TRADITION AND SOUL: ARETI KETIME IN MELBOURNE

 

On 5 October, as part of the Third Zeibekiko Festival of Australia, an initiative of Sofia Ventouri, Melbourne witnessed one of its most memorable cultural events of recent years. Ivanhoe Grammar School hosted a remarkable concert by renowned vocalist Areti Ketime, whose rare ability to bridge the past with the present has established her as one of the most significant interpreters of Greek music today. Accompanied by accomplished violinist Dimitris Stefopoulos, she presented a rich and thoughtful program that combined historical memory with contemporary artistic expression, holding the audience spellbound from the first note to the last.

Ketime’s repertoire drew deeply from the Smyrnaic and rebetiko traditions, musical forms that remain foundational to modern Greek identity. With careful curation and interpretive sensitivity, she reintroduced the audience to the emotional depth and cultural power of these genres. Her performance of “Synnefiasmeni Kyriaki” was particularly powerful, blending restraint with intensity and creating a shared sense of collective emotion that swept through the auditorium. The response from the diverse audience, spanning generations and backgrounds, was enthusiastic and heartfelt, demonstrating the enduring resonance of this music.

Ketime’s stage presence was magnetic without being ostentatious. Warmth, authenticity and humility shaped her connection with the audience, while her vocal technique revealed an extraordinary range and precision. Moving seamlessly from soft, whispered phrases to moments of dramatic intensity, she infused each song with narrative force. Her performances transformed each piece into a story, carrying with it fragments of memory and shared cultural heritage.

The concert was also a celebration of collaboration and community. Ketime chose to share the stage with several leading figures from Melbourne’s vibrant Greek music scene, including Iakovos Papadopoulos, Sifis Tsompanopoulos, Wayne Simmons, Paddy Montgomery and Maria Antara-Dalamanga. Their joint performances illustrated that the Greek musical tradition in Melbourne is not a distant echo of the homeland but a living, evolving art form. That two of the musicians who sang in Greek were not of Greek background further highlighted how this tradition has transcended its ethnic roots to become a universal language.

The educational aspect of the evening was equally significant. Students from the Nestoras Greek School Band joined Ketime on stage, earning warm applause and demonstrating how tradition can inspire and be renewed through younger generations. Meanwhile, the dance groups of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne, “Aristotelis” and “Pegasus,” offered dynamic interpretations of traditional dances throughout the evening, blending movement and music into a unified expression of cultural identity.

More than a concert, the event became a multifaceted celebration of heritage and creativity. Ketime’s artistry reminded the audience that tradition is so much more than a relic to be preserved in isolation. It is a living force that can adapt, evolve and speak to the present. Through music, dance and collaboration, the evening affirmed the vitality of Greek culture in Australia and its capacity to inspire pride, continuity and shared belonging. Events of such artistic depth and cultural resonance are rare in Australia, and this one left a lasting impression, a testament to both the enduring power of Greek music to unite, move and empower but also to the vibrancy of our own community.