Melisma III

GNO Learning & Participation Lead Donor 

After two highly successful cycles of artistic workshops in Northern Evia, Melisma returns renewed to the Municipality of Istiaia–Edipsos, aiming to connect poetry, song, and community. The starting point of this year’s cycle, Melisma III, is poetry, with the goal of transforming the residents’ words into music through a process of co-creation that highlights collective memory, local identity, and the dynamics of the community.

Through visits to primary and secondary schools, as well as meetings with adult groups, participants of all ages will explore experiences, images, and memories connected to their place, nature, the sea, and the changes the region has undergone, along with themes such as loss, regeneration, collectivity, and hope. Using experiential exercises, creative writing, and group work, texts will be produced that capture experiences and emotions, forming a contemporary poetic imprint of the community. This material will serve as the basis for new musical compositions and the creation and presentation of an original work of music theatre.

The programme focuses on strengthening creative expression, linking text and music, fostering collectivity and social cohesion, and highlighting collective memory and local identity through the active participation of the community in the creation of a new artistic work. The outcome will be the presentation of an original musical performance in Edipsos, where participants will appear on stage alongside the programme’s artistic and educational team.

Artistic direction, musical composition, and music education are led by Michalis Kalogerakis; artistic direction and theatre education by Pantelis Kalogerakis; and music education by Danae Stergiou. The creative writing workshops and dramaturgical development of the texts are coordinated by Thomas Tsalapatis, while orchestrations are by Fanis Zachopoulos.

According to the artistic team’s note, for Melisma III “Edipsos serves as a source of inspiration, as it is linked to the myth in which the goddess Athena asked Hephaestus to bring hot waters to the surface to heal Heracles. Water, as a symbol of purification and salvation, and fire, as a force of nature, form the core motifs of the programme.”

A few words about Melisma

Since 2022, Melisma has been implemented in the municipalities of Limni–Mantoudi–Agia Anna and Istiaia–Edipsos, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with local authorities, leaving a meaningful social and cultural impact. It is an artistic and educational initiative, developed over the course of an artistic season, that places the community at its centre and leads to the creation of a new music theatre performance based on material generated by the residents themselves.

In a region that was severely affected by the devastating wildfires of 2021, the programme seeks to contribute to cultural recovery by offering space for expression, processing of experience, and collective creation. From the exploration of trauma in Melisma I to the focus on tradition and local identity in Melisma II, the programme evolves organically, reflecting the needs and dynamics of the community. At its core remains the same belief: that art is a field of encounter, memory, regeneration, and collective creation.

Melisma is funded by the Ministry of Culture.