classical music of South India) and how to correctly execute and create polyrhythms using our voices (Konnakol method). At the same time we will learn how to develop polyrhythms and how to understand and perform complicated rhythmical structures. To summarise, the workshop introduces the participants to the meaning of polyrhythms by suggesting methods of improving the feeling of pulse. Ultimately, we will transfer the polyrhythms we learned to our musical instruments and we will create a composition which will include the rhythmical matters we have covered along with more elements from Carnatic music (Ragas - Scales, Tala - Meter, Form, etc). The piece will be presented in a concert at the Music Village.
The workshop is suitable for musicians of all styles and levels as well as dancers
Zacharias Spyridakis - Cretan Music
This workshop will deal with all aspects of Cretan music, starting with a short historical introduction, as well as a short introduction in the construction method of the Cretan lyra. Students will then work with tunings, technique, repertoire and a short introduction to songs, through which they will familiarise themselves with the different local idioms of Cretan music. The workshop aims to organise musical ensembles with all participating students.
Suggested instruments: Lyra, Lute, Mandolin, Saz, Violin, Guitar, Percussion
Harris Lambrakis - Sound, modes, and maqams today
This workshop will concentrate on music coming from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, and the surrounding countries that used to be a part of the Ottoman Empire. We will focus on a few maqams, or modes (depending on your point of view), and we will try and see how they form, modulate, mutate, and adjust themselves in the different situations occurring through various repertoire.
Musicians of all levels, playing instruments relevant to this genre of music, are welcome, as long as they have a basic knowledge of reading music
Rodos Panayiotou - Afro-brazilian Percussion
In this workshop, students will have the opportunity to learn and play different authentic percussion instruments such as the surdo, ganza, caixa, tamborim, ago-go bells, repinique, cuica and pandeiro. During the lessons, the rhythmology, technique and phrasing of each instrument will be taught separately for each instrument. A lot of emphasis will be given to Afro-Brazilian genres such as Samba Batucada and Samba, Reggae. The workshop aims, besides the student’s personal musical experience, to encourage team communication, group creativity and show students the musical strengths and benefits of team-effort. This will be a unique experience for students since, by the end of the week, they will be able to perform what they have been taught in front of an audience.
Concerns professional and amateur musicians, dancers, and generally music lovers that want to take part in a percussion ensemble.
Andreas Panteli - Improvisation - Music Ensembles (in collaboration with Ermis Michail)
This workshop concerns musicians who are interested in exploring the world of improvisation away from sheet music. The main goal is for students to develop an intimate relationship with their instrument and to be able to use it as a medium to express their own musical thoughts. The morning sessions will be dedicated to unlocking the instrument technique-wise, to building a musical vocabulary and to intelligent studying, which will make the student reach his goals easier and more effectively. In the afternoon there will be a collaboration with the guitar (Ermis Michail – Modern Guitar - Music Ensembles) workshop, where the students will form ensembles (groups). The aim of that will be group creativity and practicing the perception of the personal role that each musician has in the group.
Concerns music students and professional musicians.
Ermis Michail - Modern Guitar - Music Ensembles (in collaboration with Andreas Panteli - Improvisation)
The aim of this workshop is for students to acquire an ease on the instrument and to widen their perception regarding the role of the guitar in a musical ensemble. The morning sessions will mainly focus on technique, helping the students gain more freedom when expressing themselves on the instrument. In the afternoon we will be collaborating with the improvisation workshop (Andreas Panteli - Improvisation - Music Ensembles), creating ensembles (groups). The aim of the collaboration will be group creativity and practicing the perception of the personal role that each musician has in the group.
Concerns music students and professional guitarists.
