From August 28 to 31, Prespa Lakes will host the 1st International Music Festival TRIETHNÉS

© Aggelos Hill

A full four-day festival of contemporary music is coming to Prespes from August 28 to 31. The TRIETHNÉS International Music Festival is being held in co-production with the Municipality of Prespes and under the auspices and funding of the Ministry of Culture. The artistic direction is led by the internationally acclaimed conductor Yorgos Ziavras.

At the heart of this year’s program are works by major 20th- and 21st-century composers such as Gustav Mahler, Iannis Xenakis, Salvatore Sciarrino, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez, and Kornilios Selamsis, along with new compositions being presented for the first time. At the same time, the program opens a creative dialogue between Western classical music and the polyphonic traditions of the Balkans.

With concerts, performances, commissioned works, educational activities, discussions, and public seminars, the festival aims to bring international audiences into direct contact with the richness of contemporary creation, while offering local residents meaningful cultural experiences.

Memory — personal, collective, musical — is the central theme of this year’s TRIETHNÉS, serving both as a common thread connecting works of different origins and as a starting point for new forms of artistic expression.

The TRIETHNÉS festival aspires to become a lasting institution for the region, with contemporary music composition at its core and inspiration drawn from the unique geopolitical and cultural landscape of Prespes.

Festival Program Overview

The TRIETHNÉS Festival opens its gates on the morning of Thursday, August 28, in the village of Pyli, with a unique musical performance for percussion and performer, creatively engaging with the natural environment of Prespes. The multifaceted percussionist Panagiotis Ziavras, inspired by the landscape of Mikri Prespa, presents three works by Pierluigi Billone, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Mazyar Kashian for solo percussion, incorporating the natural acoustics of the landscape. Alongside him, the idiosyncratic performer Myrgon uses only mud and branches from the lake’s shore to create a physical allegory on the concepts of space and time — a ritualistic, evolving installation.

On Thursday evening, the artistic action moves to the village of Mikrolimni for a singular concert-performance. The internationally acclaimed, Vienna-based pianist Anton Gerzenberg, active in major musical institutions worldwide, performs works by Iannis Xenakis, Salvatore Sciarrino, Claude Debussy, and Pierre Boulez, crafting a dialogue between landscape, body movement, and sonic dynamics. Joining him is the polyphonic ensemble “CHAONIA”, performing traditional polyphony, creating a unique meeting between Western avant-garde and the primal music of the Balkans.

On Friday, August 29, the festival takes over the historically charged site of Agios Achilleios on Mikri Prespa. There, the emblematic concert titled “Upcycling Memories” is presented, serving as the aesthetic and conceptual core of this year’s edition. The audience will experience a musical reflection on memory and the reuse of sonic pasts through works by Gustav Mahler, Luciano Berio, and Salvatore Sciarrino, performed by three leading Greek vocal artists: mezzo-sopranos Elena Maragou and Artemis Bogri, and baritone Georgios Iatrou. The performance is accompanied by an orchestral ensemble under the baton of the festival’s Artistic Director, Yorgos Ziavras. Integrated seamlessly into the concert is the voice of multifaceted singer Natasa Tsakiridou, who brings traditional songs into a contemporary sound universe.

On Saturday, August 30, Prespa “breathes” through “PNOÍ” (Breath) by Kornilios Selamsis. The piece is based on six select English madrigals and reimagines their harmonic core through the lens of contemporary creation. Internationally acclaimed soprano Dimitra Kotidou delivers a performance of refined musical intensity with emotional depth and technical precision. The concert venue — the Bean Packaging Facility of the “Pelekanos” Cooperative — is transformed for one night into a space of musical transfiguration. The evening culminates in a surprising musical encounter: the Prespa band TOPIKI PARADOSI bridges the traditional Balkan soundscape with the polyphonic world of contemporary music in an unexpected, festive finale.

On Sunday, August 31, the festival moves to Agios Germanos for the grand concert of the PRESPENSIS Academy. Five original works by young composers, born from the Academy’s creative lab, are presented — pieces inspired by the landscape, historical memory, and cultural footprint of Prespes.

Late that same night, the festival closes with an atmospheric, unexpected musical encounter at a surprise location in the heart of Lefkonas. There, baritone Georgios Iatrou — with a notable international presence — shares the stage with the legendary folk diva Anna Goula Vardinogianni. Together, accompanied by piano, they weave a diverse yet cohesive musical tapestry that blends German Lied, French chanson, opera, and Greek laiko. A heartfelt night where genre boundaries dissolve, and the listener becomes part of a deep confession about memory, love, and the human need to belong.

TRIETHNÉS+: Looking Toward the Future

A central pillar of this year’s festival is TRIETHNÉS+, the festival’s program of educational activities and community engagement, made possible through a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and in collaboration with the University of Macedonia, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and the Music Schools of Kastoria and Ptolemaida.

TRIETHNÉS+ focuses on strengthening contemporary musical creation and supporting the new generation of artists, while simultaneously building bridges between local communities. At its core lies the fusion of contemporary musical expression with the living traditions of the Balkans, forming a vibrant space for cultural exchange.

The PRESPENSIS Contemporary Music Academy, in its first year of operation, connects the younger generation of composers and musicians with the natural and cultural landscape of Prespes. Five composition students from Thessaloniki’s two leading universities (University of Macedonia and Aristotle University) have each undertaken the creation of a new contemporary music piece. These works are being premiered at the festival, performed by musicians from both institutions and the partnering music schools.

The PRESPion program is aimed directly at the region’s young residents, offering them the opportunity to engage with music. Internationally acclaimed pianist Anton Gerzenberg offers free and open piano lessons to young people from the Municipality of Prespes. In parallel, free guitar and clarinet lessons are provided by distinguished festival musicians, fostering local cultural development through direct musical interaction.

Finally, a series of seminars and public discussions activates both locals and visitors in a creative way. These events serve as a platform for exchanging ideas, experiences, and approaches related to music, culture, and sustainable artistic development in border regions.

*All events of the TRIETHNÉS FESTIVAL are open to the public with optional contribution.

Full festival program and more information at: https://www.triethnesfest.eu/program