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After the successful sold-out performance of chamber music, the show “Contemporary … Classical Musicians” continues for one more evening.

Two young musicians, Michalis Stefanakis on piano and Michalis Gennadis on violin, present works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Benjamin Godard, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The two Michalises remain devoted to classical music and dare to present chamber music at the PLYFA multipurpose space, addressing an audience with musical curiosity, even if it is not accustomed to classical sounds.

Believing that classical music is neither rigid nor distant, the two musicians present works from the Classical and Romantic periods, hoping their energy will touch the souls of their listeners.

Michalis Stefanakis

Michalis Stefanakis began piano and theory lessons in Heraklion, Crete, and received diplomas in harmony and piano from the Apollo Conservatory – Musical Society (Patricia Arena’s class). He continued studying piano and chamber music alongside his law studies in Athens. He earned a piano diploma from the Athens Conservatory (Theodoros Tzovanakis’s class) and continues his studies under the guidance of Marina Lamprinoudi. He received recognition at the Van Cliburn International Competition for amateur pianists in Fort Worth, Texas, in October 2022. A graduate of the Law School of the University of Athens and the University of Michigan, he works as a director in the international taxation department of Deloitte in Athens.

Michalis Gennadis

Michalis Gennadis started his musical journey at a young age, with the violin as his main instrument. He studied in Athens at the National Conservatory, earning his Diploma with the highest distinction, First Prize, and an award for outstanding performance under Dimitris Angelidis. He has attended seminars with esteemed violinist Bartek Niziol and continues under internationally renowned violinist Giorgos Demertzis, specializing in chamber music. Alongside violin, he studied Advanced Theory with Giorgos Minas, achieving a Fugue diploma with top honors. His artistic pursuits also led him to contemporary music through singing and electric bass, both of which he studied at the National Conservatory. As a violinist, he has collaborated with chamber music orchestras, contemporary music ensembles, and performed as a young artist at festivals in the city of Mezin, France. He teaches violin at the National Conservatory of Ilioupoli and the Attic Conservatory of Kypseli.

Duration: 80 minutes with an intermission

Special thanks to Spyros Nakas for the sponsorship of the piano and to the National Conservatory of Ilioupoli for their support.

Photography: Marilena Anastasiadou

Sofia Roubati & Friends in Concert

Website: sofiaroubati.com

BABUSKA & PSYCHOTROPICA

Welcome to our planet for the last live of 2024!
This year, BABUSKA is back, inviting favorite bands to join them!

After their very successful performance with AFRODYSSEY ORCHESTRA, BABUSKA will also take the stage in December with the band PSYCHO TROPICA.

Babuska, a 7-piece band with a strong presence of brass and electric sounds, is ready for another wild celebration with reggae, afro, Balkan, and ska rhythms, and of course, plenty of dancing.

Always with an upbeat rhythmic mood, blending African-Eastern percussion over electrified basslines and vintage groovy drumming, topped with psychedelic guitars and a brass section full of bittersweet harmony.

Band Members:

• Oleg Dergatciov — Electric Guitar, Vocals
• Iraklis Tsopelakis — Percussion
• Vangelis Kritikos — Drums
• Spyros Mastoras — Electric Bass
• Panagiotis Kouktas — Baritone Saxophone
• Michalis Kampourogiannis — Soprano Saxophone
• Manos Chronopoulos — Trumpet

PsychoTropica [Cumbia Chichadelica] was formed in 2016, influenced by the psychedelic aesthetic of Cumbia Peruana. They have performed at various venues, festivals, and events, as guests of Instituto Cervantes and the Peruvian Embassy.
The genre they play is based on tropical music, including Chicha, Cumbia Amazonica, and Mambo, with sounds from fuzz electric guitars, Farfisa organs, and analog synths that create a mystical character and compel everyone to dance until the very end…

Band Members:

• Vangelis Emmanouil — Guitar
• Kostas Dimou — Congas, Percussion
• Danai Kostakioti — Keys
• Vaggos Cuervo — Timbales, Percussion
• Alex Monteiro da Silva — Bass
• José Fabian — Guiro, Percussion

TSIMENTO & PROFIL
This Holy Xmass, stop genocide in Palestine!

