Erini

Erini is a vocalist of jazz and Greek traditional music who blurs the lines between genres and explores intercultural dialogue. Heard by over 1 million people during her tour with Cirque Du Soleil, Erini’s voice is characterized by ornaments from the Greek tradition and inspired by far-ranging influences such as jazz, pop and classical music.

Erini’s debut album “Fos” (“light” in Greek) is a collection of 13 Greek traditional songs from Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), handpicked by Erini, to shed light on the rich musical heritage of Greek refugees from Asia Minor. After the Greco-Turkish war (1919-1922), over 1.5 million Greeks were forcefully displaced from Asia Minor. The New York-based Greek vocalist is greatly moved by her great-grandparents’ story, as they were among the refugees forced to abandon their homes in 1923. This inspired Erini to create this album in their honor. Erini’s unique musical versatility, cultivated by her Cirque Du Soleil tours and her Berklee education, has birthed a modern revisitation and cross-genre orchestration of the Asia Minor-Greek standards. Co-produced by Grammy-nominated arranger Gonzalo Grau, the album introduces a range of themes including love, sorrow and alienation. In the beloved classic “Menexedes Kai Zoumpoulia” (Violets and hyacinths), Anatolian strings play in the style of a waltz, where East meets West. Conveying the agony of losing one’s home is the song “Giati Pouli M’ Den Kelaidis” (Why don’t you sing, my little bird), where Erini’s free time singing allows her to dwell on a range of emotions, while a classical string orchestra follows her in dramatic succession. In “Amanes Kalinihtas” (A Good Night Amanes), Erini reimagines the ancient form of “amanes” - poetry sung in an improvisational style, and decorates it with a classical string quintet. This album is very close to Erini’s heart and her roots; her whole family is featured on one song and there is a duet between herself and her mother. “Fos” is an ode to Asia Minor-Greek refugees, highlighting their struggles, whilst honoring their cultural heritage.

Growing up in a musical family on the island of Crete, Greece, Erini played the piano and cello and performed with her hometown’s string orchestra and choir. As a descendant of Asia Minor-Greek refugees, Erini’s mother introduced her to the Asia Minor-Greek musical tradition which ignited Erini’s passion for singing. As a teenager Erini immersed herself into pop and rock which led her to England to study Contemporary Vocals at Bimm at age 18. Being cast as the only vocalist of the show “Kurios” by Cirque Du Soleil in 2014, Erini toured for 3 years, performing a total of 1074 shows. Going on to complete a Master at the Berklee College of Music paved new paths of experimentation for Erini as she redefined the constraints of genre and birthed a new sound combining Greek traditional music with contrasting genres such as, jazz, pop and classical music. Erini has had the opportunity to showcase her musical heritage at Carnegie Hall and she was an Official Selection Showcase artist at WOMEX 2023. She has sung in Grammy-nominated albums and has collaborated with artists such as Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nella, Jorge Glem and Daniel Hope. Erini is also a professor at the Berklee College of Music and presents workshops and lectures of Greek traditional music in universities including Harvard, Princeton, Tufts amongst others. In recognition of her efforts to preserve Asia-Minor Greek culture, Erini has been awarded the Greek America Foundation’s 40 under 40 Award and the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Traditional Arts Fellowship.