The Polyphonic Workshop Rodia was founded by the musician and composer Martha Mavroidi in 2011. Initially, under the name “Happy Hour Choir: an orchestra of voices”, it was hosted at the Music Village in Agios Lavrentios, Baumstrasse, and the Onassis Stegi of the Onassis Foundation. Later, it became part of the traditional music chorus “Rodia” as the “Polyphonic Workshop Rodia”. The Workshop’s repertoire ranges from Manos Hadjidakis and Lena Platonos to the Beatles, Toto, and Crosby, Stills & Nash; from the Buena Vista Social Club to Tsitsanis, Kaldaras, and Sougioul; and, of course, featuring some of the most beautiful traditional songs from Greece, the Balkans and the Middle East, arranged for voices.

The traditional music chorus “Rodia” was created in 2012 by Martha Mavroidi. Rodia studies and performs traditional songs from across Greece focusing on the stylistic details of each region, as well as the folkloric context of each song, including the associated customs and its place within the annual holiday calendar.

The Chios Music Festival presents a double concert featuring the Traditional Music Chorus “Rodia” and the Polyphonic Workshop Rodia. In the first part, the Polyphonic Workshop will perform a programme featuring vocal arrangements of traditional songs from various regions around the globe, along with a piece by Lena Platonos from “Lilipoupoli”. In the second part, “Rodia” will perform traditional songs from the eastern Aegean, the Dodecanese and Asia Minor, accompanied by an orchestra of traditional instruments. The programme is curated by the musician Martha Mavroidi.

With the participation of the following musicians:

Stratis Psaradellis: Lyre

Nikos Paraoulakis: Ney

Martha Mavroidi: Lavta

Programme

Part A

Polyphonic Workshop of Rodia

Detos from Chios

Soul Cake (traditional English song)

Chrysalifourfouro (Lena Platonos, Marianina Kriezi)

Stani Stanke (traditional Macedonian)

Caje Sukarije (Esma Redzepova)

Conduction, song covers: Martha Mavroidi

Part B

Traditional Music Chorus “Rodia”

Monodentri (Chios)

Tourna (Dodecanese)

Kaneloriza (Lesvos)

Sea have pity (Oinousses)

Jasmine (Rhodes)

The fisherman with the purse seine (Asia Minor)

What to do with it (Chios)

Miller (Asia Minor)

Tonight at midnight (Asia Minor)

Chorus conductor: Martha Mavroidi