I don’t know whether this has been mentioned before.
Today, Saturday 24/5/2025, and tomorrow, Sunday 25/5/2025, the first exhibition of handmade and innovative musical instruments in Greece is being held, open to both the public and professionals in the field.
Serafeio, 24 & 25 May 2025
And a video from YouTube.
I found it — Lambros has mentioned it too.
Since two threads have been opened on the same topic, I’m posting here too the presentation I’ll be giving tomorrow:
I went to the exhibition; there were some interesting things there (e.g. Fronimopoulos with copies of historical instruments, timber importers, etc.). It was a good opportunity for some people to see the work of instrument makers, which hadn’t been possible at the Folk Guitar Festival in Thessaloniki. I forgot to mention it in the relevant post. Because there were many concerts featuring “big names”, the event sold out very early. Of course, anyone who wanted to see the instruments could enter freely, but this wasn’t made completely clear. It’s a good opportunity to see some noteworthy work, and of course to go tomorrow, when Nikolas will present Adonis’s guitar. Today I heard a tsambouna with a laouto, and Lempe̱sis playing instruments by Gazeta.
Today I had some time, so I went to the exhibition too. I have to say that the standard of the instruments on display was very high.
I spent most of my time with Dimitris Fotopoulos’s guitars, which left me completely satisfied both sonically and aesthetically. I recommend that fellow guitarists who are going don’t miss the opportunity to try them out. Needless to say, they were presented by Giorgos Vartsakis, who played them. (And then we say we can play 
).
I absolutely loved Adonis Guglielmo’s manouche guitar. It’s one of those guitars I would genuinely love to have at home.
What can one say about Nikos Fronimopoulos? Every one of his instruments is a gem. I saw his replicas of Makrygiannis’s and Tzavelas’s instruments, as well as the bouzouki based on a design by Gkelis. As cheerful as ever, he was happy to explain things and answer questions. (Niko Politis, he sends his regards.)
I also liked Andreas Dellios’s baglamas instruments. Beautiful work, right down to the last detail.
Hopefully this exhibition will become an annual fixture so that we can enjoy it every year.
I went too and saw friends and people I know. It’s really worth it. Those who didn’t make it today have another chance tomorrow. Don’t miss it.
Who are “Traditional Instruments .gr”?
Their website doesn’t make it clear whether they only sell instruments or make them themselves as well—or, if not, who the manufacturers are.
I don’t know whether they actually manufacture anything or just sell it, but they had the biggest “stand” at the venue. They caught my attention because they played zournas and laoutos.
They are the sponsors, if I understood correctly.
I don’t think there were any sponsors. The exhibitors must have chipped in a little something.
I should also mention that the exhibition featured instrument makers mainly from northern Greece. Apart from Nikola Fronimopoulos, who wasn’t selling anything but was just exhibiting, and Adonis (the good one, not the other one), I didn’t see anyone else exhibiting.
I’ve just got back from the exhibition, which will continue for a few more hours. It was well organised and fair in terms of what it offered. There were many very different makers, showcasing different types of instruments and approaches, but because there were several rooms available for trying out the instruments, there wasn’t any bothersome noise in the main area. The presentation area was also by the entrance, so while it was open to all visitors, it was also easily disrupted by the various little groups that formed around it. Overall, I was impressed and I’m looking forward to the next one, or similar events in the future.
Yes, there I was, sitting quietly with Nikola (Fronimopoulos), chatting away, when the kids came up and I said, “Oh, this will interest our friend Pericles.” The sound doesn’t do them justice. They were very good.
Well yes, of course I was interested! That’s what I wanted to ask earlier too, but I thought I’d look for the programme in case I could find it myself, and that led me to the questions above about Παραδοσιακά όργανα .gr. Thanks, Niko and Alexandros!
So, do we know who they are? Do we know their names? I had a look to see if I recognised any of the faces, but I didn’t. The piece, by the way, is the Kavontoritikos.
@GiannisPalios had recommended their online store to me in an old discussion.
Hello from me as well. I was also at the exhibition with “Παραδοσιακά Όργανα” and I’d like to give you some information about it. “Παραδοσιακά Όργανα.gr” is both an online and a physical shop that sells, modifies and makes traditional musical instruments from Greece and Turkey, as well as instrument-making materials, parts and accessories. It is based in Ptolemaida, in the regional unit of Kozani, and we travelled from there (500 km!) to take part in the exhibition — as sponsors, in fact. We brought with us many instruments made by leading Turkish makers, as well as excellent Greek makers and instruments from our own workshop. The aim was for us to meet you and for you to get to know us: online channels and the media are all very well, but nothing compares with personal contact! The exhibition was truly excellent, with some very strong exhibitors, and we hope it will be repeated with even more people from our field. In the video, the tsampouna is being played by the excellent Nikos Tsantanis (later that evening, he played with Nikos Oikonomidis at Technopolis), and I’m playing the laouto.
Ah, folks, it seems the video really wasn’t very good:
Nikos is a friend of mine; we’ve shared the tsampouna journey for a very long time, almost half our lives, and as it happens, we were corresponding only the other day (possibly on the very same day)! And he really is excellent—not because he plays better than everyone else, but because although many people now play the tsampouna, Nikos also knows his stuff, which is rare.
Well, Gianni @GiannisPalios, thank you for the identifying clue you gave us. I would suggest that you also list the makers on the website. If someone is looking for instruments of particular interest—tsampounas, Macedonian lyres, zournas where it is possible to tell whether they are from Serres or Naousa—they will most likely know the names; it won’t be irrelevant information. (Not that the same doesn’t apply to bouzoukis and guitars—quite the contrary!)
All the best!
