Category Archives: What’s up?

Announcing the new collaboration of Mapamundi Música with Medigrecian / Alkis Zopoglou

Announcing the new collaboration between:

Hello! It is a pleasure to announce you the collaboration that has just started between Mapamundi Música and Medigrecian. 

Which is the objective?

It is to design and make available a versatile offer of high artistry of Greek music, incorporating in addition to the concerts, also activities that allow the public to participate actively in this cultural legacy.

What is Medigrecian?

It is the brand name created by Alkis Zopoglou to encompass his various artistic projects, which range from the Rodopi Ensemble, focusing on traditional Greek Thracian styles, to the Kontrabando Ensemble and its contemporary approach to Balkan music, to the collaboration with oudist Marina Lintou Mochament.

Who is Alkis Zopoglou?

I first met Alkis Zopoglou through his Mediterranean music festival in Switzerland. This is one of his facets, that of festival director.

It was only later that I got to know his artistic side and it was precisely his Rodopi Ensemble that enchanted me: popular Greek music, with a traditional flavour, performed with that differential subtlety of someone who has grown up with this music in his environment as much as with his mother tongue.

Apart from Rodopi Ensemble, Alkis leads several artistic projects which we will report on in this and future communications.

In 2019 Alkis was also appointed as artistic director of the Cosmopolis Festival in Kavala, his hometown.

You can find Alkis’ extended bio below.

Learn more about the first proposals we are offering with this collaboration:

Watch a video of each project here below under my signature. More proposals will be announced soon.

RODOPI ENSEMBLE

Click to watch the video:

 

MARINA LIONTOU MOCHAMENT & ALKIS ZOPOGLOU

Click to watch the video:

 

KONTRABANDO ENSEMBLE

Click to watch the video:

 

ALKIS’ ZOPOGLOU EXTENDED BIO

Alkis Zopoglou actively begins his pursuit of music from a very early age. For eight years he systematically takes lessons in Istanbul. There, he studies and meets the styles of performance of various important kanun players of Istanbul, such as Ahmet Meter, Halil Karaduman, Goksel Kartal and Goksel Baktagir. He is a licensee in Byzantine music.

Till today, he has developed an intense artistic activity. He takes part in several cultural events and in discography, with a significant number of prominent composers and bands of Greece (Chronis Aidonidis, Nikos Saragoudas, Stamatis Kraounakis, Haig Yazdjian, Nikos Filippidis, Theo Kapilidis, En Chordais and others). He is also co-operating with many foreign musicians like Theodossi Spassov, Sellahadin Maraqa, Ara Digjian, Kudsi Erguner, Suleiman Erguner, Imane Homsy, Charbel Rouhana, Samir Siblini, Fahrettin Yarkin, Necip Gulses, Hossein Omouni, Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, Ghada Shbeir, Rima Khcheich and others.

He has travelled for concerts in many foreign countries (Germany, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Tasmania, Netherlands, Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mexico, China, Seoul, UAE, Israel, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Oman, Romania, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Ukraine and others). He has represented Greece as a musician and has taught qanun in international qanun meetings in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon Cyprus and Romania.

He is a founding member of the musical ensemble Kontrabando, artistic director of mediterranean music festival in Zurich-Switzerland (mmfestival.ch) and Cosmopolis festival in Kavala-Greece (cosmopolisfestival.gr).

Participation in the Conference on Digital Transformation and Resilience in Culture, talking about ConcierTajo

Next Thursday May 20th I will participate in the Conference on Digital Transformation and Resilience in Culture organised by Agetec, the association of cultural managers of Madrid, in the round table about “Experiences of adaptation to the new cultural environment”. I will talk about the experience of ConcierTajo, the artistic event that Mapamundi Música designed specifically for the online environment, for the ILO Office for Spain, with the musical band Vigüela. You can attend in person (with health measures, of course, and there are still a few places left) or in real time online. Check the complete program and register for free at: https://agetec.org/jornada-de-transformacion-digital-y-resiliencia-de-la-cultura-2021/

–

Spanish:

