WheatonArts :: Down Jersey Folklife Center :: Featured Folk Artists
Featured Folk Artists
Demetri's love of Greek music and dance began at a very early age. As an adult, he developed a passion for the folk music, rituals, costumes, and crafts associated with the varied village cultures of rural Greece.
Dancing from an early age, his love of the Greek Dances led him to explore the more esoteric dance traditions of Greece. He studied with Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi, and later went on to be a President and a lead dancer for the Greek American Folklore Society under the directorship of the late Paul Ginis.
His love for folk music led him to find teachers both here and abroad. He has studied with Emmanuel Farangkoulitakis "Bakses" in Crete, with Kiril Ketev (gaida) here as well as in Bulgaria, Tzamaros Larantzakis (laouto) in Kythnos, Christos Karakostas (zurna), Beth Bahia Cohen (yayli tanbur), and George Chitenden (gaida and zurna).
He currently plays regularly with Beth Bahia Cohen (music from the Islands, Western Pontos, Asia Minor, and more), with Jerry Kisslinger and Matt Moran (zurna and daouli), and with Abdul Rahim Saidita (classical music of Istanbul, Asia Minor, and Arabic music).
Last modified 01:22 PM 06/28/2004
