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Aegean Music Tour at East China: Reconnecting with Innocence 

"To be in the world one plays games, manipulates, one wheels and deals. But to enter that world and yet maintain innocence is one of the highest arts of all"  
Dheeren Gibbard

 

AEGEAN MUSIC TOUR is the continuation of Chang Jing Music Travel in Greece last October, under the AEGEAN project, and after having bringing the Chinese musicians to Greece, Meet Culture now have also brought the Greek musicians to China. The artists have had the most in-depth and unprecedented collaboration, and gained the much better understandings on each other’s culture and people.


Music tours consist of many elements, such as rehearsing, travelling, carrying heavy luggages, waiting at train stations, doing sound check, sweating......And the glorious moments of performance and meeting with the audience. 
The music tour at East China offered to my heart unique presents, that I could not imagine I would receive in such an abundance. All were infused with simplicity and innocence. Not the childish one....Not at all!
I mean the relaxed space that offers the high professional organised concerts, the respect we were approached, the authentic care for our needs, playing with master musicians. From the first until the last moment our co-travellers, musicians and manager were doing their best to support us....All details were in place, all stuff at the huge theaters were kind, all the people we met carried elegance and sensitivity. I do not claim that all Chinese are like this...I sincerely don't know.
But  I know for Chang Jing, Jang Di, Kevin Miao and all of their friends and concert organisers and stuff that we met through them.
Feeling the joy of meeting friends, laughter and music came out naturally. Chang Jing proved her peaceful natural talent once again, by offering space on stage, going into amazing improvisations and supporting all of us to perform our best. Jang Di just flew with his flutes, Pan Kaperneka did wonderful vocals and Areti Miggou played the Daouli with strength and inspiration. I was enjoying my Lyre, feeling blessed that I can sing my Ancient Greek Language in front of Chinese audience!!!
AEGEAN Music Journey in China consisted of one Music Festival, three concerts, one sharing event and one ancient Greek lyre workshop. Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lishui, Nianjing, Wuixi.....Skyscratchers, lakes, bridges, theaters, lots of food....By the way, Shanghai is a wonderful, elegant, interesting city. Multicultured, west oriented and  very clean!
All of us rolled smoothly through the intense program, having fun and enjoying. This was achieved because our organiser, Meet Culture, had created a solid program with professional care.
Meeting modern Chinese musicians, who respect and love their own culture and on the same moment respect and love Greek culture feels like a mirror situation, where we, as modern Greek musicians, love our culture and on the same moment we are eager to understand more about Chinese music. 
Coming back to Athens, I felt that my Chinese friends had transmitted some of their peaceful strength and elegance to me, some of their innocent heart and playful manners. I felt more connected to their culture, understanding better their essence and realised once again how wonderful music is for us humans. We can travel beyond time and space just by playing music, easily reconnecting with our innocence.....What a gift!!!!!!!!!


For reading details on our tour please visit http://meetculture.com/aegean-music-tour-in-china-the-unprecedented-grand-culture-journey-connecting-china-and-greece/