El próximo jueves día 20 de mayo participaré en la Jornada de Transformación Digital y Resiliencia en la Cultura organizada por la Asociación de Gestores y Técnicos Culturales de la Comunidad de Madrid Agetec, en la mesa redonda acerca de “Experiencias de adaptación al nuevo entorno cultural”. Hablaré de la experiencia de ConcierTajo, el evento artístico que diseñamos específicamente para el ámbito online, desde Mapamundi Música para la Oficina de la OIT para España, con el grupo musical Vigüela. Se puede seguir de manera presencial (con las medidas de seguridad sanitarias, por supuesto, y aún quedan algunas plazas) o en tiempo real online. Consulta todo el programa e inscríbete en: https://agetec.org/jornada-de-transformacion-digital-y-resiliencia-de-la-cultura-2021/ 

Araceli Tzigane, member of the jury for the second time of the Radio_Head Awards from the Slovak radio

Araceli Tzigane is pleased to be, for the second year, jury of the Radio_Head Awards, that allows her to discover the most exciting musical production of Slovakia.

Learn more about these Awards, here:

Araceli Tzigane, international judge of the Belgian World Music Network Showcase

Araceli Tzigane is honored to be the international judge of the edition of the Belgian World Music Network Showcase of 2021. The jury is composed by:

  • Rokia Bamba is a DJ and radio producer for Radio Campus.
  • Marc Decock is the global sounds programmer at the AB.
  • Tony Heynen is a journalist, label manager at NYP Records and DJ under the name Global Riddims.
  • Irène Rossi is in charge of programming and communication for the Couleur Café festival.
  • Araceli Tzigane is our international judge. She runs Mapamundi Música, a management and booking agency. She also co-hosts the radio programme Mundofonias.
  • Bertrand Veys is the programmer of the Jam’in Jette festival.

This external jury will choose the 4 bands and 2 DJ’s that will participate in the 2021 showcase evening. The decision and the program will be announced very soon.

Discover the jury of the Belgian World Music Night 2021

Araceli Tzigane in Ah! World Music

Alexis Herrería invited a few weeks ago Araceli Tzigane to his radio show in Ah! World Music to talk about her activities and to talk about the artists colaborators of Mapamundi Música. The conversation was so lively that it took finally two editions. Enjoy them:

First edition, with Hudaki Village Band, Monsieur Doumani, Vigüela and Janusz Prusinowski Kompania:

Second edition, with Entavía, Gulaza, Rodopi Ensemble, Svetlana Spajić Group and Xabi Aburruzaga:

Mapamundi Música signs an agreement with Asociación Reforesta

The pandemic has changed our lifes much. It has even forced us to divert our forces and our attention from some important values that we cannot forget:

Despite the situation, despite all the sadness and all the losses, Mapamundi Música wants to keep supporting grassroots initiatives that respond to challenges that will still be there when the pandemic is over. That is why we have just signed a collaboration agreement with Asociación Reforesta, an association that, since 2009, has planted more than 28,000 trees of native species and that also waters and protects them for years to prevent them from drying out or being eaten by animals. Reforesta is declared by the Ministry of the Interior as an association of Public Utility.

The first trees to be planted with our support will be holly trees, which are in danger of extinction, and will be planted in the Pinar de la Barranca, in Navacerrada. The oxygen they produce may end up reaching you and your loved ones.

Apart from the economic contribution already made, for each concert contracted to Mapamundi Música in 2021, a part of the income will be dedicated to more reforestation projects.

Keep the strength.

  • ESTA NOTICIA ESTÁ TAMBIÉN EN CASTELLANO PULSANDO ESA OPCIÓN –

Application period for Fira Mediterrània de Manresa ends tonight: Wednesday, January 27th, at 24h

The 2021 edition will be the 24th of this professional meeting and festival, which takes place in Manresa, Catalonia.

The first time I attended the Fira was in 2006. I have discovered wonderful artists there, like the Italian group from Salento Mascarimiri, and I have had the pleasure to provide several acts: Triada and Hristov Brothers (it was maybe in 2008), Janusz Prusinowski Kompania & Manu Sabaté and From Turia to Tajo, the meeting between Vigüela, Apa and Eduard Navarro. For this edition I have sent several proposals and I hope next October, from 14th to 17th, it will be the moment to meet again a good bunch of colleagues from our community, after such a long time of distancing.

