Musical Bridges: Monsieur Doumani - She’Koyokh

The program begins with Monsieur Doumani, who will be presenting material from their two albums, Grippy Grappa and Sikoses. She'Koyokh will later join Monsieur Doumani on stage and the two bands will interact together.  She'Koyokh will continue with their own repertoire after Monsieur Doumani leaves the stage.

Monsieur Doumani, nominated for 'Best Group' in Songlines Music Awards 2016, were formed in 2011 in Nicosia by Antonis Antoniou (tzouras), Angelos Ionas (guitar) and Demetris Yiasemides (wind instruments). Although each member of Monsieur Doumani comes from a different musical background all three are influenced by Cypriot folklore on various levels.

They focus on rearranging Cypriot traditional songs by adding their own particular color to the sound and feeling of the songs. They also compose their own songs in the Cypriot dialect, which are inspired by contemporary Cypriot society, as for example the recent financial crisis that hit the island and the corrupted political system.

Their live appearances in festivals and venues across Europe (WOMAD, Songlines Encounters, Cheltenham, Vienna Konzerthaus, SKIF St. Petersburg, etc) have been very well-received by diverse audiences and their music has been presented on radio stations around the globe, such as BBC, NPR, Radio France, Sveriges Radio, PBS Melbourne etc.

Monsieur Doumani have released two albums, which have received excellent reviews from international media. Their last album 'Sikoses' reached No.1 in the November 2015 'Transglobal World Music Chart'

Antonis Antoniou: tzouras, vocals
Angelos Ionas: guitar, vocals
Demetris Yiasemides: trombone, flute, vocals

Hailed as “one of London’s musical treasures, playing the best Balkan and Klezmer music in Britain” (The Evening Standard), She'Koyokh has spent over a decade absorbing the rich folk music traditions of Jewish Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Meshing location and genre with genius ease, She' Koyokh perform Bosnian love songs, Bulgarian wedding dances in crazy time signatures, Romanian fiddle tunes, ballads from Thessaloniki and rip-roaring Klezmer music.

The band's evolution spans the origins of busking at East London’s Columbia Road flower market to performing in the famous concert halls of Europe including Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Gasteig in Munich and London’s Southbank Centre. As well as TV appearances and live sessions on radio, they have performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, Cheltenham, WOMAD and Sziget. The group has released four very successful albums.

Çiğdem Aslan: Lead Vocals
Susi Evans: Clarinet
Meg Hamilton: Violin
Živorad Nikolić: Accordion/Vocals
Matt Bacon: Guitar
Paul Moylan: Double Bass
Christina Borgenstierna: Percussion

Duration: 110' 
Tickets: €10 / € 8 Rialto supporters / € 5 students, soldiers, senior citizens

Click here for the website of Kypria International Festival