The announcement was made on CyBC 1’s morning show ‘Omorfi Mera’.

The contest’s three live shows will take place at Arena Burgas in the Black Sea city. The first semi-final is scheduled for Tuesday, 11 May, the second for Thursday, 13 May, and the grand final for Saturday, 15 May 2027.

The song Perris will perform and the team that will appear with him on stage have not yet been announced. More details on the Cypriot entry are expected in the coming weeks.

(information from Like)

For Marios Joannou Elia, a career spanning musical composition, international artistic projects and leadership roles in cultural institutions has been a constant exploration of what culture can achieve. Following his recent appointment as chairman of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra’s board of directors, he discusses the challenges of leadership, the importance of collaboration and the need to lay the foundations for cultural development that has a lasting impact.

How easy is it to move from creating music to managing an organisation?

For me, the transition from composition to management feels natural. At the age of 30, I became artistic director of the German company m:con – mannheim:congress GmbH, a subsidiary of the City of Mannheim, with an annual budget of €80 million and around 100 employees.

The role brought me face to face with the demands of management: leading people, managing resources and turning an artistic vision into reality.

Management requires different skills from composition, although I also direct and produce many of my own works, most recently The Sound of Shanghai.

Both, however, demand imagination, discipline, clarity of thought and the ability to see how individual elements come together to form a coherent whole.

How did you come to follow such a varied career path?

I’ve always been interested in looking at things from different perspectives.

Aristotle explains that each of our senses perceives different qualities of the things around us. Take something as simple as tasting wine. You look at it, smell it and taste it. Each sense contributes to your assessment.

That’s rather how I see life. I believe that bringing different experiences together allows us to understand things more fully.

What role did your childhood play in shaping that outlook?

Childhood shapes the way we recognise our inner needs.

My roots are in Kyrenia, but I grew up in Paphos in the aftermath of the Turkish invasion. At the time, Cyprus felt almost like a desert when it came to opportunities to experience the arts.

An environment like that can leave room for the imagination and intensify the desire to explore.

The opportunities I had to travel as a child exposed me to different experiences and cultures.

Is there a particular childhood memory that captures this way of seeing things?

I remember the arrival of the Kyrenia II in Paphos in October 1986, with Melina Mercouri in attendance. The vessel had set sail earlier from Piraeus.

Although I was very young, the scene remains vivid in my memory: the small boats sailing out to welcome it, the crowds gathered at the harbour, the music and the feeling that the entire town was taking part in the celebration.

Years later, when I attended opera performances in Paphos, I would think back to that occasion as my first experience of something similar.

It was a celebration with historical, cultural and social dimensions. In my memory, it remains an open-air opera in which the audience itself was part of the performance.

How do you view the development of opera in Paphos, and what needs to happen next?

Opera in Paphos needs a clear artistic identity, consistent programming and an international outlook, with a firm commitment to the quality of its productions and the artists and creative teams behind them.

The Council of Ministers has tasked the Deputy Ministry of Culture with developing a long-term plan for opera in Cyprus, in cooperation with the Paphos Municipality and the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation.

Contacts are under way with organisations abroad to explore artistic partnerships and share expertise in organising, promoting and developing the festival, with plans extending to 2027 and beyond.

Public funding can be supplemented by ticket revenue and sponsorship, supported by effective management and a targeted approach to reaching audiences both in Cyprus and overseas.

That also means developing an audience…

Absolutely, provided that audience development is a deliberate objective and is assessed systematically.

We need to understand whom we are reaching and what prevents others from taking part, so that we can adapt our activities accordingly.

Success should be measured not only by attendance, but also by whether people come back and feel that the festival has something to offer them.

How can this translate into something that reaches ordinary people, particularly children?

By creating opportunities for people to experience and participate in the arts.

For children, that means being introduced to music from an early age, having the freedom to experiment and discovering what they are capable of.

Opera in Paphos could build on its educational role throughout the year through workshops, open rehearsals and partnerships with schools.

That would make investment in culture meaningful in everyday life, giving children opportunities to create and the wider public more ways to participate in cultural activities.

As a member of the European panel of experts evaluating bids for the European Capital of Culture 2030, what made Larnaca’s proposal stand out?

Larnaca stood out because of the coherence of its proposal, which combined an artistic vision with a European dimension and a convincing implementation plan.

The concept of “Common Ground” connected the city’s experiences with questions of coexistence and social cohesion, while actively involving its citizens.

The programme was also part of an approved cultural strategy extending to 2040, backed by financial commitments and contingency plans for possible delays in infrastructure development.

Together, these elements gave the bid a credible foundation.

