By Ilias Karagiannis
If there is something that defines Areti Ketime, it is the way she transforms every performance into a journey through time. With the santouri in her hands and rebetiko or Smyrnaic songs on her lips, she brings the past vividly to life – a piece of collective memory that refuses to fade into oblivion.
From that unforgettable night in 2004, when a teenage Ketime’s angelic voice enchanted the world at the Opening Ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games, to her return to Australia this October for the Zeibekiko Festival, her career has been marked by milestones steeped in history and emotion.
The festival, taking place from 3 to 12 October in Melbourne and Sydney, will showcase a rich programme of concerts and seminars – a musical map unfolding from Smyrna to Cappadocia and into the hearts of the Greek diaspora.
Ketime, who last moved Australian audiences in Adelaide in 2017, will once again share a repertoire dedicated to rebetiko, Smyrnaic and traditional songs. “I want our friends in Australia to feel the magic of live playing, the feeling that every rebetiko song carries,” she tells The Greek Herald. “Zeibekiko is confession. A dialogue without words.”
Between memory and the present, nostalgia and renewal, Ketime’s voice will once again unite the homeland with abroad, proving that music remains the strongest thread that keeps us together.
Our readers are already excited about the visit of a distinguished artist like you to Australia. What should they expect to hear and see from your performances both in Melbourne and Sydney?
In our performances we will all travel together into the world of rebetiko. Songs will be heard from the three records that I released recently, dedicated to rebetiko, but also pieces from the wider Greek tradition. I want our friends in Australia to feel the magic of live playing – the violin, the guitars, the bouzouki – and of course the feeling that every rebetiko song brings with it.
Your first visit to Australia was in 2017. What do you remember from that experience in Adelaide and what impressions did you gain from the Greek community in Australia?
2017 was an unforgettable experience for me. In Adelaide I met a Greek community full of love, emotion and a deep connection with its roots. I felt as if I was among relatives, even though we were so far from Greece. There I understood how strongly the Greek heart beats in Australia.
The Festival, in which you will appear, focuses on the zeibekiko, an emotional dance. You, as a performer, have stood out with your distinctive voice in rebetiko and Smyrnaic songs. How would you describe the zeibekiko?
The zeibekiko is not simply a dance; it is a confession. It carries the pain, the joy, the pride and the inner strength of the person. For me, every time I sing a zeibekiko, it is as if I enter the soul of the one who dances it – a dialogue without words, only with music and movement.
In your repertoire you connect traditional sounds with new approaches. How do you balance between maintaining authenticity and renewing tradition?
Tradition is alive; it is not a museum. I always try to keep the truth and authenticity of the songs, but also to give them a new breath through my own interpretations and collaborations. For me, it is like a conversation between past and present, which constantly gives birth to new emotions.
I could not fail to ask you about your experience at the 2004 Olympic Games. The wider public came to know you through the Opening Ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games. Today, how do you approach that moment in your artistic journey?
It was a gift of life. To be on a stage that the whole world was watching, at a moment so important for Greece, filled me with responsibility but also with pride. Today I see it as a starting point: a light that was lit and led me on a journey full of music, collaborations and explorations.
The Greek community of Australia maintains strong ties with music and culture. What message would you like to send them for your upcoming performances?
I would like to tell them that we come with an open heart, to share music that unites us. I look forward to singing all together, to being moved and to celebrating the Hellenism that keeps us united, wherever we may be. Music is the most beautiful thread that unites the homeland with abroad.
For the full program of events and to book tickets to the Zeibekiko Festival Australia, visit https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/zeibekiko. The Greek Herald are proud media partners for this event.
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