The inaugural Melbourne Rebetiko Festival will be held on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st of August 2016 at the Caravan Music Club in Oakleigh. Bringing together the Melbourne Musical Rebetiko community , this live festival will celebrate the musical and cultural legacy of Rebetika and its impact on Greece and the world at large. Focusing on the golden era of this music , this festival will present live performances from various artists on musical works between 1920-1950 - the early music of Markos Vamvakaris, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Giorgos Batis, Rita Abadzi, Kostas Skarvelis, Panagiotis Toundas, Giorgos Mitsakis and many more.
Con Kalamaras and members of the Rebetiko Ensemble will play a range of this music live to air in the Global Village on Sunday 14th August at 5 pm. They will talk about their influences and the role of Rebetika in Greek society ... and its continuing legacy in Australia.