Aspasia Papadaki, recognized as the first female lyre player of Crete, has died at the age of 94.
According to local news site Zarpanews.gr, Papadaki was born in 1932 into a family with a strong musical tradition. She built herself her first lyre at age 14 and began playing at a time when widespread prejudice held that the instrument could only be used by men.
She made her first recording in 1962, releasing the song “Paraxeno Pouli.”
Papadaki performed extensively in Greece and abroad with her brother Pavlos, who accompanied her on the lute, appearing at weddings, festivals, and cultural events. She also collaborated on most of the records of composer Vangelis Zambetoulakis.
