Honouring Giannis Vardas: The Poet of Lasithi

The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments “Fivos Anoyanakis” – Centre for Ethnomusicology continues its 2026–2027 Series of Events, THE MUSICIANS. Hubs of Cohesion – Links of Continuity, dedicated to distinguished traditional musicians whose lives and artistic journeys have played a vital role in preserving, transmitting and renewing Greece’s living musical heritage.

The second event in the series honours Giannis Vardas (Lyrarogiannis) from Kroustas, Lasithi, one of the most distinctive figures of the musical tradition of Eastern Crete. Shepherd, lyra player and composer of mantinades (traditional Cretan rhyming couplets), Giannis Vardas embodies a musical world in which poetry, music and everyday life are inseparably intertwined.

Philologist Atalanti Michelogiannaki-Karavelaki will present the life and artistic contribution of the honoured musician, highlighting the close relationship between his work, the Cretan dialect, oral poetry and the cultural landscape of Eastern Crete. His songs and mantinades, rooted in everyday experience, nature and community life, have established him as an authentic representative of Cretan musical and poetic tradition and an enduring source of inspiration for younger generations.

The concert will feature musicians Vangelis Vardakis and Kostis Avissinos, who will present a programme dedicated to Giannis Vardas through mantinades, kontylies and traditional melodies from Eastern Crete. Their performance will celebrate the unique dialogue between music and oral poetry, one of the defining characteristics of Cretan cultural identity.

Artistic Direction: Vangelis Vardakis.

As part of the tribute, Giannis Vardas has been invited to donate one of the musical instruments that accompanied his artistic journey to the Museum’s collections. The instrument will become part of the Museum’s new exhibition section, “The People Behind the Musical Instruments”, which explores the stories, memories and artistic legacy of remarkable traditional musicians through their personal instruments and archival material.

The event forms part of the Museum’s 2026–2027 Series of Events THE MUSICIANS. Hubs of Cohesion – Links of Continuity, which explores musicians as key figures in the continuity of Greece’s musical heritage and highlights the communities, relationships and networks through which musical knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next.

Free admission. Advance registration is required either by telephone (+30 210 3254129, Monday–Friday, 09:00–15:00) or by obtaining a free admission voucher through the more.com platform. The event is supported by Bodossaki Lectures on Demand (BLOD), the Bodossaki Foundation’s digital lecture library.