CORFU - CYPRUS: From the West to the East

The historic Band of the "Philharmonic Society of Corfu" travels to Cyprus.

Municipality of Nicosia - Anniversary concert "CORFU - CYPRUS: From the West to the East

Nicosia is preparing to host one of the most important cultural events of this year.

On Wednesday 28 October 2026, the historic Band of the "Philharmonic Society of Corfu" (PALAIA 1840) travels to Cyprus for the grand anniversary concert "CORFU - CYPRUS | From the West to the East. Two Islands, One Nation, One Music Full of Greece".

The concert will take place at 19:00 in the evening, in Eleftherias Square in Nicosia, with free admission, bringing more than 100 musicians from Corfu to the heart of the Cypriot capital for a musical journey between two islands connected through history, culture and their shared tradition.

The concert is held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, with the support of the Municipality of Nicosia and the Deputy Ministry of Culture as sponsor. The Media Partner is ALPHA Cyprus radio station, and the production is by E & I Creative Visions.

At the centre of the evening is one of the oldest and most influential music institutions in Greece. The Philharmonic Society of Corfu, known as "Palaia", was founded in 1840 and for almost two centuries has been a point of reference for the musical education and tradition of Corfu and all of Greece. Its first artistic director was the great Corfiot composer Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros, who set to music the Hymn to Liberty by Dionysios Solomos, giving Greece and the Republic of Cyprus the music of their National Anthem.

It is precisely this historic connection that gives special symbolism to the Philharmonic's presence in Cyprus on the day of 28 October. In the morning the Band is scheduled to take part in the official events and the parade for the national anniversary, while the same evening more than 100 musicians will join on stage in Eleftherias Square, uniting Corfu, Greece and Cyprus through music.

The concert programme unfolds like a journey from West to East. It begins with the distinctive Ionian Islands musical tradition, moves to the work of two iconic figures of modern Greek music, Manos Hatzidakis and Mikis Theodorakis, and ends in Cyprus, with a special tribute to its own musical tradition.

Three different personalities take part in the artistic part of the evening. The internationally renowned soprano Elena Kelesidou has an outstanding international career, having performed for many years at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as well as at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Megaro Mousikis Athens and other important opera stages abroad, and she has also collaborated with the legendary Plácido Domingo.

Alongside her performs Giorgos Ntavlas, one of the most recognised personalities in public relations and communications in Greece, who in recent years has also been pursuing his personal dream in singing. He has already performed at important venues and events, among them the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Megaro Mousikis Athens, the Greek National Opera, the Monte Carlo Opera and the Teatro Nazionale in Florence.

The trio is completed by the talented young Cypriot tenor Ioannis Livanos, who, despite his young age, has already left his distinctive artistic mark in Cyprus and abroad. With performances at major European stages, such as the Royal Albert Hall in London, in Vienna, at the Rome Opera, along with international distinctions and solo concerts in Cyprus, he has developed an intense artistic presence from an early age, representing a new generation of Cypriot performers with an eye on the international stage.

The concert also features as soloists Marios Vousoulinos on trombone and Evangelos Faitas and Konstantinos Zochios on xylophone. The narration of the evening is undertaken by Athina Violari, while the musical direction is by Spyros Prosopares, Chief Conductor of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu.

The significance of the event, however, goes beyond the limits of a large concert. Bringing a historic musical ensemble of this size to Cyprus, together with its musicians and instruments, is a particularly ambitious cultural undertaking. The aim is for Eleftherias Square to be transformed for one evening into a large, open space of historical memory, music and culture, offering the audience a high-level experience completely free of charge.

With the imposing sound of the orchestra filling the heart of Nicosia on the national anniversary, "CORFU - CYPRUS" aims to become a rare and deeply symbolic encounter. An evening that brings to Cyprus almost two centuries of Corfu's musical history and, through music, unites two islands with strong bonds of history, memory and culture.