The idea for a joint live performance by Tsimento and Profil has been around for a long time, as the members of the bands share a long-standing acquaintance and mutual respect. These two bands from the Greek independent music scene have always believed that it is both a duty and a mission for artists to communicate and draw inspiration from socio-political developments.
During the planning meeting for the concert, and as the Christmas season approached—a time marked by rampant consumerism and superficial abundance—the main topic of discussion and concern was the horrifying genocide being endured by the people of Palestine at the hands of the state of Israel.
In this context, the least we can do is amplify the just demand of the Palestinian people for freedom through our music and lyrics.

Our joint concert is a small act of solidarity and an opportunity for a gathering—an exchange of ideas and actions in the struggle to support the people of Palestine.

Tsimento:
Concrete is everywhere.
Relentlessly dominant, it covers everything—from the neighborhoods we live in to the culture we coexist in. Hardened, impersonally cold gray, concrete symbolizes authority and every enemy we stand against.

As in every self-respecting fairy tale, so in reality: when you name your enemy, it loses power and substance. Our band is called TSIMENTO. We play haunted punk rock to exorcise fears.

Tsimento is:

• Iason Leontidis: Guitar, Vocals
• Michalis Semertzoglou: Bass
• Spyros Papakotsis: Drums

Profil:
Profil was formed in the distant year of 2000 by a group of school friends.
Profil has performed a significant number of live shows in well-known venues in Athens and beyond, such as: An Club, Kyttaro, Stavros tou Notou, Six Dogs, Temple, Ilion+, Underathens, and more. Whether as a cover band or presenting their own songs, Profil has built a small but dynamic audience. The group has also appeared as a support act with well-known bands from the local scene, such as Ypogeia Revmata, Endelechia, Magic de Spell. Additionally, they have collaborated with names and bands from the new Greek independent scene, such as Balantes gia Fonous, Salto Mortale, Gourounia sto Diastima, Rockamora, and others.

Discographically, Profil has released (exclusively hand-to-hand and at their concerts):

• Two demo EPs (2008 and 2010)
• One promo LP (Good Morning Lucky Man – 2007)
• Their first full album, Invisible Children, in May 2015

Musically, Profil moves within the realm of Greek-speaking independent rock, but their primary influences come from the international guitar-driven scene, with bands like Joy Division, Sonic Youth, Pixies, The Stooges, Pearl Jam, The Sound, Radiohead, and more. They are also influenced by Greek artists such as Trypes, Xylina Spathia, Diafana Krina, Endelechia, Ypogeia Revmata, and others.

Currently, the group is preparing the release of their second album (having already released five singles via their website and YouTube channel) and is performing in venues in Athens and across Greece.

Modern … Classical Musicians

Two young musicians, Michalis Stefanakis on piano and Michalis Gennadis on violin, present works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Benjamin Godard, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The two Michalises remain true to classical roots and dare to present chamber music in the multifunctional space PLYFA, addressing an audience with musical curiosity, even if they are not accustomed to classical sounds.

Believing that classical music is neither rigid nor distant, the two musicians perform works from the classical and romantic periods with the hope that their energy will touch the souls of their listeners.

Michalis Stefanakis began studying piano and theory in Heraklion, Crete, and received diplomas in harmony and piano from the Apollo Conservatory and Music Society (class of Patricia Arena). He continued his piano and chamber music studies alongside his law degree in Athens. He earned a piano diploma from the Athens Conservatory (class of Thodoris Tzovanakis) and continues studying under the guidance of Marina Lamprinoudi. He received recognition at the international Van Cliburn competition for amateur pianists in Fort Worth, Texas, in October 2022. Stefanakis is a graduate of the Law School of the University of Athens and the University of Michigan and works as a director in the International Taxation Department at Deloitte in Athens.

Michalis Gennadis began music at a young age, with the violin as his main instrument. He studied in Athens at the National Conservatory, earning his diploma with highest honors, a first prize, and a performance excellence award under the tutelage of Dimitris Angelidis. He has attended seminars with renowned violinist Bartek Niziol and continues his development with internationally acclaimed violinist Giorgos Demertzis, specializing in chamber music. In addition to violin, he studied advanced music theory with Giorgos Minas, earning a Fugue diploma with top honors.

His artistic pursuits have also led him to contemporary music through singing and electric bass, which he studied at the National Conservatory. As a violinist, Gennadis has collaborated with chamber music orchestras, contemporary music ensembles, and appeared as a young artist at festivals in Mezin, France. He teaches violin at the National Conservatory of Ilioupoli and the Attiko Conservatory in Kypseli.

Duration: 80 minutes, including an intermission.