DUET:
Michalis Kouloumis (Cyprus): violin,
Tristan Driessens (Belgium): oud.
QUINTET:
Michalis Kouloumis (Cyprus): violin,
Tristan Driessens (Belgium): oud,
Serkan Halili (Turkey): kanun,
Christos Barbas (Greece): ney flute,
Miriam Encinas (Catalunya): frame drums,
Tristan Driessens and Michalis Kouloumis bridge the gap between classical and folk music from Turkey, Greece and beyond. Their repertoire ranges from original compositions in classical Ottoman style to traditional rural dances from Cyprus and Anatolia. With their fresh interpretations and adventurous approach, the duet are constantly exploring new musical horizons.
Cypriot violinist Michalis Kouloumis and Belgian oud player Tristan Driessens met in Venice and began their musical journey there. Later, Catalan multi-instrumentalist Miriam Encinas joined them. For their upcoming album “Ottoman Reminiscence” (Seyir Muzik, March 2026), the trio invites two special guest musicians from Turkey and Greece, Serkan Halili on kanun and Christos Barbas on ney.
THE PRESS ABOUT SHEPHERDS AND SULTANS
