Stuttgart-born Dimitris Basis is no stranger to the plight of diasporan Greeks. His own parents lived and worked in Germany during his most formative years, before they returned to their small village at Cherso, near Kilkis in Northern Greece, when he was aged eight. By nine, he was chanting the liturgy at his local church before deciding to study Byzantine music just three years later.
No stranger to Australia, he is back for the celebration of the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, for a series of concerts to honour Greek Independence which include uplifting songs by Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis, Vassilis Tsitsanis and Stavros Xarhakos.
Giannis Haroulis on stage
The talented international folk musician was born and raised in Exo Lakonia, a small village in Lassithi, Crete. Inspired by Greek, mostly Cretan, traditional music, Haroulis plays a mixture of Greek folk and traditional Cretan music, infused with rock elements and modern sounds.
He first became interested in music at the age of 6, when his father, a sculptor, showed him how to play the mandolin. Shortly after, he acquired his first lute and began to study the traditional folk music of his homeland. By the age of 15, he started performing at local festivals.
In 2002, Giannis travelled to Athens to take part in a concert, dedicated to Nikos Xilouris, a great Cretan composer and singer, which was recorded and released as an album entitled ‘When My Friends Come, Mother’ in 2003. He has also released a number of hit solo albums, ‘Around Me and Within’ in 2003, ‘Winter Flower’ in 2006, ‘Witchcrafts’ in 2012 which received the Golden Album award