Join us on a trip across the ocean and back in time as we welcome Erini to the Ropeadope family. Erini is a vocalist of jazz and Greek traditional music who blurs the lines between genres and explores intercultural dialogue. Her debut album is titled Fos, which translates to light in English, and is a collection of 13 Greek traditional songs from Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Erini’s intent is 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. Greatly moved by the story of her great-grandparents, who were among those refugees forced to abandon their homes in 1923, Erini has created Fos 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.

This is compelling music with deep roots, brought to us by a masterful vocalist with powerful feeling. Not only does it carry us away, but also informs and inspires us to learn and embrace her culture.

Fos will be unveiled on June 7th, with the first single - Menexedes Kai Zoumpoulia - available today.