Ekon is Greek for “willing”; it is a desire to celebrate music and dance. Ekon Festival, now running in its third year, is an annual event that explores the world of art through the lens of Greek culture in new and exciting ways. It is also the first festival of its kind dedicated to introducing contemporary Greek culture to a wider London audience.

Inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean and the mellow sounds of the East, Ekon Festival encourages artistic expression and creative activity through a variety of events and projects. It presents a wide range of performances, bringing together the best talent from the UK and around the world to offer great entertainment and a refreshingly new approach to Greek culture – a true feast of the senses.

Aims of the Festival

• Awareness: To organise an annual festival with a wide and diverse programme of performances and art-related events that offers an insight to Greek culture in a stimulating environment

• Cultural Interaction: To offer a platform for artists and performers of varied backgrounds to exchange ideas, socialise and share learning of their craft through active involvement in an artistic enterprise

• Development: To contribute to the dynamism of contemporary Greek culture by inviting original and creative approaches that reveal its rich potential for the arts scene

• Enjoyment: To engage the UK international audience and young arts patrons and to provide for them an enjoyable experience of the wealth and diversity of Greek culture

• Inspiration: To endorse fresh talent and originality by commissioning new work, promoting opportunities for innovative quality projects and supporting progression in the arts

Our Vision

The Festival’s vision is to become a major cultural event promoting awareness of modern Greek culture in the UK, bringing together a wide body of artists from all over the world to present work that reflects their diversity, creative abilities and innovative perspective in a stimulating and entertaining environment.

To offer a growing platform for the wider public, and especially young people, to be involved in a broad range of events that introduce them to different art forms as well as expressions of Greek culture.

Our Philosophy

The Festival is interested in exploring ways in which different art forms within Greek culture open a dialogue with one another as well as with other cultures. Its key notion is

CROSSINGS

Crossings through the arts: combining different artistic and/or literary media, integrating arts and technology

Crossings through time: revaluing the past in the light of the present, looking toward a dynamic future

Crossings through geographical borders: appreciating influences from other cultures or the interchange of ideas,

Crossings through cultural divides: questioning generational or gender distinctions, approaching socially conditioned ideas and producing new perspectives on them

Who we are

The Ekon team

Adminisration

Dr Maria Thanassa – Chair & Director

Antonia Kastelanides – Folk programme

Maria Kalampaliki – Volunteering programme

Vassiliki Farmaki – Youth projects

Foteini Galanopoulou – Marketing

 

SPECIAL ASSOCIATE

Emmanouil Koutsourelis, Art Syndicate – Production

 

Artistic Consultants

Christina Athinodorou – Contemporary music

George Zacharias – Classical music

Konstantinos Tsahourides - Folk music

 

Associates

Charalambos Christophi – Web design

 

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF

The Press Office of the Greek Embassy, London

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Application Form

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Application Form