What is the biggest challenge facing Larnaca until 2030, and beyond?

The greatest challenge is turning the vision behind the bid into lasting benefits for the city and its people.

As the panel’s report points out, that requires coordination with wider urban planning, clear timetables and measurable objectives.

Between now and 2030, the priorities are securing funding in good time, completing infrastructure projects and strengthening the organisational structure, alongside delivering a high-quality artistic programme with a European reach.

Looking beyond 2030, institutional continuity will be essential so that the partnerships, knowledge and opportunities created continue to support Larnaca’s cultural life.

What does your election as a full member of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, and your appointment as head of its Cultural Diplomacy Research Office, mean for your role?

My election to the Academy’s Chair of Musical Composition is both an honour and a responsibility to help strengthen the place of music and culture in public life.

Through the Cultural Diplomacy Research Office, which was established following a proposal I submitted to the Academy’s Senate and Plenary, we are working to connect artistic creation and research with Cyprus’s international cultural presence. We are doing so in cooperation with the state, academic institutions and cultural organisations.

Are you optimistic about establishing and achieving shared goals?

I am optimistic. I believe in collaboration and common goals, without confining myself to any single institution or professional role.

That’s also how I understand my role in cultural diplomacy: bringing people and organisations together around a shared idea.

Cultural diplomacy is becoming an increasingly prominent topic in public discourse. What does it mean to you?

Cultural diplomacy should be judged by the relationships it creates and how long they last.

A concert or an exhibition can be the starting point for a meaningful relationship between people from different countries. But that requires an understanding of the other party, reciprocity and sustained engagement.

Just as we want our own voices to be heard, we must also be willing to listen.

The “Sound of Shanghai” is a good example of the international reach that artistic creation can achieve.

As was repeatedly pointed out in Shanghai, Cyprus received unprecedented exposure in China because Chinese media outlets highlighted my Cypriot origins.

As chairman of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra’s board, what is your vision and what are your main priorities?

My vision is for a foundation that operates consistently, maintains high professional standards and plays a broader role in the country’s musical life.

As chairman, I work with the other board members to shape the foundation’s overall direction and development, while overseeing its services and activities.

My priorities include developing the organisation further, promoting music education, showcasing Cypriot composers and performers, and building partnerships that expand both our audiences and the organisation’s capabilities.

In managing the organisation, I place particular importance on compliance with the law, transparency, equal treatment and well-founded decisions, as well as responsible management of resources and long-term financial sustainability.

These principles of good governance lend credibility to our plans and enable us to make a persuasive case for what is needed, working with the relevant institutions.

You have also spoken about the need for the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra to develop further. What do you see as the main issues that need to be addressed?

The fundamental issue is the gap between the orchestra’s name and its actual capabilities.

In terms of the number of musicians, it is closer to a chamber orchestra, which limits the repertoire it can perform with its own resources.

Any plans to strengthen the orchestra must take account of both its artistic needs and the resources available.

That is why I requested comparative data on its funding as a percentage of GDP, alongside figures from countries such as Malta.

Every request for additional resources must explain what those resources would achieve and how the proposed changes could be implemented.

We need a multi-year plan, with gradual steps and continuity beyond the term of any individual board.

How do you see this developing?

In the longer term, I believe we could explore a shared organisational framework for the performing arts, in which the orchestra, opera, dance and theatre share infrastructure and administrative support while retaining their artistic independence.

That could create more opportunities for productions, collaborations and employment.

Such a model would need careful study and adaptation to the scale of Cyprus, ensuring that it meets the needs of artists and audiences while remaining financially and operationally sustainable.

Would that also require better facilities?

Certainly. The Pallas Theatre provides an existing base.

Ideally, however, our orchestras would have a permanent home of their own, befitting their status as the country’s foremost public musical institution.

It should be in an accessible part of the city and serve as a meeting place and centre of social life, as happens in many European cities.

The facilities would need to accommodate rehearsals and concerts, as well as music education, which is an integral part of the foundation’s mission.

You have also taken on the task of composing the music for the Olympic Flame ceremonies. How do you approach a work with such powerful symbolism?

I see the Flame as a symbol that connects the traditions of ancient Greece with the world today.

There is something deeply moving about the way it is passed from one person to another.

Music runs throughout the ceremony and reaches its climax at the moment the Flame is lit, closely intertwined with the choreography.

I see the ceremonies as parts of a larger “Olympic Symphony”, each with its own theme and distinctive sound, but all connected within a single work.

Technology and the relationship between music and other media seem to play an important role in your creative work. How did that interest develop?

