NEW YORK – Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present the Grammy-nominated laouto virtuoso as he premieres works from his new recording ‘Vasilis Kostas Contemporary & Traditional Music of Epirus, Greece’ and the World Premiere of Léna on Saturday, April 18, 8 PM, at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn. Tickets are $35 advance with a +$2.50 processing fee per advance ticket; $40 at the door; $30 seniors, students with ID – advance* and at the door.
Tickets available by phone: Box office: 917-267-0363 and online: https://shorturl.at/RavL0.
Vasilis Kostas is a Grammy-nominated laouto (long-necked fretted lute) master, composer and educator from Epirus, a mountainous region in northwestern Greece known for music with strong melodic lines and slow rhythms. He is internationally recognized for reintroducing the laouto, one of the most demanding instruments in the lute family, as a leading melodic voice in both traditional and contemporary music, and for his work with pianist Danilo Pérez and the late legendary clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias, with whom he recorded two albums under the title ‘The Soul of Epirus’.
Deeply rooted in the musical traditions of Epirus, Kostas transforms the laouto from its historic role as an accompanying instrument into a vehicle for lyrical expression and improvisation, bridging centuries-old sounds with new musical expressions.
His program will highlight original compositions from his new album, Léna, to be released in April, bridging contemporary influences and traditional repertoire adapted for the laouto as a tribute to his mentor Petroloukas Halkias. Kostas will lead his trio with acclaimed musicians Ian Ashby (upright bass) and George Lernis (percussion); renowned cellist Naseem Alatrash will join them on selected pieces.
Vasilis Kostas has performed at prominent venues and international festivals, including Carnegie Hall, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, WOMEX, and the Panama Jazz Festival, and appeared as a soloist with the Berklee World Strings and the Chatterbird Chamber Orchestra. He also performed alongside the late laouto master Christos Zotos in Greece and the United States, honoring the instrument’s deep-rooted tradition while helping carry it into a new era.
He has served as the artistic director of the New England Greek Orchestra and the Epilekto Epirus Ensemble of the Holy Metropolis of Ioannina. He holds a master’s degree in contemporary performance from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. While there, he was mentored by Danilo Pérez, who invited him to join his group, the Global Messengers — with whom Kostas earned a Grammy nomination.
His studies also included work with jazz greats John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, and Terri Lyne Carrington. He also holds a diploma from Berklee College of Music and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and pedagogy from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has taught at the Hellenic College Holy Cross in Boston — among the first university-level offerings in the U.S. focused on Greek traditional music — and the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. His awards include the Artist Fellowship in the Traditional Arts from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Forty Under 40 Award by the Greek America Foundation, recognizing his efforts in preserving and promoting Greek traditional music in the United States.
Ian Ashby, a graduate of Oberlin College and Conservatory and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, has performed internationally and worked with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, Danilo Perez, and The New York Voices. He has also lent his talents to film scores, including Foreigners Home, a documentary about the work of poet and activist Toni Morrison that was shown at multiple film festivals across the globe such as Cannes and the Montreal Film Festival. Ian studied privately with bassist Larry Grenadier and performed alongside noted percussionist, pianist, and composer Jorge Rossy.
George Lernis, born and raised in Nicosia, Cyprus, has recorded and collaborated with many prominent figures, including Danilo Pérez, Dave Liebman, Anat Cohen, Tiger Okoshi and A Far Cry String Orchestra, and performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He grew up with the musical traditions of the Middle East/Mediterranean regions and later moved to the US to study jazz at the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated with a B.A. in jazz performance. In 2020, he was awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music Global Jazz Institute where he graduated with his second Master’s degree in Contemporary Performance. In addition to his extensive training and experience on drum set, he specializes in a number of traditional instruments such as the darbuka (goblet shaped drum), bendir (frame drum), riq (tambourine) and santur (hammered microtonal dulcimer). He has recorded two albums as bandleader, Shapes of Nature and Between Two Worlds.
Naseem Alatrash, a Grammy-nominated cellist and composer/educator, blends improvisation with traditional melodies, emphasizing Arabic music, contemporary classical influences, and jazz. He is currently touring as a soloist while also performing in various ensembles, including the Global Messengers with Grammy-winning pianist Danilo Pérez and the Turtle Island Quartet. Alatrash has performed at numerous international festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival, Detroit Jazz, and the Abu Dhabi Music Festival, and performed at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center and Royal Albert Hall. As an educator, he serves as a visiting assistant professor at Berklee College of Music, directs the Arab Music Ensemble at Tufts University, leads the Global Folk Traditions Ensemble at Longy School of Music, and conducts workshops worldwide. Alatrash earned the first prize in the Mass Cultural Council’s composition fellowship award in 2021 for his outstanding work. He has been honored as String Player of the Year twice by the National Music Competition of Palestine and holds bachelor’s, master’s, and post-master’s degrees from Berklee College of Music.
With support from the Consulate General of Greece in New York, the Panepirotic Federation of America, and the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Watch the official video for ‘Beyond Syndesis’ from the album Lena by Vasilis Kostas on YouTube: https://shorturl.at/kxU51.
