Thousands of citizens and visitors of Crete flooded the Venetian port of Chania and the Venetian port of Heraklion for two consecutive concerts, warmly applauding the musicians of the Athens State Orchestra (ASO). The concerts were dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis, in the context of the dedicated year for the 100th anniversary of his birth and were the epilogue for this year of the successful institution of the Crete Festival of the Region.
In his greeting at the concert in Heraklion, the President of the Regional Council of Crete, Evangelos Zaharis, welcoming the Archbishop of Crete, Eugenios, the Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis, Deputy Regional Governors, MPs, artists and hundreds of citizens, said:
“The Crete Festival, with its quality events, has established itself as an institution that promotes contemporary culture, the arts and young artists of our island.”
At the same time, he warmly thanked the Regional Governor of Crete for his support, as well as the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion and the Heraklion Port Organization for their excellent cooperation for the success of the concert.
At the concert at the Venetian Port of Chania, the Commissioner for Culture, Education and Cretans Abroad, Sofia Malandraki, delivered a speech.
The concerts were conducted by the distinguished conductor Tasos Symeonidis, while the soloist was the mezzo Margarita Syngeniotou.
The Crete Festival, which is an institution and is constantly being strengthened, is an organization of the Region of Crete and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, while the artistic curator and presentation of the events is Ioanna Giannari.
A common element of all the events was the creative coexistence of classical and contemporary, highlighting the dialogue of different musical eras and expressions.
The Festival, according to the organizers, emerged primarily as a true celebration of music, covering a wide range of audience preferences, from classical to contemporary music, with excellent musical ensembles, symphony orchestras and selected soloists. A special place in the program was occupied by tributes to the leading Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, honoring his work and contribution.
