From as far back as singer, music teacher and vocal coach Agapi Gioftsidis can remember, singing was simply in her bones.
As her mum tells it, she was singing before she could talk.
Agapi was born in Toronto and moved to Melbourne when she was five.
“I still have memories of me in Toronto, sitting on the staircase at home and singing my little heart out,” she tells Neos Kosmos.
“I just remember always singing, everything and anything; songs, TV jingles, whatever I’d heard.
“My mum was my only audience member back then. My mum will say to me, and it sounds so cliche as well, but ‘you sang before you spoke’.”
She describes singing as her “love language” and the most natural way to express herself.
This love continued into her teenage years, when Agapi would spend hours in her room practising and fantasising about performing on stage.
“My siblings and I would choreograph and put little shows together and perform them for my parents and sometimes invite the neighbours and extended family,” she says.
In high school her teacher was the late well-known composer Stelios Tsiolas. They did some performances at school, and then years later, their paths crossed again through music.
Despite her passion for music, pursuing it professionally was not an obvious path. As the eldest daughter in a traditional Greek household, Agapi says a career in music was not something that was actively encouraged.
It was not until she moved out of home and graduated from university that she began taking her ambitions seriously.
Even then, Greek music was not initially part of the plan.
Although it was a constant presence growing up, with her parents, originally from Florina, playing it loudly at home, Agapi spent around a decade singing contemporary English-language pop and R&B.
“I think I really underestimated as a young adult how much a part of me it was, what an imprint those early years had left,” she says.
Her reconnection with Greek music came unexpectedly, during a drive with a friend who was playing Synnefiasmeni Kyriaki, a song Agapi had been obsessed with as a child.
“I just had this visceral reaction to hearing the song. I just remember saying to her, ‘Oh my God, can you play it again? I need to hear it again’,” she recalls.
“Something in that moment was reignited. It was like finding a missing piece of the puzzle that I didn’t know was missing.
“Greek music just speaks to somewhere so deep, it’s ancestral.”
That renewed connection would eventually lead her to discover one of Greece’s most distinctive voices: Vicky Moscholiou.
Although Greek music had always surrounded her, Moscholiou was not an artist she remembered hearing much at home. Agapi discovered her work later, as she began exploring the Greek music scene more seriously and working with musicians.
The connection was immediate.
She remembers hearing Ta Trena Pou Figan for the first time and being captivated by Moscholiou’s voice.
“Her voice! It’s just such a unique voice, so much emotional depth and so different from so many other female voices that I’d grown up listening to,” she says.
“Whereas Moscholiou had this beautiful, rich, lower voice, with a bit of grit to it, and I really resonated with that.”
Songs including Ta Deilina, Tha Kleiso ta Matia and Den Xero Poso Agapo were among the first Moscholiou recordings Agapi learnt with the intention of performing them publicly.
She credits bouzouki player Dean Georgalas with introducing her to much of Moscholiou’s repertoire, recognising that the singer’s distinctive voice and style would suit her, particularly her collaborations with composer Giorgos Zampetas.
That early musical connection has now come full circle, with the pair preparing to bring Moscholiou’s music to a Melbourne audience.
Agapi and Georgalas are musically directing Celebrating Moscholiou – A Live Tribute Concert, taking place at Oakleigh Music Hall on Sunday 15 November.
The concert will feature songs associated with Moscholiou, alongside music by composers Giorgos Zampetas, Manos Hatzidakis and Stavros Xarhakos. Georgalas, Andrew Koikas and Con Kalamaras will join Agapi in performing the repertoire.
The idea for the tribute had been on Agapi’s mind for years, but it was during the COVID lockdowns that she began seriously developing the project and approached Georgalas.
“I’d love to just shine that light on her, that immense body of work that she’s left behind,” she says.
“We just really want to honour her. She was one of the great voices of Greek music.”
Agapi also hopes the concert will introduce audiences to songs they may know through other performers without realising Moscholiou was the original artist to record them.
For her, the tribute is an opportunity to celebrate not only the singer’s voice but also the enduring repertoire she left behind.
Her own journey into music had also taken an unexpected turn towards teaching.
Agapi, who founded Embodied Voice Melbourne, says vocal coaching was never something she set out to do. Instead, opportunities began emerging organically as she performed and people approached her looking for singing lessons for themselves or others.
She soon discovered that teaching offered something beyond helping people improve their technique.
“One of my earliest students was a real turning point for me,” she says.
“We developed such a genuine and beautiful connection and I started to realise that the work was about so much more than singing.
“It was about self-expression more generally, about creating a safe space for people to explore their voices and creativity.”
That experience helped shape the philosophy behind Embodied Voice Melbourne, where Agapi encourages students to move beyond self-doubt and become more comfortable expressing themselves.
The name reflects her belief that finding your voice involves more than simply learning to sing.
“If you are embodied, you’re connected with you. You’re connected with your body, your voice, with yourself,” she explains.
Agapi says the vulnerability involved in singing can make it difficult for people to let go of their insecurities, with the voice being such a personal form of expression.
“We’re so vulnerable when we show up to sing, the voice is so personal, and I think that’s what makes it scary for people,” she says.
Her aim is to help students challenge the internal criticism and judgements that can prevent them from expressing themselves freely, whether in music or in their everyday lives.
For Agapi, reconnecting with her heritage was an important part of her journey, allowing her to embrace a musical tradition that had been present throughout her childhood but took time to fully appreciate.
Through her tribute to Moscholiou, she hopes to share that connection with audiences while bringing renewed attention to a singer whose voice continues to resonate across generations.
Celebrating Moscholiou – A Live Tribute Concert takes place on Sunday, 15 November, at Oakleigh Music Hall.
For further information visit our Greek Guide events page.
