April 1826, the besieged Messolonghi is in a state of despair. The people of the city, exhausted by hunger and the hardships of the long-time siege, have reached the limits of their strength. As the last hopes for help have been lost, the only solution left for them is to escape. Armed with the courage of despair, they attempt the impossible. Men, women and children come face to face with an all-powerful enemy and overcome him, sacrificing their lives to remain free. Dionysios Solomos from neighboring Zakynthos watches the holocaust and immortalizes it with the power of his poetic gaze. The “Free Besieged” constitute a poetic symbol of sacrifice for a higher ideal while the temptations of nature that is reborn complete the drama.

In the context of the celebration of the Greek Revolution in March the 25th, the theater group of the Music School of Piraeus, consisting of 91 students, under the guidance of Katerina Asimidou, created a musical theater performance inspired by the poem by Dionysios Solomos “Free Besieged” and the historical narrative of the chronographer Nikolaos Kassomoulis. The performance creatively combines the poetic text of Solomos, set to music by the composer Yannis Markopoulos, with dramatized scenes and dances based on the chronicle of Kasomoulis’ exodus, all directed and choreographed by Katerina Asimidou.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldEFmuRlBqo

• Interdisciplinary approaches in music education
• Historical and cultural perspectives and contemporary educational practices
• Meaningful musical experiences

1. Asimidou Aikaterini, kkaatteerriinnaa@hotmail.com, 6973611289

Τhe theater group of the Music School of Piraeus was created in 2008 and since then continues its activity every year presenting musical-theatrical performances and participating in Music School festivals in various parts of Greece (Xanthi, Mytilene, Kastoria). The creation of the performances is carried out by the student groups within the framework of the courses Musical Ensemble with Instrumental Use and Musical Ensemble of Free Expression. Αt the same time, a third group consists of students participating in a cultural program with the same theme. The students of the three groups collaborate in preparing the music and choral pieces of the performance during the music ensemble classes, while theater and choreography are taught outside of school hours every Sunday. This year, 91 students participated in the musical theater performance of “Free Besieged”. Specifically, 20 students were the orchestra, 20 students the choir and 51 students formed the theater group that was involved in the dramatization of the texts and the choreography. At the same time, the students were also involved in the creation of the sets and the construction