Cretan lyra

Lyra stretched her back at the same time the man did it and she happily wagged her tail

Ireland-to-Greece transplant Ross Daly has been conducting master classes out of a restored manor house in Crete for the past 17 years, bringing the sounds and musical styles of the Middle East, the Balkans, India and Central Asia to budding musicians, with the assistance of guest teachers.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the killing of Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee during a riot in Londonderry on April 18, police said, as politicians in the divided British region united to condemn the attack. 

Composer, singer and master lyra player Psarantonis, a cult figure in Greek music, is slated to perform at Temple in Psyrri on April 17 and 18. The widely respected Cretan artist will be joined by Niki Xylouris, Yiannis Papatzanis and Nektarios Kontogiannis for the two career-spanning sets.

Acclaimed lyra master Sokratis Sinopoulos and his band explore the evolution of traditional Greek music and its similarities with other grassroots genres. The band will be performing at Gazarte on Friday, December 29, and tickets cost 8-20 euros in advance and 11-23 euros at the door. The show starts at 9.30 p.m.

Singer-songwriter Sofia Sarri will perform a career-spanning show as a part of the Music Escapades concert series at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on Saturday, October 21. Largely avant-rock, with a mix of Scandinavian black metal, urban ambient and dark-hop, Sarri is a fixture on the local alternative scene.

Composer, singer and master lyra player Psarantonis, a cult figure in Greek music, is slated to perform at Athens's Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro) on Tuesday, October 3. The widely respected Cretan artist has invited dozens of musicians and singers to join him in a tribute to the music of his native island. The show starts at 8.30 p.m. and admission costs 8 euros.

The fourth Cretan World Music Festival, held on Wednesday, July 19, in Alikianos in Hania, is hosting three ensembles whose music is inspired by the island's history and landscapes. The evening opens with the Cretan Music Group, comprising festival founder Maria Manousaki on the violin and four skilled musicians playing original work and adaptations that blend Cretan music and American jazz.

Two disparate forms Europe culture, on the surface at least, are fused in the latest short film produced by the Latvian #mindpower project — where prose by Latvian poetess Aspazija meets the iconic Cretan highlands music of Psarantonis.

Psarantonis, a talented Greek composer, singer and performer of lyra, the emblematic bowed string instrument of Crete will contribute with his heavenly music in the creation of the original film score for Loin des Hommes (Far From Men) - a French film written and directed by David Oelhoffen.