Aspasia Papadaki, regarded as the first female lyra player of Crete, has died aged 94.
Born in 1932 into a family with a strong musical tradition, Papadaki built her first lyra at the age of 14 and began performing at a time when widespread prejudice held that the instrument was only for men.
She made her first recording in 1962 with the song Paraxeno Pouli and went on to perform widely in Greece and overseas alongside her brother Pavlos, who accompanied her on the lute, appearing at weddings, festivals and cultural events.
Papadaki also collaborated on most of the recordings of composer Vangelis Zambetoulakis, leaving a lasting mark on Cretan music.
Source: Ekathimerini.
