The MOSAICO MEDITERRANEO is the ensemble formed during the recording of Maria Kostraki's album of the same name, with orchestration and musical production by Antonis Sousamoglou. The core of the whole is the Mediterranean song, in all its incarnations, without geographical limitations and far from the boundaries of musical genres.

The ensemble's repertoire moves flexibly from medieval songs, the Renaissance and the Baroque, through 19th century Romanticism, the folk traditions of Southern Europe, the sounds of the Middle East, rhythms from Africa, to modern Greek song. Although its members come from a purely classical background, the ensemble's musical concern is to explore with courage and fun the myriad possibilities offered by the musically rich space of the Mediterranean.

Maria Kostraki is a classical soprano with a major presence in the opera houses of Europe, Antonis Sousamoglou is the concertmaster of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra and a composer, Kostas Makrygiannakis is a guitar soloist and director of the Thessaloniki Municipal Conservatory, Dimitris Vittis is the timpanist of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra and Dinos Manos, one of the most prominent jazz bassists in Greece and a member of the Thessaloniki State Orchestra.

ABOUT THE ENSEMBLE

“The songs always wear the clothes of their era, but their core remains timeless and universal. I am unimaginably fascinated by dressing music in new clothes, only to find with excitement that people's emotions, passions and desires remain the same across all ages and genres. Maria's voice has the ability to express itself just as beautifully and with the same ease across musical borders, languages and traditions. A voice that penetrates the centuries of European tradition like a time traveller."

Antonis Sousamoglou