Lecture 'Mandolin Practices of the Greek-speaking Population in Asia Minor'

In this lecture-performance, we return to Smyrna and Constantinople at the turn of the twentieth century, two bustling port cities where Greek-speaking communities lived among many others and shared a rich musical life.

Through their PhD research, Elina and Maria Markatatou explored the songs and dances performed by mandolin ensembles in cafés, neighbourhoods, and festive gatherings, and traced how this repertoire travelled across cultures.

With a combination of storytelling and live music, they will bring to life the sounds of estudiantines (mandolin ensembles) and the cosmopolitan world that shaped them. They will also reflect on how the events of 1922 transformed this landscape, as refugee musicians carried fragments of these traditions into their new lives in Greece.