My involvement with polymediality began with a practical problem.

In 2002, at a car factory in Dresden, I was trying to find a way to coordinate musicians positioned far apart from one another.

As I was leaving, I heard a car horn, and that gave me an idea.

The horn and lights of a car became signals that helped coordinate the musicians, supporting the work of the conductor and an assistant conductor.

What interests me about the relationship between music and technology is how a particular medium can become part of the compositional process itself, helping shape both the work and its meaning.

Innovation often begins when we discover that something can work differently from the way we’re used to.

So, for you, creativity often comes from bringing together things that initially seem unrelated?

Yes, provided their coming together creates a meaningful relationship, even if that meaning cannot be put into words.

I’m interested in how different elements are transformed through their relationship, creating something that none could express on its own.

Composition requires sensitivity both to the connections between these elements and to the tensions that arise between them, even when those relationships can only be sensed intuitively.

In a way, that’s how I see my own journey.

As you move forward, the path opens up before you. One difficulty leads to a discovery, and that discovery, in turn, takes your thinking in a new direction.

Finally, what thought guides you when you face a new challenge?

I’m naturally optimistic and focused on achieving my goals.

In music, as in management, perseverance and time are needed for an idea to mature and prove itself in practice.

Vision sets the direction, but it is the work we do every day that brings it to life.

She performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Alpesh Chauhan, in the first all-female final in the competition’s 48-year history. She competed against 18-year-old saxophonist Kezia Colton and a 17-year-old recorder player.

The judges praised her technical polish and the maturity of her playing. Pianist and jury member Joanna MacGregor described Demetriades as a truly exceptional musician with an innate sense of colour, musical style and architecture, and said her sensitivity and refined musicianship stood out at every stage of the competition.

Demetriades said she was honoured and thrilled to have taken part. She said she had loved playing in the quarter-final on her 18th birthday and had not thought she could top that, “but to go on to be crowned winner is my absolute dream”.

She receives 3,000 pounds towards her music studies, as well as recording and broadcast opportunities through BBC Radio 3. All three finalists will work with the Young Classical Artists Trust, which will support them in managing and developing their careers.

Several hundred young musicians applied by video. Forty were chosen for live auditions at Bath Spa University, and eight went through to the quarter-finals.

Born and raised in Leicestershire, Demetriades is in the first year of her undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she previously attended the Junior Academy. She studies with violinist So-Ock Kim.

She won first prize at the Lipinski-Wieniawski competition in Poland in 2024 and has also received awards at the Haslemere International String Competition. She has performed as a soloist in the UK, Europe and Canada.

BBC Young Musician was founded in 1978 by Humphrey Burton and is held every two years. Musicians who have come through it include cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, trumpeter Alison Balsom, pianist Stephen Hough and violinist Nicola Benedetti, the last violinist to win, in 2004.

(Information from BBC News)

The “A Beautiful Lie vs This Is War 2027” tour features songs from both records. The concert starts at 8pm and is expected to last between 120 and 140 minutes.

Tickets start at 89 euros and go on general sale on Friday, October 30, at 10am. VIP packages range from 290 to 955 euros. Cancellations and changes to tickets are not permitted.

The albums

A Beautiful Lie, released in 2005, included “The Kill” and “From Yesterday”, and This Is War, released in 2009, included “Kings and Queens”, “This Is War” and “Closer to the Edge”. Both albums went multi-platinum, Eventation said.

The band, made up of brothers Jared and Shannon Leto, has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, according to the producers. Its awards include several MTV Awards, a Billboard Music Award and a Guinness World Record for the longest-running tour.

VIP packages

All four VIP packages include a general admission ticket with early entry, a tour print signed by Jared and Shannon Leto, a VIP merchandise bundle, access to merchandise before doors open and an on-site VIP concierge.

The most expensive, ‘The Fantasy’ at 955 euros, adds a meet-and-greet with the band, an individual photo taken by a professional photographer, viewing from the side of the stage and guaranteed access to the stage for the band’s last song.

‘Closer to the Edge’, at 770 euros, includes the meet-and-greet, photo and side-stage viewing, while ‘The Kill’, at 475 euros, includes the meet-and-greet and photo. The cheapest, ‘Escape’ at 290 euros, does not include any contact with the band.

VIP guests under 18 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or adult chaperone, including in the photo with the band. Adventures In Wonderland, which runs the VIP packages, will email check-in times and locations three to five days before the concert. All VIP sales are final.

Find tickets here.

