A musical journey through Mediterranean time and space, centred around the Cretan lyra, by one of its most inspired ambassadors.

Guided by the thread of time, like a modern Ariadne in her musical labyrinth, Kelly Thoma (wife and disciple of Ross Daly), explores a universe where the sounds of the past meet those of the present. Following the success she met in Geneva in 2017 during the Nuits du labyrinthe, the Adem decided to open their doors to her again this year. This time she invites us to follow her on a journey without a defined temporality and free of any anachronism, punctuated by her own compositions and the unbridled improvisations of her ensemble.   
The Cretan lyra is at the heart of the encounter: with its Arab and Byzantine origins mixed with Venetian influences, it carries with it a sense of wandering and hybridity. It is also inventive, since the instrument has been enriched by the discoveries of different generations of performers since its arrival in Crete in the middle of the Middle Ages. Kelly Thoma is today one of its most inspired ambassadors.

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Kelly Thoma: lyra fiddle
Aris Kornelakis: lyra, lavta and saz lutes, voice
Mayu Shviro: cello
Bijan Chemirani: percussion

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WORKSHOP: MODES AND RHYTHMS OF GREECE WITH KELLY THOMA

PLACE: Haute école de musique de Genève, 10, rue Petitot, Salle A204 au 2^e étage
DATE: Thursday March 3rd 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm
REGISTRATION: at the HEM  xavier.bouvier@hesge.ch

BIO
Kelly Thoma has been studying lyra with Ross Daly since 1995 and soon after began traveling with him and his band, Labyrinth.
As a member of Labyrinth and the Labyrinth Musical Workshop (Crete), she has had the opportunity to meet and perform with many renowned musicians such as the Chemirani Trio, Ömer Erdoğdular, Derya Türkan, Zohar Fresco, Efrén López, Pedram Khavar Zamini, Dhruba Ghosh, Ballake Sissoko, Erdal Erzincan, Mehmet Erenler, Yurdal Tokcan, Mayu Shviro, Ustad Mohammed Rahim Khushnawaz and many others, which have resulted in a unique sound and personal style on the lyra and a creative approach to traditional music (what Ross Daly calls contemporary modal music). She participates in most of Ross Daly's projects and since 2008 she has been a member of the Tokso Folk String Quartet with Anne Hytta, Eleonore Billy and Sigrun Eng exploring and creating music-inspired - among other things - by Nordic traditions.
With Ross Daly, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Théâtre de la Ville, Queen Elizabeth Hall, San Francisco WMF, Rainforest WMF, Womadelaide, Rudolstadt and many other important venues and festivals around the world.

Links:

www.kellythoma.com

www.labyrinthmusic.gr

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Kelly Thoma's concert will be recorded by RTS- Espace 2

Extract of the concert streamed in 2021 :