Jazz Seminar by the “3rd Floor Quartet” at the RGE Hall and it's musical collaboration with the RGE (28/8/2016)

The 3rd Floor Quartet is a jazz ensemble from Ioannina, consisting of professional musicians: Nikos Kypriotis on trumpet, Dimitris Nikas on piano, Efthymis Sferopoulos on double bass, and Kostas Dimitriou on drums.

We had the pleasure and opportunity to host the ensemble on Sunday, August 28, 2016, at Rodotopi, first in the RGE Hall for a highly engaging introductory seminar on jazz, followed by a concert in the courtyard of the Rodotopi Primary School together with our guitar ensemble.

Cabinet for the donated guitars

With the decisive contribution of the Municipality of Zitsa, the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble now possesses a display and storage cabinet for the ten electro-classical guitars donated to it in November 2015, on one hand, by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens) [ten guitars] and on the other hand, by Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis and Maria P. Papadiamantis [two guitars].

Guitar storage cabinet of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble

More specifically, the Municipality of Zitsa, by providing the construction materials for the cabinet, demonstrated its sensitivity and responded to our association's request to ensure safe protection and maintenance conditions for the sponsored instruments. It should be noted that this specific cabinet has a capacity specification for six additional guitars to meet future needs.

Furthermore, upon the completion of the cabinet's construction and installation in our association's hall, plaques honoring the sponsors were placed on it, along with rules for the maintenance and protection of the instruments. At the same time, custom badges featuring the association's logo were made and affixed to each guitar, while corresponding badges were sewn onto their fabric cases.

On behalf of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble, we express our gratitude to the Municipality of Zitsa. We also thank Kostas Th. Loumis (for assembling the cabinet) and Simos Vlahos (for sewing the badges onto the guitar cases and making the cabinet cover for sun and moisture protection) for their selfless contribution.

Below are a few photos from our hall, on the occasion of the installation of the cabinet in question.

Reflection of the windows on the cabinet glass

See also:

• Three more electro-classical guitars, through funds from donations
• Donation of ten guitars by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens) to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble of Ioannina
• Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis has passed away, a humble man who significantly helped our association - Equipment donation by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens)
• Thanks for the new August - October 2016 donations to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble

Guitar Recital and Lecture by George Bechlivanoglou in Ioannina on 19 & 20/3/2016

The members of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble, following an open invitation and the initiative of the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History, had the opportunity to attend a guitar recital and lecture by George Bechlivanoglou in Ioannina. Additionally, members of our ensemble participated in lessons delivered by the artist immediately after the lecture.

The recital took place on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at 8:30 p.m., at the Society for Epirote Studies Hall, while the lecture was held the following day, Sunday, March 20, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., in the same venue.

This was another initiative by Konstantinos Vrellis and a generous contribution of the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History to the public and guitar students of Ioannina (it should be noted that, also on his initiative, a guitar recital with the young award-winning guitarist Dimitris Soukaras was organized on 17/10/2015).

On behalf of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble, we express our gratitude to the Pavlos Vrellis Museum of Greek History and especially to the visionary behind the idea and member of our association, Konstantinos Vrellis.

Invitation to the recital and lecture

See also: 

✓  Guitar Seminar of George Bechlivanoglou at the RGE Hall (26/11/2016)

Donation of ten guitars by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens

A very pleasant surprise awaited the members of our guitar ensemble who arrived for their scheduled rehearsal on Friday, November 27, 2015. In the middle of our hall and in front of the music stands, two large boxes containing ten brand-new electro-classical guitars were waiting, ready to be opened...

