MM Concerts - Michalis Kouloumis

Violinist Michalis Kouloumis comes from Cyprus, historically a melting pot of cultures. He grew up in a musical nest and soon knew that the violin would become his instrument. While studying in Athens he discovered ancient Ottoman court music and became fascinated by it.

After studying at Codarts Rotterdam, where Kouloumis followed a master's degree in Ottoman music with Kudsi Ergüner, he co-founded Lingua Franca with Michalis Cholevas. An impressive performance at Womex, the international showcase festival for world music, marked the group’s breakthrough outside the Netherlands, and it has successfully performed in various countries around Europe and beyond.

For his performance at Music Meeting, Kouloumis chose a recent composition of his own: 'Traces of Civilization.' Michalis: ‘That usually happens quite spontaneously with me. Usually I don’t have any preconceived plan. While warming up for the recording, I happened to play a phrase from that piece and then just decided to start with it. Then I just see where I go from there.’

Line-up 

Michaelis Kouloumis - Violin 

Discover more!

Get to know the story behind the artist by checking out the Music Meeting Talks interview with Michalis Kouloumis following this concert.