The Charis Ioannou Jazz Quartet Friday 18 March 2011
The Shoe Factory, 304 Ermou Street, Nicosia
(Limited Seating, Pre-booking essential)
The Pharos Arts Foundation continues its Jazz Series with a concert by four
highly-talented Cypriot musicians who will deliver an exciting jazz
programme on 18 March 2011 at The Shoe Factory, Nicosia / 8.30pm.
Charis Ioannou (saxophone)
Saxophonist Charis Ioannou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1976. In 2001,
during his studies at Berklee College of Music, Charis won the Woodwind
Achievement Award. After graduation, he moved to New York where he stayed
for three years. While in New York, Charis earned his Masters degree in
performance form NYU and in the meantime performed and taught around the
state. The collaboration with Rick Parker lead to the CD release of Rick
Parker Collective ? New York Gravity on the Fresh Sound Label. Charis left
from the United States in 2005 and moved back to Cyprus. The return to his
home country found Charis collaborating with various musicians including his
own Group, The Jazz Futures Quintet, The Petsteppers (cd release 2008), The
Cyprus Big Band (musical director) with which he has performed around the
island and also in various venues around the world including performances in
Greece, Kuwait, Poland, Serbia, Spain, England, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland
and the U.S.A. Charis is teaching Jazz music at The University of Nicosia,
and also around the island through workshops and jam sessions that are being
sponsored by the the Bicommunal Support program of the American Embassy in
Cyprus.
Michael Messios (double-bass)
Michael Messios was born in Limassol. In 1995, he received a scholarship to
study jazz performance, jazz composition and orchestration at Berklee
College of Music. While in Boston, Michael took private lessons with Charlie
Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi, Oscar Stagnaro, Bruce Gertz and performed with a
number of bands. Michael is a member of the bands Petsteppers, Symmetry, The
Cyprus Bigband and many more. In the studio he works as an orchestrator,
composer and producer. Some of his projects include the album releases of
well known Cypriot artists. Michael is also composing, arranging and
performing with the jazz-fusion band Petsteppers, which appeared, amongst
others in the Dogstock and the Cracow jazz festivals, the Kuwait Jazz
Festival and the Mitrovica Jazz Festival in 2009 , and at Vortex Jazz Club
in London with Gilad Atzmon. Michael is an endorsed artist from ‘’Ashdown
amps’’.
Marios Toumbas (piano)
Pianist Marios Toumbas holds a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, in Music
Synthesis (Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA) and a Master of Music with
Honors in Jazz Studies (New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, MA).
While at the US, he was a student of well known jazz educator Charlie
Banacos. He also took jazz improvisation lessons from Danilo Perez (former
pianist with D. Gillespie) and Grammy award winning bassist Cecil McBee
(formerly with Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter).Mr. Toumbas has performed all
over the world with famous jazz musicians such as, electric bassist Anthony
Jackson (creator of the 6-string el. Bass), tenor saxophonist Tony Lakatos
and guitarists Jeff Richman and Brett Garsed. He has also performed at
International Jazz festivals such as, the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada,
the Krakow Jazz Festival in Poland and the North City Jazz and Blues
Festival in Serbia. He has played concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in
London and Sun City Music Hall in Johannesburg South Africa. He is currently
a lecturer of Jazz at European University Cyprus, where he teaches piano,
improvisation and jazz harmony and arranging. His piano trio performs often
around Greece and Cyprus.
Ioannis Vafeas (drums)
Ioannis Vafeas was born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1970. In 1994 he graduated
from Berklee College and in 1998 from the Boston Conservatory. Ever since he
has been an active musician performing and teaching music in Cyprus and
abroad. Ioannis is endorsing Zildjian Cymbals.
Ticket Prices:
Adults: EUR22
Friends and Supporters of the Pharos Arts Foundation / Concessions: EUR17
Click
here to purchase your tickets online or telephone 7000 9304