Ten guitars sponsored to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble of Ioannina

This is a particularly significant development for the growth of our association’s infrastructure. It was made possible thanks to donations, on one hand, from the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens) which offered us ten guitars and, on the other hand, from Mr. Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis and Ms. Maria P. Papadiamantis, whose funds were used to purchase another two guitars. The Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble expresses its warm thanks to the donors and commits to taking all necessary actions to ensure safe protection and maintenance conditions for the donated instruments, so they may serve the association's purposes for which they are intended. At the same time, as always, all procedures required by the Statute for accepting donations and recording them in the Property Ledger or the Revenue Ledger of the Association are strictly followed.

a) The donation of the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens

In recent years, the Rodotopians of Athens, through the commendable initiative of the late Vangelis P. Kassis, have allocated a very significant amount in the form of donations to the collective entities of Rodotopi, including, among others, the Guitar Ensemble and the Progressive Association of Rodotopi. In this context, our association becomes a recipient of a donation from the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens for the second time (its first donation included 20 professional music stands with corresponding guitar footstools and music stand lights), which confirms in the best possible way their love and contribution to our village and region.

b) The donation of Mr. Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis and Ms. Maria P. Papadiamantis

It is a great honor for the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble that people such as the family of Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis have repeatedly offered significant amounts of money to support our association. They show trust and essentially recognize and foresee another aspect of development to which we aspire to contribute.

See also: 

• Three more electro-classical guitars, through funds from donations
• Cabinet for the donated guitars
• Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis has passed away, a humble man who significantly helped our association - Equipment donation by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens)
• Thanks for the new August - October 2016 donations to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble

Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis has passed away, a humble man who significantly helped our association through the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens

On Sunday, October 5, 2014, Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis took his last breath at his home in Rodotopi, Ioannina, at the age of 69, following serious health problems he had been facing.

Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis lived permanently in Athens and was an active member of the Board of Directors of the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens). He was a humble and kind-hearted man who always possessed a willingness to offer. Two years ago, as a representative of the Brotherhood and on his own initiative, after coordinating with two other active members of its Board, Mr. Spyros D. Malatos and Mr. Giannis S. Tsiouris, he took all the necessary steps to grant equipment that was vital for the operation of our guitar ensemble.

More specifically, the equipment donated by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens in 2012 to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble included:

• 20 professional orchestra music stands
• 20 guitar footstools
• 20 music stand lights
• 1 printer-copier

This was a particularly significant donation, both in terms of developing infrastructure and meeting operational needs, as well as providing overall support to our efforts to organize our then newly-established association.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of our association, we express our condolences to his family.

Regarding current donations to our association

While expressing our gratitude to Mr. Vangelis P. Kassis, it would be an omission not to mention two very important individual donations our association received a few days ago.

These consist of two independent financial amounts offered separately by Mr. Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis and his daughter, Ms. Maria P. Papadiamantis, whom our association thanks very much. It should be noted that Panagiotis D. Papadiamantis is our first individual donor; since the very beginning of the founding of the Guitar Ensemble, recognizing our efforts, he called us to offer his first donation.

Finally, it is noted that after every donation, the Board of Directors of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble follows all required procedures for accepting them by drafting corresponding Minutes and officially recording them in its revenues or in the Property Ledger of the Association if the donation consists of materials.

See also: 

• Donation of ten guitars by the Brotherhood of Rodotopians of Athens (an association of residents of the village of Rodotopi living in Athens) to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble of Ioannina
• Cabinet for the donated guitars
• Thanks for the new August - October 2016 donations to the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble

Snapshots of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble in Velingrad, Bulgaria, July 7–10, 2013

Immediately after the concert

The association “Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble of Ioannina – The Passaron” responded to an invitation from the Mayor and the Cultural Center of Velingrad Municipality, Bulgaria, “Saints Cyril and Methodius”, and participated with a musical program in the cultural events “Cultural Vacation” organized in the city. The Bulgarian hosts, providing full accommodation for the RGE musicians during the events (from July 7 to 10, 2013), incorporated into their cultural program a series of concerts and dance performances, involving organizations from various countries. The event was a very successful and enjoyable initiative, combining music, dance, and sightseeing in the broader Velingrad area.

Poster

It should be noted that the RGE’s trip to Bulgaria included both young musicians and many friends of the ensemble. Essentially, it was an excursion open to all interested parties, with the total number of participants exceeding 50 individuals.

The RGE extends its warmest thanks to the Municipality of Velingrad and the Cultural Center “Saints Cyril and Methodius” for the organization and hospitality.

Snapshots from the trip: