Diesi - Traditional Greek Music
About
Diesi, a traditional Greek band playing the vast repertoire from all regions of presentday Greece and beyond is based in Montreal and consists of Panagiotis Bakalis (Clarinet, Flute, Tsambouna, Gkainta), Harry Karavitis (Violin, Vocals), Panagiotis Bournakis (Laouto), and Chris Darsaklis (Percussion).
The members of Diesi developed an appreciation for traditional Greek music from a young age due to their involvement in tradition dance groups in the community. Through their participation in numerous performances and seminars both in North America and Greece, they developed a network with many renowned figures in the traditional dance and music scene. Under the guidance of such individuals, Diesi began developing a musical repertoire from throughout Greece, always seeking to respect to the local traditions and the intricacies of the musical styles. Throughout the years, the members of Diesi have had the privilege of sharing the stage with a number of these artists at various events throughout North America.
Diesi performs year-round at numerous cultural events, seminars, dance shows, festivals and private social functions such as weddings throughout North America. Various dance conferences at which Diesi have played include Laografia – Hellenic Cultural Conference (Montreal, 2011-2023), Koinonia Seminar (Los Angeles, 2015-2023), and the Sinantisi Prevezas Paradosiakou Horou (Greece), among others. They have been featured on local Greek television programming, and performed in various festivals including the Festival of Folklore (London, ON), Festival des traditions du monde de Sherbrooke (QC) and various local festivals primarily in Central and Northern Greece alongside various local artists.
Diesi has and continues to collaborate with several traditional dance groups in Canada including La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki (Montreal), Laografiko Ergastiri Montreal (Montreal), Paradosi Hellenic Dance Company (Toronto), Romiosyni Dance Group (Halifax), Dionysos Dancers (Edmonton) and The Odyssey Dance Troupe (Ottawa) among others. For over 10 years, Diesi has been participating annually in the Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival (FDF), organized by the Metropolis of San Francisco, playing for various dance groups and communities from the Western United States primarily based in California.
