Workshops: Musical Yards 2026

Lesson timetable: 17:00 - 20:00 (total of 21 hours)

The aim of the seminar is to study and present selected instrumental tunes and songs from the repertoires of Asia Minor, the Aegean region and the Rebetiko tradition, as well as the main idiomatic violin techniques that shape their distinctive musical style.

The seminar will begin with an exploration of fundamental idiomatic fingerings (sliding techniques), ornamentation practices (ornaments and melismas), and bowing techniques used in both solo playing and accompaniment across different rhythmic patterns (duple and asymmetrical meters). Basic improvisational practices (taximi) commonly found in the performance of this repertoire will also be introduced.

In the second part of the seminar, we will explore the different performance roles of bowed string instruments within a small ensemble formed by the participants. Special emphasis will be placed on the instrument’s diverse timbral possibilities, including rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment using chords, chop techniques, pizzicato, parallel voices, drones, and more. These elements will be approached through a creative orchestration perspective that combines traditional practices with more contemporary performance techniques for bowed strings.

The broader goal of the seminar is to make use of each participant’s existing instrumental background while fostering musical communication and creative interaction within the group, despite possible differences in stylistic or performance experience.

The seminar is open to performers of all bowed string instruments. At the end of the seminar, the violin workshop will be presented in collaboration with the workshops of other instruments and voice.

* This lesson will be taught primarily in Greek. Terminology will be explained in other languages as well, according to the teacher’s disposal.

 Full interpretation will not be provided.

Giannis Zarias has been active as a violinist for three decades in the field of Greek music (traditional, rebetiko and art song), collaborating with numerous musicians of the genre in music venues in Athens, as well as in concerts and festivals throughout Greece and abroad. Alongside his work in Greek music, he is also engaged with Balkan musical traditions and improvisational practices. He is a founding member of the ensembles Rebetiko Trio (with V. Skouta & D. Mitarakis), the contemporary string ensemble Frog String Quartet and the Violione Orchestra of the Department of Music Science and Art (UoM).

Since 2007 he has been teaching violin and directing music ensembles in the Greek Traditional Music program at the Department of Music Science and Art (University of Macedonia), where he serves as Associate Professor. He has also taught violin at the music departments of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the National Technical University of Athens. He studied classical violin in Athens and, after obtaining his diploma, continued his studies in jazz music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Netherlands). He holds a PhD in Violin Performance from the Department of Music Science and Art and is also a graduate of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens.

Youtube playlist: https://shorturl.at/PMm6O 

Ensembles he currently participates in:

Violione Orchestra DMSA https://bit.ly/2YnvplB

Rebetiko Trio   https://bit.ly/30ZE0wp

Frog String Quartet https://shorturl.at/uNgK5 

ZaPaTaVou Quartet  https://bit.ly/2BviVPS

Greek folk Orchestra https://bit.ly/3fMWsMG

Rebetien  https://bit.ly/37SulsP

Violione Orchestra  NTUA  https://t.ly/ST64