For all Islanders: The Chios Music Festival

Soccer in an opera? A Festival that is also taking place in schools, nursing homes and refugee camps? Musicians who have immigrated performing alongside locals? The interdisciplinary Chios Music Festival on the Greek island of Chios makes it possible. Here are some impressions from the summer edition 2022.

A women is sitting at a piano and is playing it. Around her it's pitch black.

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

Project Description

Chios Music Festival

The Chios Music Festival is an interdisciplinary festival that takes place on the Greek island of Chios. The festival organizes various concert formats, music theater performances, and workshops, with the participation of renowned artists. It includes unusual formats and venues such as a Soccer Opera, or concerts in nursing homes and schools. It brings islanders, migrants and visitors together for a joint experience. The Allianz Foundation supports the festival and extended the Grants to 2024. More information.

About the Festival

The festival was organized for the first time in 2017. Its artistic directors are the violinist Olga Holdorff-Myriangou and the composer Lefteris Veniadis, who both have family roots on the island. The festival consists of a summer and a winter edition. The winter part usually takes place at the beginning of February. In winter, activities mainly focus on musical projects in schools, refugee camps, and nursing homes. The summer part takes place at the beginning of August, when the numerous open-air venues are at their best.  

A special feature of the festival is that it does not take place at a single venue, but at different locations on the island. Each time, a new decision is taken as to which location best suits which event, which is then adapted to the character of the venue or project to be performed. In addition to the various concert options, the performance of a new work of music theater has become an integral part of the summer festival, involving as many participants as possible in the preparation stage and the performance. International and local artists, refugees, the local music school’s children’s and youth choir, and young musicians from the local philharmonic wind orchestra contribute to the festival.

The next festival special edition “Chios Music Festival Goes Berlin” takes place from March 6th to 12th. Here you can find more information.

A crowd is watching a performance at the festival

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

A women is singing

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

A orchester is standing on a stage and plays music

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

A table with the festival leaflet

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

Two grown ups are sitting on a stonern scene with kids

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

An orchester plays in the night on a rocky landscape

Farantouri and Akyo at Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

Two musicians are playing their instruments

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

A small music performance: a women is singing and she is accomapnied by two musicians. In the background the sea.

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

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Two musicians are playing their instruments

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

A playing orchester

Chios Music Festival 2022 @ Antony Katrakazis & Antonis Logothetis

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