Martha Mavroidi
Founder of the “Rodia” Greek Folk Choir
Martha Mavroidi has been immersed in traditional Greek music ever since she was a child, playing the lute and singing, and going on to work as a teacher and researcher. In 2012, she founded the “Rodia” (“Pomegranate Tree”) Greek Folk Choir, which studies songs from across Greece, focusing on the stylistic details particular to each area and on the folkloric and anthropological contexts of each song.
This year, “Rodia” will be devoting its ninth year of activity to a major tribute honoring the Greek Revolution of 1821. In addition to historic songs that touch upon the events and heroes of the Revolution, “Rodia” will be expanding their research to take in Greece’s entire folk repertoire – from the Dodecanese and the Cyclades to Thrace, Macedonia and Epirus – searching in each area for people and events that relate to the revolutionary struggle. Songs sung to celebrate and to part, carols and carnival tunes, songs of Easter and of spring provide us with an opportunity to take a folkloric tour of Greece’s lands, one further enriched this year with historical information about the Revolution.
Alongside its classes throughout the year, “Rodia” will also be organizing a series of talks and tours given by distinguished scholars and academics on topics relating to the Revolution: historical overviews of the struggle’s major events, memoirs written by the freedom fighters, the ways in which events were captured in popular culture and depicted in works of art, and in which the Greek fight for freedom was seen by international Grand Tour travelers, architectural monuments built in the new Greek capital, the boats from the islands of Spetses, Hydra and Psara that took part in naval battles, and more.
The aim of this year’s initiative is to seek out narratives relating to Greek national identity as seen through its invited speakers’ wide range of specializations. “Rodia” members will also have the chance to experience a multifaceted take on these same materials, one that springs from purely experiential foundations: singing, and joining their voices together with others.