Featured image: Stefan Brending (2eight)

Camille O’Sullivan is bringing a performance that moves between music and theatre to the Nicosia International Festival. Drawing on songs by David Bowie, Nick Cave, Radiohead, Jacques Brel and other great artists, she talks about the power of performance, the freedom she finds on stage, her cultural roots and the importance of holding on to our childlike spirit as we grow older.

Does performing for a new audience make you nervous? Do you wonder how they’ll respond to your show?

Absolutely. Because I have no idea how they’ll react. I hope they’ll discover I’m a little bit mad! (laughs) The closest experience I’ve had was in Greece, where the audience seemed to respond well to what I do. So I’d love the same thing to happen in Cyprus.

Over the years, I’ve learnt that every audience responds differently. But you can’t predict everything. You have to be yourself, be authentic and trust what you’re doing. Even when people don’t understand the language, they can still feel the truth of a performance.

How would you describe Loveletter to someone who has never seen you perform?

I’d say it’s a journey. There’s joy, fun, sadness, darkness, theatricality and moments of complete freedom. Sometimes I might sing a sad song without moving at all, just letting the lyrics speak for themselves. At other times, the stage becomes a completely different place, full of energy and madness. There’s even a moment in the show when I hula-hoop!

I want to surprise the audience, take them somewhere they don’t expect to go. I don’t want to walk on stage and say, “Hello, I’m Camille O’Sullivan, and these are my songs.” I want every song to be a different world, a different experience.

You’ve said that you feel most like yourself when you’re on stage. How does that work?

It’s something I find difficult to explain. In my everyday life, I’m not nearly as uninhibited. I have insecurities and struggles, just like everyone else. Before a show, I can feel terribly anxious.

And yet, the moment I step on stage, something changes. It’s as though another side of me comes out. It’s still me, of course, but suddenly I can express myself without any restrictions.

Maybe it has something to do with the fear you feel standing in front of an audience. Strangely enough, that fear sets you free. For a little while, you’re completely in the present. You’re not thinking about how you look or whether you’ve done something wrong. You’re simply there, living in the moment.

And that freedom means so much to me. On stage, I can be wild, sad, sensual, funny, even look utterly dishevelled.

You studied and worked as an architect. How did you make the transition to music and theatre?

Architecture was an important part of my life, but along the way I discovered that music allowed me to express parts of myself that I didn’t know how to express in any other way.

What’s exciting about art is that it allows you to transform yourself, try on different identities and discover sides of yourself you might never have known existed.

Your repertoire includes not only Brel, but also Nick Cave, Bowie, Radiohead, Dylan and Cohen. What connects such different artists in your musical world?

I think what connects them is their ability to tell stories and explore some of the most fundamental questions about being human: life, death, friendship, love.

I’m drawn to artists who aren’t simply interested in showing how well they can sing, but who use music to say something meaningful. Artists who can transport you into an entire world through their words.

At the same time, I love rock ‘n’ roll, the music of Bowie and Radiohead, but also hymns and the spirituality you find in church music. All those things coexist within me.

I think the contemporary songwriters I love are carrying on the tradition of the great storytellers in their own way.

What interests me is making the audience hear these songs as though they’re discovering them for the very first time.

How do you approach a song that’s already so closely associated with its creator and make it your own?

You have to inhabit the song. How? When I discover a song, I walk around singing it to myself. I repeat the lyrics, speak them rather than sing them, until I find my own way of interpreting them.

I want to understand what the words mean to me and how they might take on a different dimension.

The biggest compliment someone can give you is to ask when you wrote a song that actually belongs to somebody else. It means you’ve made it so completely your own that the listener associates it with you.

I don’t want to imitate the artists I love. I want to have a conversation with them through their music.

You mentioned your relationship with song lyrics…

It’s absolutely central to what I do. Sometimes, when you listen to a song, the music is so powerful that you don’t really pay attention to the words.

That happened to me with Shane MacGowan’s music. I’d known his songs for about 30 years, but when he died and I began reading his lyrics without the music, I rediscovered the poet behind them.

I realised how sensitive and romantic he was, and what a dreamer he had been. It really shook me.

I became aware of how much I’d missed because the driving rhythm and arrangements had overshadowed the words.

Ever since then, when I’m working on a song, I try to let the lyrics breathe. I want them to sound like a story one person is telling another.

Was it this desire to bring out the words that led to your collaboration with pianist Feargal Murray?

Yes, and our collaboration is something truly special. We’ve been friends for about 28 years. We’ve travelled together, worked together and learnt to communicate musically in a way that’s difficult to describe.

He knows when I’m about to take a breath, and I know when he’s going to play a particular note. It’s as though we’re both moving to the same internal rhythm.

