Composers living in the Diaspora

10th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival

Composers living in the Diaspora – A frank and open discussion with five of the Festival’s featured composers who had to abandon their motherlands in order to pursue an international career in a foreign country, in the diaspora.

One of the most interesting shifts during the last century was the decentralisation of Western music. That was partly due to aspects of globalization, cheaper travel, elimination of borders, the rapid internet revolution. Young composers from all over the world still choose to study and live in some of these Western powerhouses. But how does this affect them in their quest for personal and artistic identity? What are the consequences in the essence of their work? Does nostalgia play a key role in their works and does this assumed double nationality have implications in their compositional expression? The 10th International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival presents an open discussion between five prolific composers from Cyprus and abroad who had to abandon their motherlands in order to pursue an international career in a foreign country, in the diaspora: Vassos Nicolaou (Cyprus / Germany), Evis Sammoutis (Cyprus / US), Andreas Tsiartas (Cyprus / UK), Thomas Simaku (Albania / UK), Jorge Grossmann (Peru / US).

Information:
Information: Pharos Arts Foundation Tel. (+357) 22-663871 / www.pharosartsfoundation.org