6th National Meeting of Guitar Ensembles and Orchestras in Ioannina – Presentation of Participants

On Saturday, January 21, 2023, at “V. Pyrsinellas” Hall in Ioannina, starting at 5:30 p.m., the 6th National Meeting of Guitar Ensembles and Orchestras in Ioannina will take place.
As with the five previous editions, the event is co-organised by the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble (RGE), the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Ioannina, and the Municipality of Zitsa.

The 6th Meeting follows a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic and features ten participating musical institutions from across Greece — primarily guitar ensembles and orchestras from music schools and conservatories.

Below is a presentation of the participating ensembles and their musical programmes.
The order of appearance of each ensemble/orchestra is listed in the printed version of the programme provided at the end.

PARTICIPATIONS & MUSIC PROGRAMS

Seminar on “Autism – Asperger Syndrome” – RGE Hall, 30/10/2022

On Sunday afternoon, 30/10/2022, the scheduled seminar on “Autism – Asperger Syndrome” was held at the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble Hall, following prior notice to the members of the association.

The speaker was Marilena Roukou, Special Education teacher, who delivered an excellent presentation, offering participants the opportunity to explore important aspects of the subject and providing clear answers to the questions raised.

The seminar was organized in the context of the RGE’s effort to include individuals (musicians) with special abilities and needs.

Warm thanks to Ms. Athina Thoma for her new donation (December 2020) to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble

The RGE expresses its warm thanks to Ms. Athina Thoma for her 7th financial support to the association with a significant amount of money.

The Donations link lists all donations and grants to the RGE, as well as the framework for accepting them based on its Statute.

See also: 

"Whatever we say about Ms. Athina Thoma's contribution to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble is simply not enough... "

Warm thanks to Ms. Athina Thoma for her new donation to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble (March 2020)

Whatever we say about Ms. Athina Thoma's contribution to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble is simply not enough. She is a person whom all of us involved in the RGE feel very close to, and who has been quietly and substantially supporting our association for years.

With this donation, Ms. Athina is supporting the RGE for the 6th time with a significant amount of money. At the same time, her actions send a symbolic message, giving courage and strength to all its members to keep going and improving.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the members of the RGE, we thank you warmly, Ms. Athina!

The procedure for accepting donations and grants by the RGE, as well as the total donations made to it, are available at the Donations link.

Review of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble’s participation in the “Musiversity” Erasmus project in Poland (April 2019)

Beautiful experiences, new friendships, striking landscapes, intercultural interaction, and musical collaboration are just some of the words that could describe the participation of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble (RGE) in the Erasmus+ program “Musiversity”, which took place in Zatonie, Poland, from April 22 to 30, 2019.

From a workshop in the woods

The members of the RGE had the opportunity to participate free of charge in this European Union-funded Erasmus+ program, which covered travel, accommodation, and meals. The journey included a stopover and overnight stay in Berlin, Germany.

More information regarding the objectives and framework of the program is available at the link “RGE in Poland with the Erasmus program”. Below is a selection of photographic material and videos documenting participation in workshops and other activities.

The Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble in Poland for the Musiversity Erasmus project, for 8 days during Easter 2019

The Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble (RGE) will spend eight days in Poland during the Easter holidays of 2019, participating in a European Union-funded Erasmus+ project.

Specifically, our association, a member since 2014 of the community of organizations eligible to participate in European programs, responded to an invitation from the Polish organization Chrześcijańska Służba Charytatywna and submitted all relevant documentation and proposals in 2018 for participation in the “Musiversity” project, which was approved in January 2019.

The “Musiversity” project targets individuals aged 15–20 and includes four organizations with musical expertise or interest from Poland, Jordan, Tunisia, and Greece, each sending seven participants. Representing Greece, the RGE will take part in the program. All participants will be hosted at the Polubie Recreation and Leisure Center in Zatonie, Western Poland.

The Two-Day Event by Guitar Soloist Kostas Tosidis in Ioannina (Recital at “D. Chatzis” Hall – Seminar in Rodotopi)

During the weekend of February 10–11, 2018, we had the pleasure of welcoming the distinguished guitar soloist of international career Kostas Tosidis. He offered a remarkable recital at the Cultural Venue “Dimitris Chatzis” and, at the same time, held a valuable guitar seminar at the RGE Hall in Rodotopi.

The events were co-organized by the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble, the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Ioannina, and the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History. On behalf of the RGE, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Kostas Tosidis for the wonderful guitar moments he shared with us.

We would also like to express our gratitude to the administration of the Cultural Center of Ioannina for their cooperation, as well as to Konstantinos Vrellis, director of the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History, for his generous sponsorship and decisive contribution to the success of the two-day event.

Photos: Christos Parginos

Guitar Soloist Kostas Tosidis in Ioannina for a Recital at the “D. Chatzis” Cultural Venue (10/2/2018) and a Seminar in Rodotopi (11/2/2018)

On Saturday, February 10, 2018, a remarkable guitar recital will take place in Ioannina, featuring the soloist and lecturer at the Salzburg Mozarteum Academy, Kostas Tosidis. He is an artist with extensive guitar activity and concert experience in venues across Europe and the United States (a short biography follows below, while more can be found on his website: www.kostastosidis.com).

The recital will be held at the “Dimitris Chatzis” Cultural Venue (Old Slaughterhouses) at 8:00 pm, co-organized by the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble (RGE), the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Ioannina, and the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History.
Recital ticket price: €5

Free Guitar Seminar
On the day following the recital, Sunday, February 11, 2018, Kostas Tosidis will hold a free guitar seminar at the RGE Hall in Rodotopi. A limited number of performers will participate, while the seminar will be open to all interested listeners. Both performers and auditors will receive a certificate of participation signed by the soloist. Auditors who wish to obtain a certificate should register for the seminar by February 8, 2018, using the contact form of this blog.

Seminar Schedule

The Guitar Seminar by George Bechlivanoglou in Rodotopi and his Lecture in Ioannina (2017)

On Saturday, December 2, 2017, George Bechlivanoglou held, for the second consecutive year, an outstanding guitar seminar for the members of the RGE in Rodotopi. On the following day, Sunday, December 3, 2017, he continued at Frontzou Politeia in Ioannina with a lecture and guitar seminar.

The two-day event of George Bechlivanoglou in Ioannina, as well as two previous ones, was organized by the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History, following the initiative of Konstantinos Vrellis, to whom our association expresses its heartfelt gratitude for his contribution.

The Seminar in Rodotopi (2.12.2017)

Once again, George Bechlivanoglou, full of energy and willingness to give, taught continuously for six hours, far exceeding the initial time plan of the seminar. Six RGE members participated as performers, presenting works of varying difficulty, including F. Tárrega (Pepita), N. Paganini (Romanze, arr. K. Scheit), and C. Domeniconi (Variations on an Anatolian Song).

Photos by Christos Parginos