Bowed instruments

The Thomas Meleteas Trio, led by acclaimed oud player and composer Thomas Meleteas, takes the Baumstrasse stage (8 Servion) in Votanikos on October 18. Meleteas explores the intersection of tradition and innovation with his unique fusion of Eastern and Western sounds.

Masters of a musical instrument family popular in many Western Asian and Eastern Mediterranean countries will come together at an online festival organized by a music school based in Istanbul.

"We are organizing an online kamancha festival. It is going to be the first international effort in this field," Arslan Hazreti, kamancha artist and crafter, told Hürriyet Daily News.

Ireland-to-Greece transplant Ross Daly has been conducting master classes out of a restored manor house in Crete for the past 17 years, bringing the sounds and musical styles of the Middle East, the Balkans, India and Central Asia to budding musicians, with the assistance of guest teachers.

Composer, singer and master lyra player Psarantonis, a cult figure in Greek music, is slated to perform at Temple in Psyrri on April 17 and 18. The widely respected Cretan artist will be joined by Niki Xylouris, Yiannis Papatzanis and Nektarios Kontogiannis for the two career-spanning sets.

Acclaimed lyra master Sokratis Sinopoulos and his band explore the evolution of traditional Greek music and its similarities with other grassroots genres. The band will be performing at Gazarte on Friday, December 29, and tickets cost 8-20 euros in advance and 11-23 euros at the door. The show starts at 9.30 p.m.

Composer, singer and master lyra player Psarantonis, a cult figure in Greek music, is slated to perform at Athens's Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) on Tuesday, October 3. The widely respected Cretan artist has invited dozens of musicians and singers to join him in a tribute to the music of his native island. The show starts at 8.30 p.m. and admission costs 8 euros.

The fourth Cretan World Music Festival, held on Wednesday, July 19, in Alikianos in Hania, is hosting three ensembles whose music is inspired by the island's history and landscapes. The evening opens with the Cretan Music Group, comprising festival founder Maria Manousaki on the violin and four skilled musicians playing original work and adaptations that blend Cretan music and American jazz.

The Xaos (Chaos) duo focuses on the idea of Greek identity and transposes this into music. Perhaps their need to do this is based on the fact that they have Greek roots filtered with the identity of other influences.

The new superstar of jazz, Esperanza Spalding, will perform at Istanbul's Cemal Re?it Rey (CRR) Concert Hall on Oct. 24. 

The young U.S. bassist, vocalist, cellist and composer broke out in 2011, winning four Grammy Awards including the award for Best New Artist - making her the first jazz artist to win the award.

Two disparate forms Europe culture, on the surface at least, are fused in the latest short film produced by the Latvian #mindpower project — where prose by Latvian poetess Aspazija meets the iconic Cretan highlands music of Psarantonis.