From Greece to Newtown: Dimitris Basis unites with students to sing ‘Music from the Heart’

·

As the sound of the bouzouki filtered down busy King Street in Newtown, Sydney on Tuesday, June 4, you instantly knew the music of Greece had made its way Down Under.

The joyful and familiar sound was made possible thanks to a music collaboration taking place inside St George’s Hall between internationally acclaimed Greek singer Dimitris Basis and students from the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts (NHSPA).

Dimitris Basis. All photos The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.

The concert, titled ‘Music from the Heart,’ started at 7pm and broke cultural and language barriers through music. It was proudly supported by the Greek Festival of Sydney and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), and sponsored by the Bank of Sydney.

Basis selected music for the concert from artists he grew up with, including Mikis Theodorakis, Stavros Xarchakos and Dimitris Mitropanos. The songs embodied lyrics and music that evoked a range of human emotions such as passion, love, pain, loss, struggle, joy and hope.

No one left the concert disappointed. From a solo multilingual performance by a NHSPA student alongside Basis, to a choir of students singing beautiful back-up melodies, and an orchestra featuring violins, trumpets and more – the concert really did have it all. There was even an encore of Zorba the Greek, which had everyone singing and dancing along.

The choir of students.

The concert ended with gift giving and formalities. Students thanked Basis for giving them a chance to perform with him at a concert they “will never forget,” and also expressed their gratitude to those who made the collaboration possible including the Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris, the President of the GOCNSW, Harry Danalis, NHSPA Careers Adviser and Production Coordinator, Ula George, NHSPA Music Teacher and Musical Director of Concert, Emlyn Lewis-Jones, and NHSPA Principal Dr Susan Green, among many other volunteers and supporters. They also thanked the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis for attending.

In a speech, Basis thanked the students for working together with him, and said he was “incredibly proud that Greek music was being heard and played at an Australian school.” He also said he was grateful to Emlyn for seeing the value in performing Greek music at the NHSPA.

Harry Danalis (right) giving a gift to Dimitris Basis.
Emlyn Lewis-Jones.
Harry Danalis (left) and the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis.

Emlyn first saw Basis perform in 2008 on the Greek island of Samos and was so impressed that he followed his musical journey. In 2018, Emlyn met with Basis while he was on tour in Australia and Ms Karteris arranged a meeting at the school to discuss a possible concert involving NHSPA students and Basis as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney’s program in 2019.

NHSPA students have since performed two concerts with Basis – ‘Byzantium to Zorba’ in 2019, and ‘200 Years: A Celebration of Greek Music’ in 2021 to mark the bicentenary of the start of the Greek War of Independence. Tuesday night’s ‘Music from the Heart’ concert was their third collaboration.

Mr Danalis touched on this history in his speech on the night and surprised the crowd by announcing that the NHSPA students have been invited to Greece in September 2026 to perform alongside Basis in the homeland. A true sign that this music collaboration isn’t ending any time soon and after Tuesday night’s performance, we can’t wait for more!

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Valentine’s Day, Greek Style: Two couples reflect on love, family and tradition

This year, The Greek Herald decided to speak with two Greek Australian couples from across the nation to ask them how they met.

‘It’s Story Time’ with Sophia Amarandos: A mini dating series on finding love

Sophia Amarandos is on her very own Bridget Jones-esque quest to find love, no matter how many glasses of wine and awkward dinners it takes.

Macquarie University leads the way in Greek Language Certificate awards ceremony

Over 200 people attended the award ceremony of the Certificates of Attainment in Greek Language 2024 that took place at Macquarie University.

Taste of the Aegean: Meet the Greek foodies bringing flavour to Antipodes 2025

This year’s Antipodes Festival is celebrating Greek culture and food with 'Taste of the Aegean,' proudly supported by The Greek Herald.

Inner West Hawks FC kick off 2025 season with memorable launch event

The Inner West Hawks FC officially launched their 2025 season with a vibrant celebration at Club Five Dock RSL on Wednesday, February 12.

You May Also Like

NSW Labor to hold Fairer Renting Roundtable next year

NSW Labor will hold a roundtable in January 2023, to discuss what is needed to make renting fairer and ways to ease cost of living pressures.

Sydney Olympic legend Fotis Papadopoulos passes away aged 86

Sydney Olympic legend Fotis Papadopoulos tragically passed away aged 86 last night after recently falling ill. Fotis was greatly loved by the community.

Paspaley Pearls: A Greek family dynasty

Paspaley Pearls is the business that has run off strong family connections and a history beginning on the island of Kastellorizo.