Bold and virtuosic, the MOSAICO MEDITERRANEO ensemble leads a fascinating path of musical exploration. The core of the ensemble is the Mediterranean song, in all its incarnations, offering a stylistic fusion beyond the boundaries of musical genres and geographical limitations.

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.

With daring imagination, fun and historical references, the ensemble explores the influence of African rhythms on the French Chaconne, the roots of jazz in Monteverdi's Lamento, the unexpected musical kinship of Caccini's Italian Renaissance with the musical tradition of Crete due to the Venetian occupation of the 15th century, while at the same time weaving the fabric of love, mourning and feast through the common human stories of the Mediterranean.

The MOSAICO MEDITERRANEO was formed during the recording of Maria Kostraki's album of the same name, arranged and produced by Antonis Sousamoglou. 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.

Their current season includes performances in Thessaloniki, Berlin, Leipzig and Munich.

Maria Kostraki is a classical soprano with a major presence in the opera houses of Europe. Recent engagements include her role as Nedda in Pagliacci with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra (2024), concerts in Germany and India as well as her collaboration with the Greek National Opera at Liszt’s Via Crucis (2024-25).

Antonis Sousamoglou is the concertmaster of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and a composer. Recent engagements include collaborations as an arranger with soloists like Daniel Hope and Avi Avital, solo performances with the violin concertos of Stravinsky and Berg, his fourth personal album as a songwriter and various cd productions, to name but a few.

Kostas Makrygiannakis is a guitar soloist, composer and director of the Thessaloniki Municipal Conservatory. He is the artistic director of the “Music Village”, one of Greece’s most vibrant summer festivals and seminars, while he performs both as soloist with orchestras and chamber music formations.

Dimitris Vittis is the solo timpanist of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and explores with passion all sides of the spectrum of music, from the symphonic repertoire to jazz bands, ancient Greek music, Hebrew traditional music and rock groups.

Dinos Manos is one of the most prominent jazz bassists in Greece and a member of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. His most recent personal cd came out in 2024, while he performs regularly with all the major soloists of the jazz scene in Greece and abroad.

“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