This year marks 20 years since the start of the Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus, and to mark the event the festival will stage two months of theatrical and musical performances.
As always, the festival will take place at the Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus – or Axiothea – which was established to give the festival a home.
Axiothea is found within a beautiful old mansion in old Nicosia and it’s 20-year course so far has seen the cultural scene of Cyprus flourish. The festival began with several performances of Leontios Machairas’ Chronicle of Cyprus and two concerts by musicians Psarantonis and Evagoras Karagiorgis. “Their volunteer effort provided the music for this historical (as it turned out) production,” said professor Michalis Pieris, who has been part of the festival since its start.
“Today, 20 years since its establishment, the Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus is considered internationally one of the major institutions in the country offering high quality artistic events, which also promote the concept of multicultural exchange and creative communication between the peoples of the broader Euro-Mediterranean region,” Pieris added.
Here are the first few performances that the festival has in store and with which it will continue its legacy.
This year’s multicultural exchange will begin on Friday with a performance of the play DEFOL: Smyrne 1922. The play is based on the novel of the same name by Demetris Karagiannis which describes the last days of Smyrna before the destruction of the city in 1922. By presenting the tragedy of the thousands of people scrambling to flee from the burning city, the performance pays tribute to those who were lost and to those who survived the uprooting and lived their lives as refugees.
The play will be performed until September 5 in Greek.
The festival will continue on September 7 with a musical performance by Glafkos Kontemeniotis: Dingone. The concert will feature new compositions by the Cypriot pianist Kontemeniotis along with Apostolos Sideris on bass, Alexandros Gagatsis on Vibraphone and Ioannis Vafeas on drums. The four musicians will bring to life the pianist’s pieces, which weave together jazz, traditional and classical music to form a new kind of musical style.
Continuing with a musical feel on September 13 will be the Greek songwriter and singer Pantelis Thalassinos, who will also be joined on stage by singers Demetris Mesimeris and Katerina Paraschou and a six-member band. With a total of 15 solo albums, 500 songs and more than 600 concerts performed around the world, Thalassinos can certainly be considered to be a music legend.
The festival will present us with the Euripides’ tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis on September 16. The tragedy tells of how a father could be willing to sacrifice his own daughter for the Trojan war to begin. This drama’s strong political and moral messages seem to be relevant even today.
Ending on a happier note, Paris-based singer and songwriter Vakia Stavrou will return to Axiothea once more to present her new album Alasia. These new songs will inspire intense feelings with their array of musical colour and sound.
Stavrou will be joined on stage by musicians Carlos Bernardo, Inor Sotolongo and Stelios Pittas.
All the above performances will begin at 8.30pm.
Twentieth Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus
A festival with a number of theatrical and musical performances. September 1 until October 16. Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus, Manor House on Axiotheas Street, Nicosia. Different times. €40 festival pass and €10/5 for each performance. Tel: 22-894531