The application process is easy and for free. Click here: https://firamediterrania.cat/ca/professionals/convocatoria-artistica

You will have to register (if you are not already registered) and to fill in some fields. Prepare in advance, at least: bio/dossier explaining the show, artistic line up (it requires a separate document, apart from the dossier), technical/logistic needs, two pictures, links to videos and audios, usual fee and reduced fee for the fair.

In the previous years there was a professional area of fair with stands that you could rent. In 2020 that part of the Fira was cancelled. For 2021 this option is, at least now, not announced.

I hope to visit Manresa again in 2021!

And now from Spain, some musical joy for Christmas and the best wishes! A carol by Vigüela for you.

In the post with the song Dunaj by Janusz Prusinowski (you can read it again here) I told you that it was my first season’s greeting. Because here you are the second one! ✌️

Yesterday I was in El Carpio de Tajo, the village where most of the vigüelis are settled and where the band was born, to make some videos for a documentary film and, after the serious work, we had time to sing together a little. And now I share this moment with you, from the intimate environment of their rehearsal room. If you need anything else about Vigüela, just let me know.
? This carol you have below is probably the most popular in Spain. The video below has subtitles in English for the lyrics.
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At the end of the song you see a change of concept, let’s say: it starts talking directly to the woman who is listening, who is told that she does not look stingy. This is because this song, and many others, are sung from house to house, requesting the inhabitants to come out and give something to eat or a coin to those who are singing. This custom of requesting from house to house in exchange for the song is called to “request the aguinaldo“, or “aguilando“, depending on the region.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Araceli Tzigane | Mapamundi Música

A song of good wishes for you, when we need them most, by Janusz Prusinowski

How are you? I hope well! This is a season’s greeting email, how original! In fact I think so ? 

A few days ago Janusz Prusinowski sent me two recordings he had made for a project to disseminate the music from Łukowa, a village with 2.600 inhabitants in the South-East of Poland with a musical tradition that was lastly added to the National Heritage list. A group of people there are working to transmit this music to the new generations.

Listen to: the solo voice version or the version with instrumentation
– You can download and use them if you make a radio show or podcast or similar and send our best wishes also to your listeners –

What is the song about? Let’s let Janusz explain it by himself.
Click on Janusz’s face to listen the explanation  ?
 

Some more info about the song, by the artist:

“This is traditional wishing carol, that used to be sung by young men to the girls, walking from house to house. The name of a girl, for whom the wish is dedicated, is consequently repeated in each couplet of the song, as the magic incantation, in order to bring the “ideal bridegroom” next year. Naturally the real “ideal bridegroom” was just the one, singing the “dunaj”.

This year the covid situation stopped traditional carol singers in all regions of Poland. I hope, that internet would at least in 1% substitute the real situation of meeting, singing together and sharing good wishes.”

I am grateful to Janusz for allowing me to use his beautiful recordings to wish you a happy season. I hope 2021 will make us forget the grieves of 2020.

? And thank you, for being here visiting me. This is my first season greeting. More will follow soon!

 

And these are the lyrics. I had the support of Ewa Gomółka for the translation:

To the river, Maria, in the morning, to bring the water, to the river,
And with two buckets, to the river!
She picked up water, dropped the wreath of flowers, into the river,
And she went along the bank, to the river,
And she found three ospreys, to the river,
My dearest ospreys, fish my wreath of flowers, to the river
And how will you pay us, to the river,
To the river, Maria, in the morning, to bring the water, to the river?
For the first one, the present will be my rue crown, to the river,
For the second, the present will be my wedding ring, to the river,
For the third one the present will be the bride, to the river,
The bride, beautiful like a blueberry, to the river,
Work, work and while you are looking for money, to the river,
[One of the singers makes the prolonged sound “Iiiiiii”]
Go to the chest and look for the złoties, in the river,
Take the stick, bring down a sausage, to the river,
Search in the chest, pull out half a pig, to the river,
Look on the shelf, take out a loaf of bread, to the river,
To the river, for those in this house, to the river,
To the river, for the grandma who is sitting on a bench, to the river,
To the river, for the grandpa who is sitting on the table,
To the river, Maria, in the morning, to bring the water, to the river.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I loved writing it for you.