about

KOURNOS MUSIC FESTIVAL

WHAT IS KOURNOS

Kournos Music Festival is a cultural organization founded by opera singers Anastasia Kotsali and Lito Messini and has been based in Lemnos island since 2021. As the island’s only artistic institution, it has been funded by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the the North Aegean Region since its first year of operation, bringing the local community into contact with high-quality cultural productions and educational activities.

Every project presented in the Festival Festival is designed specifically and exclusively for its particular context, engaging in dialogue with the local community and the island’s unique characteristics (architecture, customs, biodiversity, primary production, etc.).

With music as its central focus, the Festival aims to organize site-specific productions both in the island’s natural environment and in selected buildings of historical or architectural significance, as well as to foster interaction with the local community, which fuels the creative and research process.

The activities of the Kournos Music Festival are presented with free admission to the public and are hosted all around the islandaspiring to highlight and promote lesser- known aspects and remote settlements of Lemnos.

WHY IN LEMNOS

Lemnos is one of the remote islands of the Aegean, where one can still trace the richness of the dialogue between local traditions and the primary sector, the contribution and imprint of agriculture and livestock farming on local history, as well as a range of professions that are disappearing in Greece (such as basket weaving for local cheese molds, livestock farming exclusively with the local goat and sheep breeds, etc.). It remains an island with few permanent residents but a steadily increasing tourist presence. It hosts some of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece, while a large part of its territory is designated as a Natura 2000 protected area.

Following the floods of November 30, 2024, a large portion of its agricultural and livestock production was destroyed, while solidarity and the sense of community were activated in a unique way on the island, creating support networks among residents. With its 2025 theme, the Kournos Music Festival aims to highlight the healing and inclusive dimension of art as the highest gesture of generosity and support.

FESTIVAL OBJECTIVES

The Kournos Music Festival designs its entire program of activities—both artistic and educational—in dialogue with the island’s unique characteristics, aiming to highlight and preserve them while also fostering interaction with contemporary artistic currents, thereby enriching the creative process. It collaborates with local organizations and amateur cultural groups, environmental assosiations, cooperatives, as well as versatile artists from around the world, bringing to light forgotten aspects of the island’s rich tradition and history and transforming them into an inclusive, cosmopolitan narrative.

At the same time, each year the Festival commissions a new Greek composer—who has gained recognition through collaborations with major institutions (such as the Greek National Opera, the Athens State Orchestra, etc.)—to compose a musical work inspired by the island. The work is published, with the proceeds from its sales donated to the children’s choir of the Municipality of Lemnos.

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

From its very first year, the Kournos Music Festival has placed special emphasis on educational activities for all ages. It works closely with prominent institutions and artists, such as the Educational and Social Activities of the Greek National Opera. All educational initiatives are offered completely free of charge to the island’s residents.

Educational Activities 2021–2025:

▪️ Wind Instruments Seminar-Workshop in collaboration with the Lemnos Municipal Philharmonic, led by the principal clarinetist of the Greek National Opera, Spyros Tzekos.

▪️ Vocal Seminar-Workshop in collaboration with the Children’s Choir of the Municipality of Lemnos, led by the Greek National Opera lyric singer Dionysis Tsantinis.

▪️ Sculpture Workshop for Children and Parents: “Shaping My Hero” in collaboration with the Museum of Children’s Toys and Books and visual artist Philippos Vassiliou.

▪️ Music and Visual Arts Workshop for Children: “The Squirrel Who Made a Forest Disappear” in collaboration with the Educational and Social Activities of the Greek National Opera and the Museum of Children’s Toys and Books.

▪️ Music Workshop for Children and Adults: “Rosa das Rosas” in collaboration with the Educational and Social Activities of the Greek National Opera.

▪️ Puppet Theater Workshop for Adults: “Ascent to Mount Ventou” led by the renowned artist of the Avignon Festival, Renaud Herbin.

▪️ Musical Sculpture Workshop: “Vrykolax in Kabeirion” led by sculptor Philippos Vassiliou and the Ventus Ensemble, as part of the collaboration with the national initiative All of Greece, One Culture.

KOURNOS MUSIC FESTIVAL IN NUMBERS

34 initiatives
16 villages/settlements
4 archaeological sites
86 artists/researchers
7 educational workshops
3 commissioned and published musical works

COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS

GREEK MINISTRY OF CULTURE

GENERAL SECRETARIAT FOR THE AEGEAN AND ISLAND POLICY
NORTH AEGEAN REGION
MUNICIPALITY OF LEMNOS
LESVOS EPHORATE OF ANTIQUITIES
ALL OF GREECE, ONE CULTURE – MINISTRY OF CULTURE
EDUCATIONAL & SOCIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE GREEK NATIONAL OPERA

INTERCULTURAL INSTITUTE OF BARCELONA – AFRICA MOMENT
GREEK FILM ARCHIVE
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION “ANEMOESSA”
MEDITERRANEAN INSTITUTE FOR NATURE AND HUMANITY (MEDINA)
MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF CHILDREN’S TOYS AND BOOKS – CHRISTOS BOULOTIS
LEMNOS FILM CLUB