PEOPLE OF THE WIND: BRIDGING THE SOUNDS OF THE EAST AND WEST
People of the Wind (GR/FR) is a collective of three musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds united by their common interest in the musical traditions of the East and their urge to explore new ways of interpreting them by using western instruments. Inspired by the ecstatic traditions of the zurna-davul duo, they gave birth to an innovative sound with their saxophone performance.
During a residency at the Windcraft Music Fest 9 (18-23 July 2023), the artists were given the opportunity to create new repertoire and to develop their compatibility with the European music scene under the guidance of festival programmers. In a workshop, the band also shared their playing techniques and working progress with local musicians and creative professionals, resulting into a collective final performance.
Saxophonists Fausto Sierakowski (France), James Wylie (New Zealand) and percussionist, Alexandros Rizopoulos (Greece) began playing together in 2016 in Thessaloniki which led to formation of the trio People of the Wind.
People of the Wind is an explosive trio inspired largely by the ecstatic traditions of Sorna stretching from West Africa to the Far East. Of particular interest are the repertoires of Greek Macedonia where the trio is based, Eastern Turkey, Armenia and Iran. Guided also by a fascination for the role played by music in traditional societies in these places, the group directly addresses the question of the role of its own musical roots.
The nature of interpreting this music with a western instrument such as the saxophone also requires a great deal of technical and sonic innovation which results ina wholly new and exciting group sound with rhythm and dance at its core.
The residency “People of the Wind: Bridging the sounds of the East and West” was supported by the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists – EFFEA, co-funded by the European Union.
About the residency
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ABOUT EFFEA
Festivals are explorers of unknown or not-yet known talents, originality, innovation, and risk-taking artists to present to their audiences. These festivals serve and define themselves as the guardians and the intermediate springboard for artists in all arts disciplines. In this way, the European Festivals Fund for Emerging Artists (EFFEA), an initiative of the European Festivals Association (EFA), is a system built for festivals to support and offer emerging artists a platform to develop their careers on a European level and an invitation for co-operation between festivals. The EFFEA is the next step in a movement of festivals in Europe that recognise themselves and commit to working together at a European level. It builds on the preparatory action called EFFE: Europe for Festivals Festivals for Europe.
Main Objectives
To offer emerging artists more opportunities to present their work and develop their career on an international level
To offer cooperation opportunities for festivals to work cross border on the topic of emerging artists
To offer audiences new and surprising encounters with emerging artists in their towns and cities through the platforms of their festivals