Evanthia Reboutsika is among the most famous contemporary Greek composers. She has created music for both instrumental pieces and songs, and is especially famous for her original music scores that have been used in films, TV programs and theater productions.
Reboutsika was born in Patras and at the age of six she began studying the violin at the Conservatory of Patras. She continued her studies at the Athens Conservatoire and the Greek National Conservatoire and later in Paris at the École normale de musique. From a young age she played with her brother and sisters as a quartet, touring in Greece and abroad.
Her works have been internationally distinguished, at the Rome International Movie Awards, the Cannes Indies Cinema Awards, the London Greek Film Festival, and others. The World Soundtrack Academy awarded her with the “Discovery of the Year 2006” for Çagan Irmak’s film “Babam ve oglum” which was also awarded by Bosphorus University as Soundtrack of the Year. The score she composed for Tassos Boulmetis’s A Touch of Spice won the State Prize at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
She created original music themes, among else, for the bicentenary of the Greek War of Independence and for the play “The Ellinikon”, while together with the lyricist Lina Nikolakopoulou she created the song “Hellenism”, a hymn to the Greek Diaspora. She has been awarded the Golden Lion of the Order of Alexandria by the Patriarch of Alexandria.
Her latest project is called “Gefyres / Bridges Greece – Israel – Palestine” (with the participation of Israeli Ladino singer Yasmin Levy, Palestinian-Israeli singer-songwriter Mira Awad and Greek soprano Christina Poulitsi) conveying the message of peace coexistence togetherness through the healing value of music that aims to function as a bridge across nations and cultures.
What are your influences? What role has Greece played as a symbolic space of inspiration? And how are Eastern and Western melodies combined in your work?
Ever since I was a child, my life has been full of various types of music, since I grew up in my father’s movie theater, a place echoing with film soundtracks from all over the world. In the darkened auditorium we had melodies from around the globe to keep us company, at home we listened to my father who was an excellent Byzantine cantor, at the Athens Conservatoire I pursued my studies in classical music and our daily life was permeated by traditions, local and beyond.
For centuries, Greece has been a source of inspiration for all people, all the more so for me since it is my homeland. My travels have brought me to distant countries but in each of them I have always found a common language, music.
I sensed Greece everywhere, its colors and sounds, its art and culture have influenced the whole world. The West and the East, whatever their differences, remain elements of the same humankind.
You have composed several film scores and TV sountracks; where do you get the inspiration for this kind of compositions?
A fleeting moment, a thought, a story I read, a memory – all of these can provide inspiration. Then the melodies flood the heart and become notes that give rise to new emotions. The journey of inspiration is unique to each person and may not be just about art. Connecting with the people of the Diaspora who sought out new homes without forgetting their roots, their own experiences and their stories, all of these are sources of inspiration.
I often like to create my own stories with my imagination and a melody is born to accompany each story.
You have composed the song “Hellenism” with the support of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy. What is your relationship with the Greek Diaspora?
I have always had deep emotions towards Diaspora Greeks, with whom I often come into contact through my travels and concerts abroad. Along with Lina Nikolakopoulou, who wrote unique lyrics and whose words caused hearts to beat louder, we created “Hellenism” as a minimal offer to Greeks abroad.
We wanted to give voice to the nostalgia, dreams and hopes of people who live far away but always have their homeland in their soul.
What are your views on contemporary Greek songmaking?
Songs are our friends and, as such, sometimes they have a lot to tell us. There are many songs worth discovering in a time when there is often low quality in cultural production.
Tell us about your upcoming plans.
I’ve always loved to travel, I’ve said many times that I had my suitcase ready for the most unexpected trips. This time I want to travel with the “Bridges” of music around the world. The start was made on October 4 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, with the aim of using the melodies to speak about the necessity of togetherness and to underline the unifying and healing value of music.
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