In the early days, I was constantly telling him to play less. I’d ask him to stop the rhythm, leave some space, hold just one chord so that the words could be heard.

I may have got on his nerves back then, but today we’ve developed a language of our own.

We’ve discovered just how powerful a single voice and a piano can be. For years, we thought we needed a whole band. Eventually, we realised that sometimes simplicity is far more powerful.

So how did Loveletter come about?

It began with my need to express my love and gratitude to Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O’Connor, two artists who had a profound impact on me.

I’d sung with Mundy at Shane’s funeral, and I wanted to hold on to that feeling of saying goodbye.

I wanted to find a way to thank them, both as the teenager who grew up listening to their music and as the woman I am today.

Initially, the idea was to approach Shane’s songs as poems accompanied by piano. That’s how the show began to take shape.

Then we brought in other artists and songs I love, including Radiohead and David Bowie.

With Radiohead, for example, it’s very difficult to cover one of their songs without sounding like a terrible wedding band! (laughs)

But when Feargal started playing Paranoid Android in a classical style, really letting the piano take centre stage, I realised we could create something entirely different. And that discovery was liberating.

Your music has strong theatrical and spiritual influences. How important is that dimension to you?

It’s hugely important. I’ve even worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, when we were asked to approach Shakespeare’s texts through music.

What we did was treat those texts as we would a song by Nick Cave or Radiohead: strip away everything unnecessary and find the heart of the words.

For me, a voice and a piano can create an entire world. It’s like telling a child a story and trying to enchant them, to draw them in.

I love taking an audience from darkness into light and back again. Making them laugh, moving them, making them feel uncomfortable, helping them relax.

I don’t want to give them just one emotion. I want to take them on a whole journey.

Have you noticed your interpretation of songs changing as you’ve grown older?

Of course! Your life experiences change the way you understand words.

I’ve noticed something rather strange, actually: when my personal life is difficult and my relationships aren’t going well, I often sing better.

It’s sad, but I think pain can bring greater depth to a performance.

Experience helps you recognise emotions you couldn’t understand before. So a song that once seemed simply beautiful can become something much more personal years later.

Earlier, you talked about childlike wonder and freedom. Do you think we lose some of that as we grow older?

We often think that as we get older, we become more mature, but really, we’re still children trying to find our way.

After the pandemic, I made a decision not to carry on as though nothing had changed. We’d all been through so much.

So I decided to embrace imperfection, to show that things aren’t always neat and tidy, and to accept that feeling of everything somehow falling apart.

Yes, for me, what matters is allowing ourselves to become big kids again, even if only for a little while.

Let’s throw maturity out of the window…

Event information: Camille O’Sullivan performs at Nicosia Municipal Theatre on 1 November at 8.30 pm as part of the Nicosia International Festival. Tickets: more.com.

The programme runs until 28 November and focuses on the practical side of the music industry. Topics include releasing a record, finding funding, export and showcases, reaching audiences in Cyprus and abroad, and empowering women in the industry. Sessions are followed by open stages, jam sessions and an artist merchandise market.

The initiative was selected through an open call by the Technical Committee on Culture supporting artistic collaboration and exchange between the island’s two communities. The call is facilitated by the UN Good Offices Mission in Cyprus, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the European Union.

The series is presented by Windcraft Loud with SCALA Music & Sound Hub and Cyprus Mixtape. It is led by Cemre Arca, an artist, educator, event curator and founder of Cyprus Mixtape, and Maria Kaimaklioti, a cultural producer and founder of SCALA Music & Sound Hub.

Admission is free. Registration is required for each workshop, and car sharing is available on a first-come, first-served basis through the registration form. No registration is needed for the closing event, jam sessions or open stages. The workshops and talks are in English. More information and registration: https://linktr.ee/EastCyprusMusicMeetings. Contact: info@scalasoundhub.com and cyprusmixtape@gmail.com.

Sunday 25 October, EVOHK artist-run space, Larnaca

• 11:30–13:00: Music Copyright Explained. How music copyright works around the world, how music rights make money and what artists and songwriters need to do to protect the rights in their songs and recordings. With Chris Cooke (CMU, UK).
• 15:00–16:30: Jazz & Folk-Fusion Music Routes. Entering the jazz and “world music” scene, showcases and festivals, and navigating PR. With Cemre Arca (Cyprus Mixtape, Cyprus), Maria Kaimaklioti (SCALA Music & Sound Hub, Cyprus), Nela Peshovska (Password Production, North Macedonia) and Ziad Fayed (AL.Berlin; Beirut & Beyond Festival, Germany/Lebanon).
• 17:30–20:00: Lefkosia Modular Sessions: Modular Synthesis & Performance. A hands-on session on sound design and hardware synthesis, including subtractive synthesis, Eurorack architecture, digital DSP engines and using modular set-ups in live performance, with a live patch-from-scratch demonstration. With Atesh Kozal (Guru Gara Synth) and Hadj (Play All Day).
• 20:00–23:30: Jam session and merchandise market.

