Live Creatan Music
Kostas Filippakis - Traditional Cretan Music
His father, a world renowed Byzantine Iconagrapher and remarkable singer introduced Kostas to Cretan music at a very early age. At the age of five, Kostas would sit and watch his father paint religious murals gaining an interest in the art, but realizing his main objective was to hear his father sing. His father quickly recognized Kostas musical 
talent as he would sing a song correctly and passionetley after only hearing his father sing it once. By the age of twelve he was able to captivate listeners with the music he would sing. At the age of sixteen his family visited Crete for the summer where the famous Cretan musician Nikos Zoidakis met Kostas and was awed by his singing and musical talent. Zoidakis gave Kostas one of his own lyra instruments as a gift having trust that Kostas would soon learn to play and be able to bring the music of Crete to the United States and the world. Kostas returned to Florida from his summer in Crete where he spent hours upon hours playing and learning the lyra in the mean time creating his own unique style. Within 6 months he had mastered the art and intricacies of the lyra and by the age of seventeen was considered a renowned and immensely gifted Cretan Lyra musician. It was at this time when he performed at his first "Glendi" in New York for the Cretan House of Ommonia. This was the begining of his career where he would later play with many respected musicians from Crete where he had the opportunity to create some truly great music. He has traveled and performed all over the United States, Canada, and Greece. His smooth and passionate voice and lyra playing has touched thousands of Cretans and Greek hearts who live abroad. It is said with his warm heart and genorous nature, he only sees the good in people and is known to bring the best out of those around him. Filippakis has played in tavernas, theatres, concert halls, glendia, weddings, baptisms and has appeared on television. He has proven that, still in these modern times, musicians exist who were born and raised away from Greece that continue to play their homeland music with integrity and are not afraid to show their love, passion and emotion. Kosta Filippakis style of playing and performing encompasses various areas of Greece as well as Crete, Featuring Kalamatiana, Nistiotika, Pontian, Tsamika etc.
