Événement

An Evening of Ancient Greek Music and Philosophy

Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience music, instruments, and wisdom of Ancient Greece!

Pre-Registration is required.
Early registration recommended as tickets for this in-person event are limited.
Our presenters are travelling from Greece.

Join composer Evagoras Bekiaris, luthier Theodore Koumartzis, and professor Michael Griffin (moderating) for an exploration of ancient Greek music on the classical lyre the instrument that inspired the oud, guitar, and lute. We'll share in an experience of ancient and classically inspired music, with opportunities for audience participation, including hands-on time with lyres reconstructed in Greece from ancient models.

Between the musical performances, we'll discuss the psychology of ancient Platonism, including the spiritual exercise of music and the tuning of the lyre as self-transformation and the education of the heart.

"A just and joyful person brings harmony into their soul reason, emotion, and desire like three notes in a musical scale. Having been many, they become one and act."
~ PLATO

THEODORE KOUMARTZIS is a well-known musician of the ancient lyre and the visionary behind the first interactive Museum of Ancient Music Instruments Seikilo in Thessaloniki. He is a member of the luthiers family and the niche music brand Luthieros, responsible for the construction (along with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Hellenic University of Greece) of all these musical instruments. He has founded the folk-fusion music band Reggetiko Project releasing three albums in the last decade (with international performances around Sicily, Istanbul, Nicosia, Bonn etc) and recently founded Pausis to introduce the Ancient Greek lyre as symbol of Human heritage collaborating with many significant institutes around the world in order to promote Ancient Greek culture and music. He has collaborated with such musicians as the Grammy Award-winning Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev, Ross Daly, Valentina Bellanova, Rui Fu, and Sokratis Votskos. Theodore constantly travels around the world, giving lectures, live performances and interactive tours in museums and educational institutes in Greek, English, and Spanish!

EVAGORAS BEKIARIS is a composer, producer, and mixing engineer from Cyprus. He has composed the music for the Virtual Reality documentary The Green Line (premiered at the 71st Festival de Cannes) and won the LA Film Award, London Film Week Award, and the El Paso IMPACTFest award. He has also composed and recorded music for the game Raji: An Ancient Epic, which was released on all consoles and has won Taipei Game Awards and was nominated for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards and SXSW awards. He has also undertaken the sound design and mixing of theatre and movie productions (including Tongue, Katabasis, and Liminal, among many others) that have traveled in 20+ countries. Last, he is the producer for the debut album of Pausis.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN (D.Phil.) is professor of Ancient Greek philosophy at the University of British Columbia. His doctoral research at the University of Oxford focused on Greek logic and philosophical education, and he has published three books on late ancient Platonist philosophy. His current research project focuses on the scale of virtues in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, a sequence of steps toward self-knowledge and well-being that evolved in the schools of late antiquity. He teaches regularly for UBC and Extended Learning, and a selection of his lectures can be found at www.delphicphilosophy.com.