Limassol, Cyprus. The 21st Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival will take place throughout July at Rialto Theatre and surrounding streets in Limassol, with a programme of low-cost and free concerts featuring a range of musical styles and collaborations.
Festival programme
Rialto Theatre said the festival aims to reconnect with audiences through a programme open to everyone, with sounds and melodies from different parts of the world.
The festival opens on Wednesday, July 8 with Martha Fritzila, The Kubara Project and the Kalogeraki Bros. After more than 20 years of concerts and tours in Greece and abroad, The Kubara Project will appear at the festival with a new album and alongside the Kalogerakis Brothers.
Led by Martha Fritzila, the ensemble will perform songs by Greek and international composers from the past two centuries, as well as works from the personal discographies of Martha Frintzila and the Kalogerakis Brothers.
Performances
On Sunday, July 12, Κοbrah Habibi will perform. The multidisciplinary music collective works at the intersection of contemporary Middle Eastern electronic music, live performance and ritual celebration.
The group combines DJ sets, vocals, electric strings, clarinet, lute and darbuka in a dance performance shaped by influences from the Middle East, the Balkans and contemporary electronic music culture. Performers will be Harry Koushos on DJ set, Ody Icon on vocals, ECATI on electric strings, Aggelos Angelou on clarinet and lute, and Cymbhan on darbuka.
On July 16, Nabuma, a Cyprus-based neo-soul band, will perform music blending jazz, alternative R&B and contemporary grooves. The band is composed of Nicole Ardanitou on vocals, Andreas Matheou on bass, Alexis Kasinos on electric guitar and Kris Grecian on drums.
Their debut EP, Tapedeck, was released in 2024, and the band said new material continues to expand and develop its sound.
Closing events
Κοza Mostra will perform on July 17. The Greek band recently released the single Bulletproof and has announced a tour across Greece and Europe.
The final concert of the festival, and the last event in Rialto Theatre’s July programme, will take place on July 21. The Cyprus Kollective Big Band will present, in a Cyprus premiere, Far East Suite by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
The work was intended to convey the excitement and sense of wonder experienced by Ellington’s orchestra during its 1963 travels through places that were unfamiliar and markedly different from their previous experiences.