refuge & Renewal
Friday, December 2nd at 7pm | Tribeca
Join us for an evening of music, wine & conversation as traditional Greek singer Erini and renowned oud player Ara Dinkjian take us on a journey through the stories and songs of Erini's ancestors, the Greek refugees of Asia Minor.
Erini
Erini’s voice is characterized by entrancing ornaments from the Greek tradition and inspired by far-ranging influences such as jazz, pop and classical music. Growing up in a musical family on the island of Crete, Greece as a descendant of Greek-Anatolian refugees, Erini’s mother introduced her to the Greek - Anatolian musical tradition which ignited Erini’s passion for singing.
Throughout her journey as an artist Erini has redefined the constraints of genre and birthed a new sound combining Greek traditional music with contrasting genres such as, jazz, pop and classical music. She has had the opportunity to showcase her musical heritage at Carnegie Hall and has collaborated with Grammy award-winning artists such as Danilo Perez, Luciana Souza and Terri-Lynne Carrington as well as acclaimed Greek artists such as Vasilis Skoulas, Pantelis Thalassinos, Christos Zotos and Mario Frangoulis. . In recognition of her efforts to preserve Greek-Anatolian culture, Erini has been awarded the Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 Award and the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Traditional Arts Fellowship.
Ara Dinkjian
Oudist Ara Dinkjian is an Armenian born in America in 1958. Throughout his musical life, Ara has continued to develop his highly personal compositional style which blends his eastern and western roots. His songs have been recorded by world famous instrumentalists and singers in 16 different languages, demonstrating that music does indeed unite people and cultures.
Many of his compositions have appeared in movie and television soundtracks. Some of his pieces are even sung with ancient Hebrew texts during the Jewish High Holy Days. Ara Dinkjian is considered one of the finest oud players in the world. His style is a very personal one, with an emphasis on a uniquely beautiful tone. He has appeared throughout the world on concert stages, oud festivals, seminars, and master classes, performing in 24 different countries.