Khaossia - Ethno Ensemble Salentina

Khaossia started their career in 2005 wanting to promote Salento’s traditional music, with pizzica at its core. Soon the band moved to produce original pieces. The philosophy behind all of Khaossia’s projects is to begin with Salento’s history, culture and tradition to explore sounds that are old and new, near and far. Through this musical exploration, Khaossia looks for a suitable vehicle to bring back to light dusty and forgotten pages of Salento’s history.
Khaossia has always enjoyed critical acclaim for their efforts to bring back and give a new interpretation to Salento’s history and tradition. Their work as been reviewed, amongst others, by Froots, Folkbulletin, Songlines, Radio Popolare, Radio Onda d'Urto, Radio Rai 3 Suite, Radio Rai1, WFMA, FEBC.

In its 10 years, the ethno ensemble has performed widely both in Italy (La Notte della Taranta 2005; Ponchielli Theatre in Cremona 2006; Appennino Folk Festival 2007, Isola Folk 2007; Festival del Cambonino 2007,2008,2009; Festival Folk Di Cremona, 2010; Fek Festival 2010; V Rassegna di Musica Popolare di Settimo Milanese, 2012; 27° e 28° Festival Internazionale W.A. Mozart, 2014 e 2015; International Festival of Arts, 2015) and abroad (Jelsa 2005, Paris 2006, 2015, 2016; Babel Med Music in Marseilles 2008, Gugghinsberg 2008, Philadelphia 2010, 2012 and 2013; New York 2010, 2012 e 2013; New Jersey 2010, 2012 and 2013; San Diego 2013; Salonicco 2013; Manila 2014; London 2014, 2015; Praga 2015). In 2007 they published their first CD "De Migratione" on CPC label. In 2009, under the same label, they published "La rassa a bute", a musical drama from the early 8th century written by an anonymous author in the dialect of Lecce. The original musical script was lost, so Khaossia composed and recorded original music for it.

In 2010, Khaossia completed their first tour of the USA on the invitation of the General Consulate of Italy in Philadelphia, playing at the prestigious Art Museum of Philadelphia and at the "Fiorello Laguardia" Art School in New York, amongst others.

In 2011, Khaossia began the production of "Le Grechesche", which was published in 2012 for the University of Salento, CNI and CPC. Invited by the General Consulate of Italy in Philadelphia and sponsored by the Puglia and Lombardy Regional Councils as well as the University of Salento, they toured the US again in April and October 2012, performing in New York and Philadelphia. They performed their new material at the famous Saint Joseph University and other prestigious locations, enjoying a great amount of interest and recognition everywhere.

In 2013, they released their fourth album, EOS, a project based on the story of Salento’s girl Giulia My and the Romanian painter Zivi Miller, a Jew who survived the Nazi concentration camps and spent his rehabilitation in the Salento seaside town of Santa Maria al Bagno. Here he left his murals, which tell his story. The project brings together music, theatre and videoart. The show was premiered in 2013, during Khaossia’s fourth tour of the US, at the San Diego’s Italian Film Festival in California. Eos was subsequently performed at the Seton Hall University in New Jersey and the Saint Joseph University in Philadelphia.

In August 2013, Khaossia were invited by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki to deliver a lecture/concert on the subject of “Sea and Music: an intercultural journey across 16th century Italy and Greece".

In 2014, they opened the prestigious international festival W.A. Mozart of Rovereto, temple of European classical music. Following their success, they return in 2015.

2014 sees them back in Thessaloniki to deliver a lecture to EMUNI students on the subject of: “Project Magellano: genesis of a show inspired by the Report of the first journey around the world by Antonio Pigafetta, knight of Rhodes”.

Thanks to the support of Puglia Sounds and Puglia Region, they tour the Philippines, performing at the prestigious Philippine International Jazz Festival and International Guitar Festival.

Discography:

- De Migratione, 2007, CPC
- La Rassa a Bute, 2010, CPC
- Grechesche, 2011, CPC - CNI
- EOS, 2013, CPC