Sunday 8 November, Magusa Kale Pasaji, occupied Famagusta

• 15:45–18:00: Funding for Artists. Where to find funding for artistic projects, how applications work and how to target the right opportunities. With Maria Kaimaklioti (SCALA Music & Sound Hub, Cyprus) and Ziad Fayed (AL.Berlin; Beirut & Beyond Festival, Germany/Lebanon).
• 18:30–21:00: Five Ways to Release Music. A workshop by artist and artist manager Henry Walton on release approaches, from weekly singles to six-month album campaigns, followed by Cypriot artists and cultural practitioners sharing their experience of taking music around Cyprus and abroad. With Henry Walton, Cahit Kutrafali, Kyriacos Frangoulis (Stonus), Maria Kaimaklioti (SCALA Music & Sound Hub) and Sevgi Basar.
• 21:00–23:30: Jam session and merchandise market.

Sunday 22 November, EVOHK artist-run space, Larnaca

• 18:30–21:00: Women in the Music Industry. A hands-on workshop on PR and press releases by Christina Hazboun, followed by a panel discussion on empowering women in Cyprus’s music industry, navigating studio and live spaces, and building creative confidence in a small scene. With Cemre Arca (Cyprus Mixtape, Cyprus), Christina Hazboun (The Sonic Agent, UK/Palestine) and Mikaela Tsangari (The Elbow Room, Records & Productions, Cyprus).
• 21:00–23:30: Jam session and merchandise market.

Saturday 28 November, UNFICYP Intercommunal Space, Pyla

• 18:30–23:00: Closing event: Growing Up in Cyprus’ Recent Music Scenes. An exhibition on living with music in Cyprus, with archive research and curatorial selection by Christiana Michaelidou (Nana), and a panel discussion on the island’s music scenes moderated by Mike Hajimichael (Haji Mike) with artists Inal Bilsel, Hayat Sebep and Tasos Lamnisos (x.ypno).

The production company has informed the municipality that the concerts will be held on the Larnaca–Dhekelia road, at the site where the Land of Tomorrow project is to be developed. When philenews contacted the company, it said it was waiting for official confirmation of the concerts.

The concert dates have not been confirmed yet.

Ed Sheeran performed at the same site in September 2024, drawing tens of thousands of people from 42 countries.

Read more:

The work is based on poems from Lorca’s ‘Poema del Cante Jondo’ (Poem of the Deep Song) and is made up of eight songs: ‘Paisaje’ (Landscape), ‘Paso’ (Passage/Way), ‘Baile’ (Dance), ‘Noche’ (Night), ‘Noche Media’ (Midnight), ‘Campana’ (Bell), ‘De Profundis’ and ‘Reflejo Final’ (Final Reflection). Each song takes a different musical style, but the collection is designed to be heard as one continuous piece, according to the organisers.

The concert is presented by the Embassy of Spain in Nicosia and Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with the Michalis Pieris Cultural Centre.

Elena Xyda and Marily Milia will sing, accompanied by Christina Polycarpou on lyra, with Xyda also playing lafta and Milia the cello.

Kallivokas, who was born in Athens, works mainly in contemporary classical music and music theatre. He holds a PhD in physics as well as a degree in classical guitar. His works have been presented by the Greek National Opera and the Greek National Theatre, and at venues and festivals elsewhere in Europe. In 2026 he was artist and composer in residence at Can Bonamic Centre de Creació in Barcelona.

The centre is at 8 Axiotheas Street, 1017 Nicosia. For more information, contact Instituto Cervantes on 22895136/37 or aula.nicosia@cervantes.es, or the Michalis Pieris Cultural Centre on 22894531 or www.ucy.ac.cy/cucentre/.

One of the most sought-after sopranos of our time, Aida Garifullina has sung on the world’s greatest stages and achieved international fame and acclaim. In 2018, she performed live before an audience of billions at the FIFA World Cup, appearing alongside Robbie Williams at the opening ceremony and also performing at the ceremony ahead of the final.

Her incomparable voice is one of those seemingly made to transcend time, moving with rare clarity and expressive depth between virtuosity and sensitivity, appearing to float delicately while simultaneously filling the space.

