She was born in Athens. At the age of eight, she joined I. Tsiamoulis’s traditional music choir, where she took classes in folk singing, Byzantine music and the traditional dances of Greece, and took part in the choir’s concerts and record releases.
At the age of thirteen, she began oud and Byzantine music lessons with Christos Tsiamoulis.
In 1991 she represented Greece in the World Youth Festival (JMF – Jeunesse Musicale de France) which was held in Paris, where she played the oud and sang. Since 1993 and for nine years, she worked as a teacher, teaching the oud at the Pallini Experimental Music School. In 1995, she delivered seminars on Greek folk music in high schools in Finland. She also worked for five years at the Piraeus Music Centre, giving oud lessons and serving as a member of the traditional music orchestra of the Piraeus municipality. She obtained her diploma in Byzantine music in June 2000 after a five-year apprenticeship with I. Arvanitis.
She has participated in various music documentaries-‘rebetiko’ and folk music specials in Greek state television, such as Emeis i lalitades, Eis anamnisin stigmon elkystikon, I Tetras i Xakousti tou Peiraios, Alati tis Gis, and elsewhere.
In the field of Greek folk music, she has collaborated in concerts and recordings over the years with: Domna Samiou, Greek Music Archive, Centre for Asia Minor Studies, Greek Discography Archives etc., and in contemporary Greek song with N. Xidakis, N. Papazoglou, P. Dourdoubakis, Orchestra of Colours, Pantelis Thalassinos, et al.
In the field of the European music scene, since 2013 she has been collaborating with Jordi Savall in concerts in Europe and Asia for the programs: ‘Mare Nostrum’, ‘Esprit des Balkans (Balkan Spirit)’, ‘Pèlerinages de l’âme’, ‘Orient-Occident’ and ‘Ibn Battuta’. ‘Ibn Battuta’ is a live recording of a concert given in Abu Dhabi.
She also collaborates with the group ‘L’ Arpeggiata’ for concerts in Europe. Since 2016, she has been working on a new project, ‘The Anastatica project’, presenting the journey of the Rose of Jericho, (Anastatica hierochuntica), ‘from space to space, era to era’.
In 2016, she recorded in Istanbul the soundtrack for the TV show Muhteşem Yüzyıl – Kösem Sultan with Turkish composer Aytekin Ataş.
Since 2011, she gives Greek singing seminars in France on a six-month basis in collaboration with the ‘Hiphaistia Association Européenne Pour l’ Expression de la Culture Grecque’.
She teaches traditional (demotic) songs at the postgraduate program of the Department of Music Science & Art of the University of Macedonia, and, since 2016, also teaches at the postgraduate program of the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Since 2013, she has served as head instructor at the Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association Choir.
Discography
In 2002, she released the record ‘Ta tragoudakia mou poulo’, including unreleased traditional songs from Meli, Erythrae, Asia Minor, which was the product of study of musical archives and personal research with Socrates Sinopoulos, Vangelis Karipis and Panos Dimitrakopoulos. The CD was voted from the music magazine ‘Echo & Artis’ as the best Greek traditional music release for the year 2002.
In May of 2007 she released the cd-single Like a swallow (Cantini), singing three songs of Sokratis Sinopoulos.
In the autumn of 2008 she released Amygdalaki tsakisa (Music Corner), an LP with songs from different regions of Greece.
In 2010, she released with Socrates Sinopoulos and Christos Tsiamoulis the record Politiki zygia (Legend), a live recording of their November 2008 Utrecht concert.
In 2019 she supervised and released the album Notio Toxo in Karpathos.
Most important appearances in recordings:
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: Epic Songs of Warriors and Heroes (2016)
Ch. Tsiamoulis: Wild Times (Melodiko Karavi, 2016)
Pericles Papapetropoulos: “Mika” (KEPEM, 2016)
Jordi Savall – Ibn Battuta: The traveller of Islam (2014)
L’ Arpeggiata: Mediterraneo (Virgin, 2013)
Katerina Papadopoulou: Drawing in an almond (Golden Horn Productions, 2013)
K. Papadopoulou, Ch. Tsiamoulis, S. Sinopoulos: Politiki zygia (Legend, 2010)
K. Papadopoulou: Amygdalaki tsakisa (Music Corner, 2008)
K. Papadopoulou, S. Sinopoulos: San Helidoni [Like a swallow] (Cantini, 2007)
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: Songs of History and Heroes (2007)
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: Folk fables in song (2008)
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: The Great North Wind and other traditional songs for children (2007)
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: Of nature and of love (2006)
Christos Tsiamoulis: Anespera
Michalis Koumbios, Michalis Nikoloudis: Balkan Voices Part II
K. Papadopoulou: Ta tragoudakia mou poulo (2002)
Domna Samiou Greek Folk Music Association: Songs of Dame Sea (2002)
Thanasis Moraitis: Katamesios sti thalassa – Tragoudia tis Samothrakis [In the middle of the sea – Songs of Samothrace] (2002)
Michalis Kaliontzidis: Agrotsalts [Agrotsalts – Songs of the Greeks of Pontus] (Kyriakidis publishing house, 2002)
Centre for Asia Minor Studies: Tragoudia tis Kappadokias [Songs of Cappadocia] (2001)
Pantelis Thalassinos: Agios Erotas [The Holy Eros] (Μ.Β.Ι., 2001)
Dimotika asmata tou Pontou (Kyriakidis publishing house, 2001)
Christos Tsiamoulis: Monacha gia na taksidevo (Lyra, 1999)
Petros Dourdoubakis: Stolidia ap’ ta skoupidia (1998)
Tragoudia kai skopoi tou Pontou, live recording of a concert at Pallas Theatre (1998)
Centre for Asia Minor Studies: Mousikes tis Ionikis gis [Greek Songs from Asia Minor] (1997)
Petros Dourdoubakis: Kokkino krasi [Red wine] (1996)
Christos Tsiamoulis: Erotokastro (Lyra 1996)
Ellinika laika moussika organa – Krousta (FM records, 1993)
Greek Music Archive: Tragoudia apo tin Poli kai tin Propontida, Tragoudia apo ti Smyrni [Songs from Smyrna], I Ellada tou Riga [The Greece of Rhigas Pheraios]
Christos Tsiamoulis: Athos o Emós (F.M. records, 1992)
Nikos Oikonomidis: Perasma sta Kythira [Passage to Kythira] (1991)
