Saturday night rembetiko fever

Antonakis Music Hall in Nicosia will welcome back local band Tri Levante on Saturday.

Their performance this time has a bit of a twist, with Greek singer Areti Ketime bringing a female touch to the musical affair.

Trio Levante was formed in November 2014 and is comprised of Petros Kouloumis on vocals and the lute, Pavlos Michaelides on vocals and the violin, and Pantelis Ionas on vocals, banjo, guitar and oud.

All three musicians are devoted to smyrneiko and Greek pre-war rembetiko. This love of the genre gives them the push they need to further explore the music and bring that old-school kind of musical feel to the audience of today.

Ketime was only 14 years old when she performed at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece. But her passion for music started long before that. At the age of six she started playing the santouri and by the age of nine she had enrolled in the Athens Conservatory of Music, where she studied piano theory.

Together with the Trio Levante, Ketime will present a unique repertoire from the greater area of Minor Asia and songs from the great legacy of the Smyrna school of rembetiko on Saturday.

Trio Levante and Areti Ketime
Live performance by the band and singer. March 18. Antonakis Music Hall, 17 Vasileiou Voulgaroktonou Street, Nicosia. 9.30pm. €10. Tel: 22-664697

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