For the first time, that voice will resonate in Cyprus, at the idyllic ancient theatre of Kourion, overlooking the Mediterranean beneath the starry Cypriot sky.

On this wonderful occasion, Aida Garifullina speaks about the stage as a place of connection, opera as the raw, unfiltered truth of human emotion and, above all, an art form that seeks not perfection and success, but truth and humanity.

What still makes you eagerly await every new performance?

Music is like a river—it never flows the same way twice. Each time I step onto the stage, I feel like I’m entering a conversation with an unseen companion: my own soul, the audience, even time itself. Sometimes it’s a whisper, sometimes a cry, sometimes a prayer… but it’s always something alive, something born in that very moment. It’s this unpredictability, this trembling before the unknown, that quickens my heartbeat in the minutes before the first note.

When you first meet a conductor and orchestra, as you will in Cyprus, what do you focus on first?

I look into their eyes. Not at the conductor’s hands, not at the sheet music—but into the eyes of the musicians. I need to feel if there’s fire in them, if there’s passion, if they’re willing to take risks. If I see that they’re not just playing notes but living the music, then we become one. Because opera isn’t a solo recital—it’s a sacred ritual where every voice matters.

You’ll be singing in an ancient open-air theatre. How does such a place shape your approach to a concert?

You stand amid stones that are two thousand years old, and suddenly you realise: you’re not just a singer—you’re a link in a chain. Your voice can’t be amplified by microphones or hidden behind scenery. It must reach the last row, pierce the wind, cut through centuries… I become part of this place—its breath, its memory. And then, music stops being just a song. It becomes a prayer, lifted to the sky.

You’ve worked with the greatest conductors and directors. What qualities make creative collaboration truly fruitful?

When people aren’t afraid to challenge you. When a director says, ‘What if we tried it this way?’ and you don’t dismiss it but take the risk together. When a conductor listens to you as if you’re their only audience. Creativity is like a dance: if one partner leads too forcefully, the other loses themselves. True magic happens when both know how to yield and how to take.

You’ve performed music from many national traditions. Do you feel each language reveals a new facet of your voice?

Yes… like doors opening into the same house. Italian is sunlight—it flows easily, as if life itself is singing. Russian is a deep well where every word carries history. French is silk slipping through fingers. And Tatar… it holds so much raw pain and joy that singing it feels like touching the memory of ancestors. Language changes the timbre of my voice, its colour, even my breath. It’s like playing different instruments, where each note is a new life.

What element of your Tatar heritage always stays with you onstage?

The sense of qyzıq… not just a word, but a state of the soul. Tatar music carries an honesty, almost childlike vulnerability—like singing not for an audience, but for a single listener by the hearth. And the rhythm. Our folk dance Kyzlar bäyräme taught me that music must breathe like a person: sometimes still, sometimes exploding in unrestrained passion. I carry that with me in every role—even when it’s Verdi or Puccini.

In 2018, billions heard you sing at the FIFA World Cup final. How does an artist handle that level of exposure? Did that experience change how you view your public presence?

I realised art isn’t about fame—it’s about connection. Billions weren’t listening to me as an opera singer; they were listening to someone singing for them. Suddenly, I understood: my job isn’t to be perfect, but to be real. To let my voice sound as if I’m singing directly to each person in the crowd. Since then, I’ve stopped fearing being myself—even when the world watches through millions of screens.

Even on the world’s grandest stages, everything is recorded and immediately shared on social media. Do you think this has changed the way a live performance is experienced?

Live music used to feel like a fleeting secret—something that died the same night it was born. Now, it can live forever… but sometimes, that eternity suffocates the spark of the moment. I remember singing an aria, and within an hour, social media was flooded with critiques: ‘She was off-key here!’ I thought: Did people come to the theatre to dissect mistakes—or to feel something that moved them? Yet I’ve learned to resist that pressure. A live performance isn’t about a flawless recording. It’s about the trembling that can’t be saved in any file.

If you could change one enduring misconception about opera, what would it be?

That it’s boring. Or that it’s only for the elite. Opera is raw, unfiltered truth about human emotion—passion, despair, ecstatic joy—amplified a hundredfold. It’s life, but a hundred times brighter. I dream of the day when theatres aren’t just filled with regulars in evening gowns, but with teenagers in sneakers who came simply because they wanted to feel something. Because opera isn’t a museum. It’s a concert hall where millions of hearts beat in unison.

In your opinion, what’s the most underrated quality needed for a great opera career?

