Greek Island of Rhodes Hosts 8th European Polyphony Festival

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The 8th International European Polyphony Festival continues in Rhodes until October 10, bringing concerts, visual art, film, workshops and guided tours to venues across the city, with the Medieval City at its centre.

Based on polyphonic music, the festival brings together different forms of artistic expression and invites audiences to experiences that extend beyond the concert hall. It also places particular emphasis on introducing children and young people to music while promoting Rhodes as a cultural tourism destination.

Three concerts in landmark venues

The concert programme begins on October 2 at 9pm at the Palace of the Grand Master with Catharsis, a performance that follows its success in Paris.

Christopher Gibert joins Savvas Karantzas for a programme of choral and instrumental music featuring the Dulci Jubilo Chamber Choir, the Mikrokosmos octet, and musicians Sébastien Gisbert and Chrysanthos Antoniou.

On October 3 at 8.30pm, the Cathedral of the Annunciation hosts À la française, a concert dedicated to French music. Dulci Jubilo and Christopher Gibert will perform works by Saint-Saëns, Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, Duruflé and other French composers.

The Medieval Moat Theatre “Melina Mercouri” will host the Children’s Day – Music Meeting and Creative Expressionon October 5 at 6pm. Children’s choirs from Rhodes and the European Orchestra of the Rhodes Music School will perform, joined by composer Nikos Kypourgos and featuring works by Kypourgos, Manos Hadjidakis and other composers.

Aerial performance closes the festival

The festival will close on October 10 with Maudits Sonnants by French company Compagnie Transe Express, an outdoor performance combining music, street theatre and aerial action.

The programme begins at 6pm at Rodon with music, percussion, face painting and magic. At 7.30pm, the aerial performance will take place around Rhodes Town Hall and Eleftherias Square.

More than 1,000 school students will take part in the performance after preparing through workshops organised by the festival.

Workshops, schools and a musical journey through the city

On October 4, the French Consulate will host music workshops for children aged 6-12, teenagers aged 13-18 and adults, with the participation of the Choeur de Chambre Mikrokosmos.

From October 5 to 8, the festival will visit primary schools across Rhodes. Through dozens of interactive workshops, more than 1,000 children will discover polyphonic music and the creative process with the participation of Mikrokosmos.

On October 4 at 7pm, music will move into the streets of the Medieval City. A musical and historical tour will begin at Argyrokastrou Square, with Professor Spyros Syropoulos and the Mikrokosmos octet exploring the city’s history and the acoustics of its historic spaces.

“Resonances” brings photography and sound together

From September 28 to October 6, the French Consulate will host Resonances, an exhibition combining photography and sound.

Peggy Herbeau and Christophe Fillieule approach the subject through photography, while Chrysanthos Antoniou and Savvas Karantzas create the accompanying compositions. Together, the artists explore disability through image and sound.

Visitors can listen to the musical works accompanying the photographs through QR codes.

The project takes place in collaboration with the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir through Culture Moves Europe, with support from the European Union and the Goethe-Institut.

Odysseus through words and music

On September 30 at 7.30pm, Professor Spyros Syropoulos will join the festival’s artistic directors, Savvas Karantzas and Chrysanthos Antoniou, at the Rhodes Museum of Modern Greek Art for a presentation centred on Odysseus.

Eight episodes from the Odyssey will combine with live music, creating a dialogue between words and music while opening a discussion on disability and inclusion.

The musical component, titled Hades, will be performed by the Mikrokosmos octet, with Chrysanthos Antoniou on violin.

The art of movement on screen

The festival’s film programme includes the 2024 online documentary The Art of Movement, directed by Olympia Gauguet.

The festival production explores the relationship between disability, accessibility, art and movement, continuing its discussion of inclusion through a different artistic medium.

Admission to festival events is free. Reservations are required for the concerts on October 2 and 3, the September 30 presentation and the music workshops.

Festival directors highlight younger generations

Festival artistic directors Chrysanthos Antoniou and Savvas Karantzas said European Polyphony was created as “a meeting place” for different musical traditions, artists and audiences, as well as for art, the city and its history.

“This year, we want to open the festival even further to younger generations and create experiences that are not limited to the concert, but continue through education, public space and participation,” they said.

The 8th International European Polyphony Festival operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy.

The Region of South Aegean, the Municipality of Rhodes and Arts Spontanés co-organise the festival.

The festival also receives support from the Ministry of Culture, the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy, the Rhodes Municipal Enterprise Single-Member S.A. (DERMAE), the Rhodes Municipality Directorate of Culture, the Organisation for the Promotion of Rhodes Tourism (PROTUR), the French Consular Authority in Rhodes, the Rhodes Hotel Association, the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Dodecanese, Ars Artis, the Rhodes Museum of Modern Greek Art, the Holy Metropolis of Rhodes and private cultural supporters Mitsis and Atrium Hotels & Resorts.

Information: festivaleuropeanpolyphony.com

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