Windcraft Music Fest 5

World music traditions and jazz meet up at the Windcraft Music Fest once again!

The music of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean meets with the tradition of jazz and modern electronic sounds at this year’s Windcraft Music Fest! Get ready for a two-day music fiesta, in which the winds have the leading role; where tradition and modernity co-exist; where you can hear good music and feel good cheer everywhere!

The 5th Windcraft Music Fest will take place on 11&12 August 2018 at the lovely village of Katydata, Nicosia region. Inspired by different music traditions of the world, nine music groups formed by renowned musicians from Cyprus and abroad, will present their very personal music projects on three stages: the Inn, the Orchard and the Little Square.

On the first day of the festival, the main stage will host bands that flirt with ethnic and jazz music: the quartet of Israeli pianist and composer Uriel Herman, whose pieces blend traditional, classical, jazz and rock music elements; the new project of Cypriot ud player Giannis Koutis in collaboration with Armenian musician Vahan Galstyan (duduk) and Ruven Ruppik (percussion) from Germany entitled “Levant Project”; and the ethnic jazz Alkis Agathokleous Quintet. On the same day, sunset will find us at the Little Square with our feet moving to well-known swing tunes from the golden jazz era, performed by the Pafos Big Band, while by midnight we will be dancing in the Orchard to the grooves of The French Experience (Marios Takoushis & Stelios Xydias).

The brass sound of the Balkans will uplift us the next day. Captain Stambolov, a brass band orchestra from France, will serve us its famous Balkan turbo-futuristic recipe, while Chouska Ensemble from Greece will offer a rather traditional approach to Balkan music, with a touch of jazz elements. The Windcraft Band will share the stage with special guests, reinventing well-known Cypriot and traditional tunes, while the Marlia Project will be presenting their jazz experimentations on traditional songs, poly-rhythm fusion improvisations on cover songs, and tunes from their latest album. On the same day, Dimitris Baslam will present, in collaboration with the University of Cyprus, the performance “Sofia the Bee” – a theatre show with live music.

Music workshops and seminars that involve everyone in the process of music creation will also be offered for free to people of any age. Encouraging the interaction of the visitors with the locals and in between them, different parallel activities such as an exploration game in the village and a photographic walk will be organised. An impressive highlight of the festival will be the call to more than 100 people to join their breath in producing sound from a 48 meter long handmade flute.

Having been established as one of the loveliest summer music events of the Cypriot countryside, the Windcraft Music Fest promises to continue presenting music concerts of the highest level, while aiming to blend harmonically the past with the present, creating the right circumstances for human interaction, cultural understanding and celebration!

Check the detailed programme at: www.windcraftmusicfest.com

Organiser: Windcraft Loud

Sponsors: Cultural Services of Ministry of Education and Culture, Youth Board of Cyprus, Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Goethe-Institut Zypern, Wavaya, Embassy of Israel, Air France-KLM, Ano Sound Control

Media Sponsor: Politis Newspaper

Supporters: Katydata Community Council, Windcraft Music Centre, Interton Music Management, Pianotechniki, Hook Recording Studio