The Traditional Music Department offers opportunities to learn about and enjoy Hellenic musical culture, from instruction and workshops to concerts and performances.

Participants will learn about traditional Greek music from master level instructors in six weekly two-hour sessions. Courses will include lectures by the instructors and a participatory segment in which students may choose to play or sing sample selections representative of the theme of the course.

Current Programs

Jam Sessions

BLE will be organizing jam sessions for those who play an instrument or sing and are interested in learning Greek folk music. Each session will be lead by a musician who will guide participants in learning a particular piece of music and lyrics. If you’re interested, please let us know! Tell us what instrument you play (no particular skill level required) or want to sing, and if you’re interested in specific songs or regional music.

Past Programs

Boston Lykeion Ellinidon & Maliotis Cultural Center Greek Music Education Program

Sunday, March 3 – Sunday, May 5, 2019

The goal of the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon and Maliotis Cultural Center Greek Music Education Program was to increase knowledge of and appreciation for traditional Greek music. Our unique approach offered both educational presentations about the music, and the opportunity to participate in it by playing and singing.

The spring 2019 course was composed of six sessions, 2.5 hours per session. Each session had a different instructor, and focused on a particular aspect of Greek music, including musical history, influences, instrumentation, styling, significant figures and musicians, and contemporary manifestations. Sessions were presented by Lefteris Bournias (Aaron Copland School of Music, NY), Beth Behia Cohen (Berklee College of Music/Tufts University), Panayotis League (Harvard University), Chris Pantazelos (luthier, Spartan Instruments), Vasilis Skoulas (lyra player & singer, Crete); and Lefteris Kordis (Berklee College of Music) with Lefteris Bournias.

Participatory Courses in Traditional Greek Music

Feb. 12-Mar. 19, 2018: The Music of Greece: From Homer to Xenakis
Instructor: Lefteris Kordis, DMA, associate professor, Berklee College of Music

In 2018, the department launched the inaugural Boston Lykeion Ellinidon Participatory Courses in Greek Traditional Music, with the support of Dr. Pantel Vokonas. This course focused on selected topics in the music of Greece from the 3rd century C.E. to the 1970s. Taking into account the historical circumstances at the time, we investigated the ways in which Byzantine and Acritic music and neighboring music traditions laid the foundation for the development of Demotic music (island and mainland), the music of the Cretan Renaissance, and other significant genres, such as Asia Minor (smyrneika, politika), rebetika, laika, entehna and political activist songs.