Greek traditional songs from Asia Minor Project
Erini revives the Traditional Songs of the Greek Refugees from Asia Minor
About
I’m Erini Tornesaki, a Greek vocalist and music educator based in the United States. This project aims to preserve and promote the culture and musical tradition of the Greek refugees from Asia Minor, through the research, study and performance of the music in contemporary arrangements. It also aims to foster intercultural dialogue through music, encourage cross - genre music collaboration and help dissolve stigma against immigrants and refugees. 2022 will be the 100 year anniversary of the Smyrna Catastrophe, which gives this project special gravity. The inspiration behind the project derives from the history of my great grandparents, who were Greek refugees from Asia Minor (Anatolia - today’s Western Turkey) and whose musical heritage was passed on to me.
I was born and raised on Crete. Both my great grandparents were refugees from Smyrna. My journey to the US started when I was chosen to be the leading vocalist of the Cirque Du Soleil show Kurios, touring North America. Since then I have performed at Carnegie Hall and London Jazz festival with artists such as Daniel Hope, Danilo Perez and Mario Frangoulis. I am an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music and I have presented Greek traditional music at Harvard University and Princeton amongst others.
The initiative consists of two parts. The first one is the creation of an album recording. The album:
I was born and raised on Crete. Both my great grandparents were refugees from Smyrna. My journey to the US started when I was chosen to be the leading vocalist of the Cirque Du Soleil show Kurios, touring North America. Since then I have performed at Carnegie Hall and London Jazz festival with artists such as Daniel Hope, Danilo Perez and Mario Frangoulis. I am an assistant professor at the Berklee College of Music and I have presented Greek traditional music at Harvard University and Princeton amongst others.
The initiative consists of two parts. The first one is the creation of an album recording. The album:
- A collection of Greek traditional songs of the refugees from Asia Minor, in contemporary arrangements.
- Co - produced by Grammy nominated arranger Gonzalo Grau.
- Featuring some of the most acclaimed musicians of both the traditional and the classical music scene in Greece (including Harris Lambrakis and Simos Papanas).
- Received the Boston Foundation Live Arts Grant 2020.
- Recording will begin in August 2021 and it will be released in 2022.
The second part is the creation of arrangements of the Greek traditional songs from Asia Minor for string orchestras and string quartets with the goal to expose more musicians and audiences to this cultural heritage and to present it in concert halls across the United States and internationally. Five of these arrangements will be premiered in the Spring of 2022 at Berklee College of Music by the Berklee World Strings Orchestra, conducted by Grammy winner Eugene Friesen.
Sponsorship Tiers:
Bronze: $50 - $499
Silver: $500 - $1,999
Gold: $2,000 - $4,999
Platinum: $5,000 - $9,999
Premier Platinum: $10,000 - $14,999
Diamond: $15,000 - $29,999
Associate Producer: $30,000 or more
Learn More: http://erinimusic.com