The Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble “The Passaron” (Ioannina, Greece) is an officially recognized non -profit association since 2012 that consists of local guitar students and friends of the classical guitar.
With the guitar ensemble as a vehicle, the purpose of the Association is its contribution to the development of musical education, the study, interpretation and presentation of various musical genres, as well as cooperation and partnership with other musicians and musical ensembles.
The name “Passaron” refers to the homonymous ancient capital of Epirus, which, among other things, was the homeland of Alexander the Great’s mother and which, according to archaeological studies and findings, is very likely to be identified with the area where the Temple of Areius Dios Rhodotopi is located.
The Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble, from 2012 to today, has more than 90 concerts to its credit, both in the Ioannina region and in various cities in Greece, as well as in Bulgaria and Poland. These concerts include:
- International Music Festival at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall
- Musical evenings exclusively dedicated to the Rodotopia Guitar Ensemble, in Ioannina, Preveza, Paramythia, Lefkada and Amfilochia
- European music days in Agrinio and Parga
- Panhellenic Meetings of Guitar Ensembles & Orchestras, in Volos, Veria, Larissa, Kozani, Kastoria, Ioannina
- Student concerts in his hall in Rodotopi
- Erasmus+ program in Poland
- Other concerts: in Velingrad, Bulgaria, University of Ioannina, Vella Alumni Association, Sifnos Music Festival, Varkarola of Corfu, television productions of local channels, book presentations, etc.
Also, the following professional video productions with transcriptions and arrangements of first-run works for guitar ensemble are special milestones in the musical activity of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble:
- Nikos Skalkotas: Epirotikos 1 (2018)
- Justin Hayward: Nights in White Satin (2019)
- The Doors: Riders on the Storm (2017)
- Epirus: My Strange Bird (2016)
Finally, in collaboration with the Municipality Cultural Center of Ioannina and the Municipality of Zitsa, to which it geographically belongs, it has organized 6 National meetings of guitar ensembles and orchestras in Ioannina.
More about the profile and activities of the Rodotopi Guitar Ensemble can be found on its website: https://guitar-ioannina.blogspot.com/