Simon Rigter meets Marios Charalambous

Get ready for an extraordinary musical extravaganza that brings together the talents of two esteemed saxophonists, Simon Rigter from the Netherlands, and Marios Charalambous from Cyprus. This monumental meeting of musical minds, at Technopolis 20 garden, on Monday, 10th of July, at 8pm, promises an unforgettable night of explorative and explosive music, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all who attend.

Simon Rigter, recognized as one of the foremost saxophone virtuosos in the Netherlands, embarks on his first-ever journey to Cyprus. The anticipation is high as this tenor giant prepares to grace the stage, accompanied by an amazing band of highly skilled musicians. What makes this collaboration even more special is that Simon has been mentoring some of these exceptional musicians, who have already established themselves in both Cyprus and the Netherlands. The collective talent of the band will undoubtedly create a magical atmosphere, perfectly complementing the saxophonists' virtuosity and passion.

In addition to their captivating improvisations and dynamic interactions, the band will present a repertoire that spans the realms of original compositions and fresh arrangements of both well-known and lesser-known jazz standards.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to witness the magic that happens when two saxophone powerhouses unite, pushing the boundaries of their instruments and delivering an extraordinary night of breathtaking music.

With them on stage: Andreas Rodosthenous (bass), Nikolas Tsangaris (drums), Alexandros Adam (keyboard).

Entrance: 15 euro

Reservations are necessary at 70002420.

A few words about the musicians

Simon Rigter: Being the son of saxophone player Bob Rigter, Simon Rigter (The Netherlands, 1973) grew up in a musical environment. At the age of 10 he started taking classical flute lessons and at the age of 12 he started playing the saxophone.

He studied at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague from 1989 until 1996, where he was taught by John Ruocco. Subsequently, he studied with Ferdinand Povel at the Hilversum Conservatoire. He graduated in 1997.

As a recording artist Simon can be heard with Dutch Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, The Reeds, Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton, John Marshall, Cees Slinger, Victor Kaihatu, Peter Beets, Ruud Breuls, and Erik Doelman. He performed with George Coleman, Joe Cohn, Jim Rotondi, Nancy Marano, Alvin Queen, Ferdinand Povel, Ruud Jacobs, Pim Jacobs, Frans Elsen, Rob van Kreeveld, Peter Beets, and Marco Kegel and toured in China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, India, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, and South America.

Simon is a teacher at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and plays 1st tenor in The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. He also plays with Bop2B, Equinox, The Ruud Breuls/Simon Rigter Quintet, The Simon Rigter Quartet and Tenor Conclave.

In the winter of 2022 Simon released a ballad album entitled Growing Up. The album was released on Sound Liaison.

Marios Charalampous is a Cypriot tenor saxophonist and composer. He completed his BA at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and is currently pursuing his MA degree there. Marios has performed at renowned clubs and festivals in Cyprus, as well as in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, and Greece. In 2017, he won the 1st prize at "The Nicolas Economou Foundation (NEF) Scholarship Competition." Additionally, in 2023, Marios achieved further recognition by winning the 2nd prize at the Keep an Eye International Jazz Awards. His contributions as a sideman can also be heard on two albums. Marios remains committed to his musical journey and will continue his studies in Amsterdam to pursue his MA in Jazz Saxophone, showcasing his dedication and passion for his craft.

Andreas Rodosthenous was born in Limassol, in 1977 and started playing music from a very young age, self-taught. He studied in the Rotterdam's Conservatory in The Netherlands where he had the chance to play along with Annaelis DeJong, Thierry Castel, Ilja Reijngoud in music stages like the Bim Haus, Dizzy Jazz club, Theater De Evenaar and many more. He had the opportunity to collaborate and record with Vasilis Papacostantinou and Christoforos Krokidis in Greece as well as local artists like, Savvas Chouvartas, Vasiliki Anastasiou, Nikolas Mavresis, Nicole Ardanitou. He has recorded and published his own music on the cd “Simplicity” in 2015, along with the musicians, Giorgos Morfitis on the piano, Alkis Agathokleous on the ney and Stelios Xydias on the drums. Five years later the 2nd album of Andreas has been released titled “Complexity” with Christos Yerolatsitis on the Rhodes piano and Stelios Xydias on drums, an album that has been recorded at the Dogyard studio by Andreas Rodosthenous.

He also has appeared in festivals like the Fusion festival in Germany, EUNIC jazz festival in Berlin, Technopolis jazz festival in Athens and at the music: LX in Louxembourg. Andreas composes the music for choreographer Julia Brendle as well as for choreographer Evi Panagiotou. He has also worked for the play “Hamlet” (composer and improvised music) in Nicosia, CY, directed by Paris Erotokritou. His most recent collaboration is with the Natalia Rose quartet. Natalia is a guitarist from Colombia currently residing in Germany.

Since 2010 Andreas lives in Cyprus and collaborates with local as well as international musicians. He is also a music teacher at the afternoon lessons of the music schools of the ministry of education and culture.

Alexandros Adam was born in Cyprus (2001) and grew up in Nicosia. He began to show serious interest in music at the age of 6, when he started having his first piano lessons. In 2011 Alexandros started learning electric guitar. He graduated in from the Music High School of Nicosia 2019 with distinction in both the academics and the final recital. After his military service, he started studying in Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2020, since then he has played with some of the leading names in Holland such as Eric Ineke, Simon Rigter, Jasper Blom and more. He has been tutored under Maarten van der Grinten, Jesse van Ruller and Martijn van Iterson. Since his move to Amsterdam, he has played in venues and festivals in the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, France and Luxembourg. He has participated in masterclasses with international artists such as Barry Harris, Peter Bernstein, John Riley, Dick Oatts, Terrel Stafford, Ben Monder and many more. Alexandros is currently based in Amsterdam, working/playing with international bands as leader, co-leader and sideman.

Nikolas Tsangaris: musician/drummer hailing from Paphos, Cyprus. With a passion for music that began at the age of 4, Nikolas quickly found his calling behind the drum kit, studying under the guidance of Petros Kizas.

Nikolas's graduated with outstanding honors from the Music High School of Paphos, where he had the privilege of performing alongside esteemed Greek, Cypriot, and international artists, including Giorgos Dalaras, Giannis Haroulis, and Yasmin Levy. After completing his mandatory service in the Military Band of the Cypriot National Guard, he pursued further musical education.

Accepted into the Koninklijke Conservatorium Den Haag (Royal Conservatory of the Hague), Nikolas honed his skills in jazz drum performance under the tutelage of Eric Ineke, Stefan Kruger, and Felix Schlarmann. He had the opportunity to showcase his skills as the drummer for the Royal Conservatory Big Band, led by the renowned Miho Hazama in November 2021.

In the following year, Nikolas secured a coveted role as the drummer of the Jong Metropole Orchestra, where he collaborated with exceptional conductors Tom Cohen and Jochen Neuffer. His exceptional performance during the project "Fast Future" with Donny McCaslin at the Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam earned him the prestigious "Keep an Eye Outstanding Talent Award."