"En Chordais" Ensemble

En Chordais is not a group of museum conservationists preciously handling music tracts from the past, but are investigators wishing to use history as a way to inspire present practice and to further an understanding of themselves.

En Chordais is one of the most internationally acclaimed and exceptional music ensembles specializing in the traditions of the Mediterranean music. Its presence on stage is always accompanied with a wide and unique repertoire mixed with compositions both from the past and the contemporary time maintaining the originality and the timeless of the old as well as the intimacy of the today’s trends. With this extensive repertoire and a playful, lively presence on stage, the ensemble has toured throughout the world, receiving enthusiastic critical acclaim.

The music ensemble is connected with the homonymous musical organization, which along with the establishment of the traditional and Byzantine music school and its actions in the field of publishing books and recording CDs, has composed a broad perspective in the Greek and international music scene. Throughout its history, En Chordais has devoted special attention and energy to the promotion of intercultural dialogue, identifying and promoting the many levels at which the musical heritages of the Mediterranean and beyond are intimately connected and interdependent.

The repertoire of the ensemble celebrates the Byzantine musical heritage and the Greek folk music, the works of major Mediterranean composers, as well as compositions by its members and a creative continuation of this great heritage. Of particular importance in the repertoire is the application of Kyriakos Kalaitzidis’ (En Chordais’ artistic director) research findings in manuscript codices from the 15th-19th century, which are preserved in several historical libraries of Europe.

En Chordais, renowned for extensive research on the musical legacy of the East Mediterranean, has entranced audiences by more than 1000 concerts all over the world. The appreciated ensemble has been invited and performed in very special and important concert halls:

Salle Pleyel (Paris), Berlin Philharmonie, Lincoln Center (New York), Maison Symphonic (Montreal), The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Cornell University (Ithaca), Palais de Bozar (Brussels), Carl-Orff – Saal Gasteig (Munich), Cairo Opera House, Theatre de la Ville (Paris), San Marco (Venice), The International Jerusalem Oud Festival, South Bank (London), City Hall Concert Hall (Hong Kong), Athens Concert Hall, L’Arsenal (Metz), Melbourne Recital Centre, Ten Days on the Island (Tasmania), Stimmen Festival (Germany), Enescu Festival (Bucharest), Sori Festival (South Korea), Shanghai World Music Festival, Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Opera de Lyon, Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Centre des Musiques Arabes et Méditerranéennes (Tunis), Tropenmuseum (Amsterdam), Les Suds à Arles festival, Salle Pierre-Mercure (Montreal), Theater of Ancient Epidaurus, Cemal Resit Rey Concert Hall (Istanbul), Herodis Atticus Odeon (Athens), Malta International Arts Festival, Fès Festival (Morocco), Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), Benaroya Hall (Seatle), Palais Montcalm (Quebec), Yapi Kredi Arts Festival (Istanbul), Bursa International Festival are just some of them… with important concerts also in Copenhagen, Barcelona, Mallorca, Boston, Cologne, Zurich, Bern, Basel, Belgrade, Plovdiv, Nuremberg, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Luxembourg, Tunis, Amman, Larnaca, Nicosia, Limassol, Aachen, Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Muscat , Kuwait, Wuppertal, and Konya.

En Chordais has eight albums and participates in other eight cooperating with labels such as Ocora – Radio France, World Village, Kalan Muzik, Music Rough Guides, Accords Croisés and others. Εn Chordais concerts and discography, have been largely publicized, with enthusiastic reviews to musical magazines, on line articles, presentations, references, interviews, TV and Radio emissions (BBC world service, Arte Web, WDR, Radio CANADA, Radio FRANCE, New York Times, Deutschland Radio, Turkish Radio Television, ABC Radio National Australia, Liberation, Kathimerini, TV 5, Al Jazeera, National Greek Television and many others.

Kyriakos Kalaitzidis (conductor)

Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, composer, oud player, artistic director and cofounder of "En Chordais", is considered one of the most important musicians and scholars in the field of modal secular music of the post-Byzantine era and Mediterranean today. He studied Theology in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Byzantine Musicology in Athens University where he obtained his PhD. His doctoral thesis deals with the issue of "Post-Byzantine Music Manuscripts as a Source for Oriental Secular Music" and it was published by the Orient-Institut Istanbul & Ergon-Verlag publisher.

He has given lectures, workshops and master classes at Princeton University, Harvard University, Université de Strasbourg, McGill University (Montreal), Istanbul State Conservatory, Sibelius Academy (Helsinki), University British Columbia (Vancouver), Torino University, Ca' Foscari University (Venice), Holly Cross College (Boston), New England Conservatory (Boston) and Yildirim Beyazit University (Ankara). He has published 4 books, over 25 articles, 15 CDs while he edited 28 more.

As a member of "En Chordais" or as soloist he has given more than 2000 concerts in 45 countries in major festivals and venues, among them at Berlin Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Lincoln Center (New York), Maison Symphonic (Montreal), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Cornell University, Hong Kong Concert Hall, Onassis Cultural Center (Athens), Herodis Atticus Odeon (Athens), Fès Festival (Morocco), Melbourne Recital Centre, Sori Festival (South Korea), Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Opera de Lyon, Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Beiteddine Festival (Lebanon) and many others.

Important also are his solo performances at Sydney Opera House (2011), Amsterdam Oud Festival (2015), International Luth Festival (Tetouan 2014), Hammamet Oud Festival (2021), Riyad Oud Festival (2022), Istanbul International “Yorgo Bacanos” Ud Festival, Maison d’ Unesco - Day of Arabic Music (Paris 2010), USEK (Beirut 2009), Cemal Resit Rey Consert Hall (Istanbul 2008), International Oud Meeting (Muscat 2006), International Luth Meeting (Athens 2005), International Oud Meeting in Jerash Festival (Amman 2003), Athens Oud Festival (2022), International Oud Meeting (Thessaloniki 2002), Athens Concert Hall (2000).

He was the Artistic Director of the “MediMuses” project in the framework of the Euromed Heritage II program of European Union (February 2002 - July 2005) with research, artistic and educational activities in 13 countries of the Mediterranean and Europe. The project focused on documenting, promoting and teaching the common modal musical culture of the Mediterranean.

His research interests focus on the Post-Byzantine Music Manuscripts as a Source for Oriental Secular Music and includes documentation, commentary and transcription into staff notation. Kyriakos’ discography includes recordings of local traditions, presentation of unknown art music works (Zacharias Khanedeh, Petros Peloponnisios), as well as compositional works (Expectation, Exile, The Fairytale of the Music). His latest album "The Musical Voyages of Marco Polo" has been released by World Village - Harmonia Mundi and it was honored by the "Prix Academie Charles Cros".

On autumn semester 2015 he taught as visiting professor at Turkish Music Department of Yıldırım Beyazıt University and on July 2020 he has been appointed as Associate Professor at the Department of Music Studies - University of Ioannina.

• "Academie Charles Cros" Prize 2014 (France)

• Radio France Prize for World Music 2008.

• Official nomination for UNESCO Sharjah Prize 2006