Timeless Women – The First Look

Eftychia Mitritsa is a singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Karditsa. She is a graduate of the Department of Music Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During her student years, she took her first steps as a singer, studying rebetiko and Smyrna-style songs, and soon stood out through her participation in the Thessaloniki Song Festival (2006).

Throughout her journey, from the very beginning, she met and collaborated with important representatives of Greek music—composers, singers, and songwriters—such as Nikos Mamangakis, Giorgos Andreou, Christos Thivaios, and later Giorgos Dalaras, Manolis Lidakis, Dimitris Zervoudakis, Nikos Portokaloglou, Christos Nikolopoulos, among others—performing in a series of concerts on major and smaller stages across Greece and abroad.

In theatre, she collaborated with director Lee Brower as the lead of the chorus in Aeschylus’ Choephori (Patras – European Capital of Culture, 2006).

Her discographic debut as a songwriter came in 2010 with the album “Mystikos Proorismos” (“Secret Destination”) (Sony, Akti), featuring pop influences and produced by Giorgos Andreou. This was followed by two more full-length albums: “Sosivio” (“Lifebuoy”) (Mikros Iros, 2014), in collaboration with songwriter Kostas Bountouris, and “To Proto Vlemma” (“The First Glance”) (Metronomos, 2020), a thematic album created in collaboration with lyricist Nadia Doulavera. The songs are inspired by archetypal female figures from ancient Greek literature, tradition, and ecclesiastical texts.

Her creative interaction with many singers and songwriters of her generation has enriched her personal repertoire. Notable collaborations include Alex Sid (in the TV series “Agries Melisses”), Giorgos Kagialikos, and Pantelis Kyramarghios. She moves with ease and familiarity across musical paths that span the space and time of Greek music, balancing between art song and folk song, tradition and contemporary creation.

Takis Farazis was born in Athens. He studied classical piano at the Hellenic Conservatory while also engaging with jazz music and attending lessons by Hungarian jazz pianist Bela Lakatos. He was a founding member of the group ISKRA, with which he released two LPs: “A New Day” (Polygram, 1986) and “Parastasis” (Utopia, 1988), marking the beginning of his compositional career.

In 1996, he released his first personal work titled “Oneirevmata” (“Spells of Musing”), receiving excellent reviews in Greece and Japan. As a pianist and orchestrator, he has collaborated with many Greek composers (Mikis Theodorakis, Christos Leontis, Eleni Karaindrou, Kostas Sfetsas, Nikos Xydakis, Giorgos Markopoulos, Dionysis Savvopoulos, among others), singers (Eleni Paspala, Savina Yannatou, Maria Farantouri, Tania Tsanaklidou, Martha Frintzila, Kostas Thomaidis, Arleta, among others), and significant creators from both the Greek and international jazz scene (Vangelis Rakopoulos, Giorgos Fakanas, Nikos Touliatos, David Lynch, Takis Barberis, Giorgos Kaloudis, Takis Paterelis, Vasilis Katsoulis, Kostas Theodorou, Arild Andersen, Paolo Fresu, Markus Stockhausen, Charles Lloyd, among others).

He has toured throughout Greece and participated in international music festivals (Bruges Festival – 2001, International Festival of Jazz Piano in Prague – 2005), presenting his original compositions. He has also composed music for numerous theatrical productions (National Theatre of Greece, Epidaurus Festival, Athens Festival, Neos Kosmos Theatre, Politeia Theatre), including Electra, Antigone, Persians, Medea, The Murderess, Ion, Alcestis, Trojan Women, among others.

Since 2016, he has been performing with the Takis Farazis Trio, presenting his own instrumental music. At the same time, he is also active as a piano teacher.