Sophia Labropoulou (kanun) and Vassilis Ketentzoglou (guitar) are two outstanding musicians of the acoustic music scene. After having collaborated with various bands for many years, they have formed a duet with a wide musical starting point and a personal orientation. The duet's repertoire features their own compositions and influences, along the sounds of the musical traditions "carried" by their string instruments. Sounds and musical references from the Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Cappadocia, Istanbul -even poetry set to music- all presented through a harmoniously structured program where lyricism alternates dynamically with the urge of the two musicians to express themselves and to communicate with the public, sometimes with a sense of humor!
Sofia Labropoulou' s distinct sound and musical expression can built a bridge between folk, classical Ottoman and western Medieval music. She is a distinguished kanun player and composer based in Budapest. Sofia' s most influential period has always been her studies and experiences in Istanbul (2003 - 2006) next to leading exponents of the instrument such as Ahmet Meter. Awarded with a diploma in Byzantine music, she studied piano, classical and folk percussion in Greece. Since 2013 she has been performing with the guitar virtuoso Vassilis Ketentzoglou with their "Guitar-Kanun" Duet. As soloist she has collaborated with some of the most prominent folk and contemporary musicians, actors, directors composers and ensembles from the Greek and the world music scene such as John Psathas, Marta Sebestyen, Robyn Schulkowsky, Kalman Balogh, Dominique Vellard, Ross Daly, Ballake Sissoko, Efren Lopez, Niyazi Sayin, Omer Erdogdular, Derya Turkan, Adrea Segre, Giorgos Trandalidis, Karolos Voutsinas, Orestis Karamanlis, amongst others. This period, she is about to release her first personal album.
Vassilis Ketentzoglou began studying music at the age of 13 and he holds the following degrees: MMus in Composition for Screen by the Royal College of Music (London), BMus (Hons) degree in Music by the Royal Holloway - University of London, and the degrees of Classical Guitar Performance, of Harmony Specialist, of Counterpoint and of Fugue by the Hellenic Conservatory. He has also attended the Berklee Summer School at Umbria Jazz Clinics in Perugia (Italy) and took flamenco guitar lessons in Almería and in Sevilla (Spain). Vassilis has collaborated with some of the most distinguished Greek musicians and singers (such as G. Dalaras, N. Xydakis, E. Arvanitaki and many others) and has collaborated with several orchestras like the Armonia Atenea - The Friends of Music Orchestra, the Ossipov State Russian Folk Orchestra, the Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, the CityMusic Cleveland Orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of Volos.
He has participated in festivals and concerts in some of the most prestigious concert venues in Greece and abroad (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA).
Watch more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pau8Y6ew0U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fr1YtyP9kk
Admission is free! You are warmly welcome!