Michalis Kapilidis - Practicing and Playing From Within
Μichalis Kapilidis will use a special approach in improving the drum performance of his students. The workshop’s goal for the attending musicians is to build their internal clock (time), develop the way they hear and perceive rhythm (feel) and ultimately train their body to be able to obey and respond to what their ears and instinct command them to do (technique). It’s a holistic approach which will allow students to become self-critical so that they will be able to build upon their true potential and develop their weaknesses. The workshop will not focus on any music idiom, but rather the instrument itself, allowing each participating musician to interpret their choice of genre with their own artistry and expand on the exercises shown according to their own level of performance and needs. The workshop’s final goal is to provide the drummer with the strongest and most long-lasting results, so that their live performances will focus solely on what really matters - playing music!
-Building internal clock (pulse&subdivision)
-Playing (only) what you can (really) hear
-“Real life” drumset co-ordination
-Expanding/capitalizing on an idea/excersise
-Focusing on the most difficult 20% of what you’re practicing
-Get the most out of your practice time and improve faster
-(Actual) drumset technique (vs. “pad hands”)
Concerns professional and amateur drummers
Kostas Makrygiannakis - Guitar Ensemble Workshop
The Guitar Ensemble Workshop aims at studying and performing a large selection of Chamber Music works, both original compositions and re-works. The challenge in treating sound parameters such as sound duration, tone, group sound, and role-sharing is always present and always interesting! The workshop will deal with all of the parameters mentioned above, in their entirety, and will closely look at pieces written for guitar ensembles.
The workshop is intended for all types of classical guitar players, as well as musicians who perform instruments involved in Chamber Music works that include guitars. All guitarists, amateur and professionals are welcome, as well as already established ensembles (duets, trios, quartets or larger groups).
Dimitris Kountouras - Early Music Workshop
This classical music workshop applies to singers and instrumentalists (wind instruments, strings, percussion) alike that show an interest in Early Music. A lot of emphasis will be given to early music ensembles formed by the participating students, but the workshop will also touch upon solo work. Introductory lectures on historical performance practice and ornamentation will also be part of the course.
Addressed to advanced singers and instrumentalists, students and/or young professional musicians.
Athina Kasiou / Joel Harwood - Through the Text
The director Athina Kasiou and the writer Joel Horwood will focus on how a text comes to direct communication with the ‘now’. Within the framework of the preparation of a new collaboration, Athena Kasiou and Joel Horwood will work together at Music Village for a week exploring the play Six Characters in Search of an Author by Pirandello. Together with the participants, through text analysis, improvisations and setting questions about the play and its contemporary necessity, the team will create / gather material for a contemporary adaptation of the text. During the workshop the instructors will share methods and techniques regarding direction and creative writing. Through text analysis, improvisations and by setting questions in regards to the theatrical play and its contemporary neccesity, the team will create / gather material for a contemporary reworking of the text.
The workshop concerns actors, directors, set designers, writers, choreographers, and generally people who are, or want to get involved with theatre.
Marina Katsari - With the word, the voice and two hands
Within the framework of the experiential workshop “with the word, the voice and two hands” the participants get in touch with the various techniques of storytelling and familiarize themselves with all the necessary tools for their occupation with the Art of Storytelling. The workshop is addressed to professionals or future professionals of education of all levels, to parents, to people who work with groups (motivators, team leaders, educators).
The workshop will be structured into the following sections: introduction of the art of storytelling, the secrets of read storytelling, the secrets of oral storytelling, types of storytellers, techniques and tools, fiction in creative storytelling, storytelling is elsewhere (as well)... The participants will have the opportunity, among others, to be initiated experientially in various storytelling techniques, to study oral and reading storytelling techniques, to be initiated experientially to the rhythm and musicality of storytelling and to develop their expression tools: the body, the voice, gestures and grimaces.
Concerns professional or future professionals of any level, parents, people who work with teams (motivators, team leaders, educators and more)
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Sponsors: Cultural Services of Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture, Bank of Cyprus
Communication Sponsors: Parathyro, CyprusNews.eu
Online Communication Sponsors: Heart Cyprus
Supporters: Municipality of Kato Drys, House of the Wind, studio eleven63
