On The Road Again, The Boite and 3ZZZ Present POLYFONIX Intercultural Music Festival at The Estonian House, Brunswick

Made possible through the Victoria's State Government 'On The Road Again' live music events initiative.  Featuring Alex Vargas, Kalamaras/Petropoulos/Arvanitis, Senes Flamenco, Vardos, Zourouna and Zulya and The Children of the Underground

Con Kalamaras is a bundle of Greek musical energy. His passion for Rebetika is contagious and exciting. His capacity to enthuse artists and listeners ensures a growing audience for the “Greek blues”. In this performance Con will work with local musicians Alex Petropoulos and Yannis Arvanitis, playing traditional Greek music spanning the 1930's to the 1950's.

The glorious dancing of Aya Kitaoji makes Senes Flamenco a performance never to be missed. Working with Flamenco guitarist Alejandro Florez, Aya develops her own dance programs for performances here and in Spain, where she has featured as a guest in flamenco venues such as El Guarida del Angel, Jerez, and El Bombardino, Madrid.

Alex Vargas was a child when he arrived in Australia, from Chile, shortly after the September 11 Coup in 1973. Growing up here, he became part of, Apurima, Australia’s first Andean ensemble. Alex learned the repertoire of the Latin American New Song Movement, he managed Illapu, one of the leading Chilean expat ensembles and became their sixth band member. For this concert he and his daughter Tash, bring songs from the Chilean repertoire.

The three women who are Vardos are dedicated to the music of the Balkan Gypsies. They have spent time in Eastern European villages, learning under the guidance of master musicians, gaining an understanding of cultural context for the tunes they learn. Their repertoire extends from Romania through Bulgaria to Hungary. They play with the energy and zest of their Gypsy teachers.

ARIA-award winning, Zulya and The Children of the Underground’s exquisite original music is inspired by Zulya’s Tatar and Australian identity. The music defies being labelled, but has been described as “Kurt Weillish, Euro-Cabaret jazz colliding with lullabies constructed to tear your heart out.”

Zourouna plays music from the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Four artists whose heritage lies in that part of the world play Syrian, Turkish, Greek, Israeli and Lebanese contemporary and traditional tunes for listening, dancing and enjoying. They like to take their listeners on a musical journey with no borders.