«The Soul of Epirus» The Folk Music of Epirus by clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias and laouto player Vassilis Kostas

The Consulate General of Greece in New York had the pleasure of giving its auspices to an exceptional musical evening celebrating Epirus’s folk music, through the enchanting performance of the legendary clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias and the acclaimed laouto player Vassilis Kostas.

The performance was held on October 5th, at Manhattan’s Holy Trinity Cathedral and it was jointly organized by the Panepirotic Federation, the Axion Estin Foundation and the “Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum”. The event was dedicated to promoting the genuine folk music of Epirus region in Western Greece, which has also been characterized as the ‘The World’s Most Beguiling Folk Music’ by the New York Times Magazine. The two visionary Greek musicians are about to release their new work called ‘The Soul of Epirus’.

Petroloukas Halkias was born in Epirus and counts seven decades of active presence in Greek folk music, two of which he spent in the United States. He is an ambassador of the music of Epirus in Greece and around the world, while he continues to promote, record and perform live to this day.

Vassilis Kostas is a very promising young laouto player, again from Epirus. He is a member of 'Global Messengers', the group launched by Grammy Award-winning pianist and UNESCO Artist for Peace, Danilo Perez. He has studied and performed many times in the United States, while his musical encounter with Petroloukas Halkias has been Kostas’s inspiration for innovative musical styles which combine jazz elements with folk music.

Read also: Lament From Epirus: An Odyssey Into Europe’s Oldest Folk Music

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