Name: Elina & Maria Markatatou, Mandolin Practices of the Greek-speaking Population in Asia Minor
Start: 2026-02-18T19:30:00+01:00
Location: Auditorium 1 Jan Broeckx (Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Gent)

💁‍♀️💁‍♀️ Elina & Maria Markatatou
📜 Mandolin Practices of the Greek-speaking Population in Asia Minor
In this lecture-performance, we return to Smyrna and Constantinople at the turn of the twentieth century, two bustling port cities where Greek-speaking communities lived among many others and shared a rich musical life. Through our PhD research, we explored the songs and dances performed by mandolin ensembles in cafés, neighbourhoods, and festive gatherings, and traced how this repertoire travelled across cultures. With a combination of storytelling and live music, we bring to life the sounds of estudiantines (mandolin ensembles) and the cosmopolitan world that shaped them. We also reflect on how the events of 1922 transformed this landscape, as refugee musicians carried fragments of these traditions into their new lives in Greece.
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Dr. Maria and Dr. Elina Markatatou are mandolinists, educators, and artistic researchers based in Antwerp. Originally from Crete, they have performed widely in Greece and across Europe, developing a musical practice that bridges performance, historical inquiry, and education. They completed their twin PhDs in the Arts at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and the University of Antwerp, where they investigated the mandolin repertoire and performance practices of four regions: the Ionian Islands, Crete, Athens, and the Greek-speaking communities of Asia Minor. Their research combines archival listening, transcription, and embodied performance to bring early 20th-century mandolin traditions into contemporary artistic contexts.
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📅 Wanneer? woensdag 18 februari 2026, om 19u30
🏛 Waar? Auditorium 1 Jan Broeckx (Blandijnberg 2, 9000 Gent)
💰 Prijs? gratis voor leden van het Griekenlandcentrum, studenten (m.u.v. PhD-studenten) en scholieren. Anderen betalen €5 aan de kassa.
🇬🇧 Opgelet: deze lezing wordt in het Engels gegeven!