In the post-war contemporary Greek society, Domna Samiou is considered as something more than a simple interpreter of traditional music or researcher and collector of folklore music material or album and radio/television producer or a traditional music teacher.
She represents, in fact, something more than the sum of all these activities, each of which resulted in a significant body of work – by objective (if I may use the term) criteria. And I say this because, if Domna Samiou is to be judged in a fragmentary way, one may find, for each of her creative activities, other artists or researchers (indeed they exist), who are equally worthy – it may even be possible that, in certain cases and fields, they are better (e.g. to have a larger artistic or research body of work).
But in this case we have to do with a uniquely versatile persona, since all these activities are an essential part of her way of living and her attitude towards life.
Extract from the article ‘Domna Samiou at Megaron, The Athens Concert Hall’, Difono Magazine, 2000.