Album Notes

The word Ziyia describes the small ensembles of rural Greece, which reflects our love for traditional Greek music. The sounds of the ensemble range from the bright, lithe melodies of the typical island ensemble of violin, santouri and laouto, to the heavy, passionate laments of mountainous Epirus.

Ziyia brings together musicians from across the US. This highly acclaimed group has been together since 1990 and plays for Greek dances and weddings throughout the US.

The members and instruments of Ziyia:

Christos Govetas-vocal, laouto, oud, clarinet, zurna, bouzouki
George Chittenden-clarinet, saxophone, gaida, zurna
Beth Cohen-violin, lyra, baglama
Lise Liepman-santouri, accordion, baglama
Dan Auvil-daouli, defi, doumbeleki