With the concert for Grigoris Bithikotsis, the cycle of the International Festival’s tributes to the great Greek performers continues on Wednesday 31 July at 9.30 pm at the Pampeloponnesian Stadium of Patras,

Grigoris Bithikotsis was fortunate to work with great composers and to be the first singer to put great poetry into the mouths of the people. His collaboration with Mikis Theodorakis and his unsurpassed performances in his works “Epitafios” and “Romiosyne” in poetry by Yannis Ritsos and “Axion Esti” in poetry by Odysseus Elytis, were the ones that sealed his presence in Greek song.

An important moment in his career was his collaboration with Manos Hadjidakis. “Eimai aitos choris ftera”, “Paei o kairow”, “Sto Lavrio ginetai choros”, “Milise mou” etc. are some of the songs that stand out.

He also collaborated with other great composers, such as Stavros Xarchakos (“Aponi Zoi”, “Aspri mera kai gia mas”), Apostolos Kaldaras, Markos Vamvakaris, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giorgos Mitsakis, Demos Moutsis, Akis Panou etc. He wrote more than 200 songs, many of which he performed.

Singers participating in the tribute: Grigoris Bithikotsis, Vassilis Lekas, Babis Tsertos, Gerasimos Andreatos, Kostas Triantafyllidis, Stavroula Esabalidi

Artistic Supervision- Orchestrations: Nikos Stratigos