Program Description
From Rembetiko to Laiko. An unexpected musical journey, where no one would expect it.
Just like water cleanses, transforms, and renews, so does Rembetiko, which traverses time while keeping its authenticity. In an industrial setting, the piano meets the soul of laiko music, transforming a space of daily function into a place of memories, emotions, and music.
In an unexpected, almost cinematic space, where the past and present meet through human ingenuity, a Rembetiko music experience is set up in the most surprising setting: the EYDAP Wastewater Treatment Center in Keratsini.
A unique musical experience, next to the sea of the Argosaronic Gulf and under the light of the spring full moon, with a retrospective and reinterpretation of beloved Rembetiko and laiko songs, specially arranged for piano and voice. A special evening where iconic creations of our Rembetiko and laiko music tradition will be “revealed” to the audience once again. Performers: Veronika Davaki (vocals) and Dimitris Syntos (piano).
A traditional café, with old wooden chairs, retro tables, and details that remind of another era, emerges within the industrial landscape of the facility. Here, amidst pipes, machinery, and the constant flow of water, Veronika Davaki, accompanied by the piano, takes on the task of taking the audience on a journey with Rembetiko melodies.
Biographies
Veronika Davaki
Veronika Davaki is a graduate of the Karolos Koun Theatre and the School of Fine Arts, specializing in the History and Theory of Art. She first arrived in Athens as a Law School student while also studying classical singing with Artemis Bogri and acting with Sofia Kakarelidou. She has attended piano, music theory classes, as well as acrobatics (stilts) and clowning seminars at the School of Fine Arts in Utrecht, under N. Farman. In 2024, she was awarded the "Karolos Koun" prize for her portrayal of Marika Ninou in the play Marika Ninou – Like a Star directed by Marianna Kalbari. As an actress, she has participated in numerous theatrical productions, including Aristophanes Dreams (Theatro Thessalias), The Poor Man of God (Herodion), Witches of Smyrna and Victory (dir. Stamatios Fasoulis), Wealth (Epidavros, dir. G. Kimoulis), and international festivals like the Croatian Theater Festival with Letter to My Mother. She has also made a significant impact in the music world. In 2024, she released the laiko album Laiki Apogevmatini (composed by Vaggelis Korakakis), following her 2022 debut album (music by Nikos Xydakis, lyrics by Tellys Agras, Dionysis Kapsalis, Manos Eleftheriou, Kostas Fasoulas, and Marita Alimisi). She sang the soundtrack for the ERT series A Night of August and participated in recordings like The Other Bank, The Shift, A Small Window, and The Great Heretic. Since 2016, she has been continuously exploring new ways to combine music and theater, with notable projects like The Rembetiko Bridal Suite and arrangements of Rembetiko for harp and voice, establishing her unique artistic identity.
Dimitris Syntos
Dimitris Syntos was born in Volaça, Drama, a place with a rich musical tradition. He began playing accordion and guitar at a young age and later pursued studies in piano and advanced European music theory. At the same time, he started learning the lauto (a traditional string instrument) and double bass and studying the tropical music traditions of Macedonia and the broader Balkan region. He never stopped experimenting with new musical instruments, becoming a multi-instrumentalist. From a young age, he participated in folk and traditional orchestras and was also involved in orchestration and music production. He taught lauto and musical ensembles at the Music School of Drama for 10 years. Since 2020, he has been studying Poetics with a focus on Greek Traditional Music at the Department of Music Science and Art at Pa.Mak. He released two solo albums: Aps tis gis to maxilari (2011) and Kokkini Kloisti (2020), and contributed to numerous albums as a musician. Since 2009, he has been involved in the music production of many albums referencing folk traditions. He orchestrated the albums Zoi Xekinaei Apo Tora (Vassilis Prodromou, 2016), Rodostamo (Aspasia Stratigou, 2017), and Kosme Pou Na Se Gyriso (Giorgos Merantzas, 2020), and participated in the artistic supervision of Ta Deftera by Fotis Siotas and Thodoris Gonis (2019). He has collaborated with esteemed Greek artists such as Stavros Xarhakos, Nikos Xydakis, Dimitris Papadimitriou, Eleni Vitali, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Dimitra Galani, Veronika Davaki, Natasha Mpoffiliou, Giorgos Merantzas, Violeta Ikari, Sofia Papazoglou, Dilek Koc, Solon Lekkas, Chronis Aidonidis, Vaggelis Daskaloudis, and more. Since 2018, he has been playing piano as an active member of the folk orchestra Vassilis Tsitsanis under the artistic direction of Manolis Pappos.