The ability to listen—not just to the music, but to yourself. In opera, it’s so easy to get lost in ambition, in the rush of performances, in the noise of the industry… But great artists are those who never stop hearing their inner voice. Who remember why they started singing. Who aren’t afraid to be alone with their thoughts after intermission. Because in the end, the audience doesn’t come for virtuosity—they come for what makes them feel.

What would you say to a young person today dreaming of following in your footsteps in a world so different from the one you grew up in?

Don’t chase success—chase truth. In a world where social media dictates the fashion of talent, don’t be afraid to be yourself. If you sing from the heart, people will hear you. But if you try to please everyone, you’ll lose the most important thing: your unique voice. Study every day, but never stop playing. Find teachers who don’t just teach technique, but who inspire… because in the end, that inspiration is what makes an artist immortal.

In a great career, what ultimately makes the difference beyond obvious talent and natural gift?

Patience. And the ability to rise after falls. I’ve seen the most talented singers break under pressure halfway through their journey—while those who endured became legends not because of their voice, but because they refused to quit. An opera career is a marathon, not a sprint. And sometimes, victory comes when you least expect it.

Beyond technique and timbre, what makes a voice truly beautiful?

When it carries a person. When it trembles with emotion, when it aches with pain, when it laughs with you… Technique is the tool, but the soul is everything. I’ve heard voices of perfect purity that left me cold. But once, I heard an old woman’s soprano, trembling with tears… and I understood: that is beauty. Because art isn’t about perfection. It’s about life.

Is there a flaw in your voice or performance that you have consciously chosen not to correct because it has become part of your artistic identity?

Yes… a slight crack in my upper register. Not a flaw—more like a scar from time. I could ‘fix’ it, but then the voice would lose part of its story. That crack is like a wrinkle on a face: a reminder that I’m not perfect, that I’ve lived through pain and joy. And sometimes, it’s what makes a note piercing—as if a human tear is hidden within it.

Is flawless execution not what you strive for?

Flawlessness is like a porcelain figurine: beautiful, but cold. I want music that burns. Sometimes I sing with a mistake—but I sing it honestly. And the audience erupts not for technique, but for feeling what I truly meant. A slight tremble in the voice, an unexpected pause, even a slight deviation in pitch—these can become the very magnet that pulls the listener to the stage. Because opera isn’t mathematics. It’s humanity.

INFO: Aida Garifullina joins the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra for two concerts on 9 and 10 October at the Ancient Theatre of Kourion, at 8pm (doors open at 7pm). Tickets: SoldOut Tickets.

Fuzz Bus will launch their debut album, Love Revolution, and the Charis Ioannou Quartet will play mainly original compositions, which it will perform a few days later at the My Unique Jazz Festival in Berlin, representing Cyprus. MOCA will close the night with new material recorded in 2026 and due for release in early 2027.

7pm to 7.40pm: Steppin’ Out Jazz Band

The band opens the festival with a tribute to Duke Ellington, playing some of the best-known works by the American composer, bandleader and pianist.

Line-up: Alice Ayvazian (vocals), Dimitris Miaris (piano), Costas Challoumas (bass), Marios Spyrou (drums).

7.50pm to 8.30pm: Pocket Migration

The fusion jazz trio combines contemporary jazz influences with a strongly electric sound and relies heavily on improvisation. Its repertoire includes original compositions and its own arrangements of jazz standards.

Line-up: Andreas Epaminonda (electric guitar), Pavlos Daniel Loucaides (keyboards), Enyalios Papadopoulos (drums).

8.40pm to 9.20pm: The Charis Ioannou Quartet

Ioannou has led the quartet for nearly 20 years, working with Cypriot jazz musicians throughout. The group mixes arrangements from the Great American Songbook with original work by its members, and its current line-up is built around the sound of Ioannou’s baritone and bass saxophones.

Line-up: Charis Ioannou (baritone and bass saxophone), Marios Spyrou (drums), Christos Yerolatsitis (piano), Kyriakos Kesta (bass).

9.30pm to 10.10pm: Fuzz Bus

Formed in 2011, the band recorded the album’s six tracks live in the studio. Their music starts from jazz and improvisation and moves between soul, funk and rock.

Line-up: Ermis Michail (guitar), Lefteris Moumtzis (vocals, bass), Andreas Panteli (keyboards), Omiros Miltiadous (drums).

10.30pm to 11.10pm: MOCA

The four musicians met while studying in Amsterdam and later taught and worked together in Mumbai. The band draws on jazz and world music, plays original compositions by its members and has performed at festivals and venues in Cyprus, India, Thailand and Poland.

Line-up: Christos Yerolatsitis (piano), Odysseas Toumazou (guitar), Marios Menelaou (bass), Aron Nyiro (drums).