Thessaloniki Song Festival

The Thessaloniki Song Festival (Greek: Φεστιβάλ Τραγουδιού Θεσσαλονίκης, IPA: [festiˈval traɣuˈðʝu θesaloˈnicis]), officially the Greek Song Festival (Greek: Φεστιβάλ Ελληνικού Τραγουδιού, IPA: [festiˈval eliniˈku traɣuˈðʝu]) was a Greek song festival hosted between 1959–1997 and 2005–2008. The host city of the event was initially Athens (1959–1961) but the contest was later moved to Thessaloniki, from which it got its name.

Music of Greece
General topics
Ancient music Byzantine music Opera Greek musical system Greek musical instruments Greek dances Worldwide
Genres
Church music (Byzantine) Classical music Ionian School National School Greek folk Laïko Rock Hip Hop Punk Neo kyma Éntekhno
Specific forms
Contemporary Entehno Nisiotika Rebetiko Skiladiko
Media and performance
Music awards	Arion Awards MAD Video Music Awards
Music charts	Greek Albums Chart Foreign Albums Chart Singles Chart
Music festivals	Athens Festival Epidaurus Festival Olympus Festival Thessaloniki Song Festival
Music media	MAD TV (MAD World) MTV Greece
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	"Hymn to Liberty"
Regional music
Related areas	Cyprus, Pontus, Constantinople, South Italy
Regional styles	Aegean Islands Crete Epirus (polyphonic song) Ionian Islands Macedonia Peloponnese Thessaly Thrace

The festival was usually hosted at the Alexandreio Melathron in Thessaloniki.[1][2]

History

The three initial contests held in Athens were marked by the participation of important Greek musicians such as Manos Hatzidakis and Mikis Theodorakis, who won first prize two times and one time respectively.[1] The first time the contest took place in Thessaloniki in 1962, it was organized by the Thessaloniki International Fair, in partnership with the Greek Music Association, at the stadium of the city's YMCA.[1] The first contest in Thessaloniki also marked the start of Alkis Steas' career as presenter of the show from 1962 until 1980.[1] The first song to win the Thessaloniki Song Festival was "Alysides" (Greek: Αλυσίδες, chains) by Kaiti Belinda.[1]

In 1965 the Greek Music Association stopped supporting the event and was replaced by Greece's national broadcaster, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.[1] Additionally, 1965 also saw the introduction of a committee of judges responsible for determining the winning songs, which in previous years were selected through public voting.[1] At the time, the contest was dominated by Greek New Wave in music.[1]

The festival of 1972 was marked by two important events. First was the fact that popular Greek singer Tolis Voskopoulos, who was one of the favorites to win the contest, was unable to sing once he walked on stage, which resulted in him being denounced by the public.[1] In the 1972 Thessaloniki Song Festival pop band Nostradamos won the best new composer and performer prize with the song "Dos Mou to Heri Sou" (Give Me Your Hand) which became a huge success in Greece during the junta years.[3] Additionally, the contest was marked by a number of camouflaged anti-dictatorial songs in opposition to the Regime of the Colonels,[1] which was in power since 1967. 1974 saw another wave of songs with hidden political messages, this time inspired by the events that followed the collapse of the Greek dictatorship.[1] The winning song of the 1974 edition implicitly referred to Konstantinos Karamanlis,[1] Prime Minister of Greece following the collapse of the dictatorship.

In 1977, popular Greek singer Anna Vissi competed at the festival and won first place.[1] 1980 saw the retirement of the festival's original host since 1962, Alkis Steas, and the participation of Cypriot Greek composer Manos Loizos in the contest.[1] In 1981 and 1982 Manos Hatzidakis organised also a song contest festival in Corfu (city).

In 1991 Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas took part in the contest.[1]

The contest was discontinued in 1997 due to lack of interest, and was later brought back to life in 2005, this time as a co-operation of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, the Thessaloniki International Fair and the Ministry for Macedonia and Thrace.[1] It was discontinued again in 2008.[1]

Winners

Winners of the Greek Song Festival Year Winners First Second Third 1959 Nana Mouskouri Nana Mouskouri & Trio Canzone Giannos Vogiatzis 1960 Nana Mouskouri Giovanna Mairy Lo 1961 Mairy Linda Nana Mouskouri Giorgos Kouroupos 1962 Kaity Belinda Nadia Konstantopoulou Giovanna 1963 Giannis Vogiatzis Tzeni Vanou Tzeni Vanou 1964 Nadia Konstantopoulou Tzeni Vanou Cleio Denardou 1965 Soula Birbili Giovanna Giovanna 1966 Cleio Denardou Zoe Kouroukli Cleio Denardou 1967 Sotos Panagopoulos Nadia Konstantopoulou Giovanna 1968 Nikos Antoniou Belinda Giovanna 1969 Dimitris Beksevanakis Giannis Vogiatzis Giannis Petropoulos 1970 Giannis Vogiatzis Tzoni Stratis Panos Kokkinos 1971 Giannis Petropoulos Cleio Denardou Panos Kokkinos 1972 Doros Georgiadis Cleio Denardou Mihalis Violaris 1973 Dimitris Kontolazos The Charms Phryni 1974 Tonny Vavatsikos Mihalis Violaris Aleka Kanellidou 1975 Robert Williams Dakis Lakis Tzordaneli 1976 Maria Douraki Dakis 1977 Anna Vissi Antonis Politis Michalis Violaris 1978 Christianna Sofi Pappa Stavros Sideras 1979 Giorgos Polychroniadis Manos Giannis Dimitras 1980 Tzina Spiliotopoulou Betty Dima Eleni Dimou

Winners of the Greek Song Festival Year Winners First Second Third 1981 Elena Dimou Charoula Ntanou Antypas Mousloumidis 1982 No awards given. 1983 Petros Karalis Dimitris Kamsaris Kostas Thomaidis 1984 Sophia Vossou Giorgos Marantzas Notis Chasapis 1985 Christos Dalkos Fotini Vazou Dimitris Panagopoulos 1986 Nikos Miraitopoulos Kostas Pratsinakis Eleni Antoniadou 1987 Giannis Gardelis Eleni Antoniou Sotiris Daras 1988 Matoula Lambrou Eleni Michalopoulou Dimitris Nikoloudis 1989 Eleni Michalopoulou Pegki Rousoudaki Manolis Lidakis 1990 Giannis Dimitras^1 1991 Anthi Tatsiouli 1992 Dimitris Nezeritis 1993 Kostas Vrettos 1994 Katerina Siapanta Marianna Kikiforou Morfo Tsaireli 1995 Soula Stavrou Makis Eleftheriou Kostas Vassiliangos 1996 Pyrovates Michalis Klontzas Evgenia Grentzelou 1997 Nikos Karagiannis Virginia Viktoros Kostas Smokovitis 2005 Stavroula Arvanitopoulou Sozos Liberopoulos Efstathia 2006 Stavros Siolas Thodoris Manolidis Myronas Stratis 2007 Komis X Irini Toumbaki Dimitra Ligopsihaki 2008 Alexandros Goudas 18 Para Tetarto Vangelis Kapsalis ^1 Award later annulled as the song was not original.

See also

• Music of Greece

References

1. Tasos Kritsiolis (2 November 2006). "ΦΕΣΤΙΒΑΛ ΤΡΑΓΟΥΔΙΟΥ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ". www.musiccorner.gr. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
2. "Αλεξάνδρειο Αθλητικό Μέλαθρον". www.alexandreiomelathron.gr. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
3. "Η "ροζ" ιστορία που κατέστρεψε τους "Νοστράδαμος"". Newsbeast. 17 May 2015.