Meet us on the dance floor: Getting to know John Themelis

John grew up listening to Greek, Armenian, Turkish and Arabic music, and was interested in the sounds of the Balkans and Near East. Over the years, he has learned to perform on countless musical instruments from all parts of the Balkan/Near Eastern world. Of all of these instruments, the laouto, violin and tsampouna, have been his main focus, learning to recreate the strumming and playing style of the Cyclades, Dodekanese, Crete and the Mainland of Greece. He has performed throught the USA, Canada and Greece with the likes of Nikos Oikonomidis, Nikos Hatzopoulos, Nikos Sofos, Mavrothis Kontanis and the Maeandros ensemble, Demetri Tashie, Beth Bahia Cohen, Lefteris Bournias, Nikos Kouroupakis (of the renowned Trifono), Chronis Aidonidis and many others. He has collaborated with the members of the Internationally known Greek folk group, Endasi, since 2003 and as of 2018, has formed the Anemos Music Project with fellow laouto player, Vasilis Vassiliadis.

About the Anemos Music Project

The Anemos Music Project was formed out of the desire to play Greek Island music in its many forms, in its traditional style as well as the contemporary "neo-traditional" style, as it currently wildly popular in Greece. The core of this group revolves around the violin and the laouto, however, the beauty of the project is it's ability to adapt and assimilate as needed for any situation, from a bare bones "Nisiotko Takimi", to a Greek Folk orchestra (with the addition of Clarinet and percussion), to a full bouzouki style wedding band, and just about everything in between. The Anemos Project has become increasingly popular in the New York area since its inception and has been invited to perform at many prestigious events internationally.

Episode Music: The Anemos Music Project