The Musical Workshop "Labyrinth," in Houdetsi, Crete

The Musical Workshop "Labyrinth," founded in 1982 by Ross Daly, started as a group of musicians dedicated to the preservation and promotion of musical traditions from all around the world and to the creative interaction between them. It is situated in a manor house in the village of Houdetsi (20 km south of Iraklion), where people can visit a permanent exhibition of rare musical instruments as well as exhibitions of the work of some of the best of contemporary instrument makers worldwide.

This year workshops on musical instruments such as cello, Cretan lyra, mandolin etc plus Bulgarian, Turkish and Irish music and singing, take place from June 30 to September 6. The Musical Workshop "Labyrinth" was founded in 1982 by Ross Daly, with the goal of initiating young people, primarily, into a creative approach to traditional musical idioms from various parts of the world.

Today the M.W. Labyrinth, in cooperation with the municipality "Nikos Kazantzakis" has concentrated all of its activities in a tastefully restored old manor in the village of Houdetsi (20 km due south of Iraklion), where one can visit a permanent exhibition of rare musical instruments from all over the world. Apart from the personal collection of Ross Daly himself, exhibitions of unique collections of instruments belonging to other collectors will also be on display from time to time, as well as exhibitions of the work of some of the best of contemporary instrument makers worldwide. Parallel to the exhibition of instruments, special musical seminars and "master-classes" are organized at regular intervals featuring some of the foremost master-musicians of the traditional music from all over the world.

In the instrument- making workshop, courses in the construction of musical instruments will be offered for luthiers interested in broadening their knowledge in new directions. For this purpose master craftsmen from various traditions will be invited to share their knowledge with the participants in these courses.

On the beautiful surrounding grounds of Labyrinth, during the summer months, concerts are frequently presented featuring some of the foremost exponents of traditional musical idioms from all over the world. The Musical Workshop Labyrinth was inaugurated on September 5, 2002 amid a wonderful musical atmosphere. Concerts with top exponents of the traditional music from different countries such as Bulgaria, India, Persia and Greece were held on September 5 and 6, thus inaugurating the opening of a multi-cultural centre. More than 3,000 people from all around Crete and other parts of Greece and abroad attended the concerts.

http://labyrinthmusic.gr/

06.08.2008