ATHENS — For Angeliki Spyridaki, music has always been more than a career. It’s a thread that connects her Cretan roots, her Asia Minor heritage, her years abroad, and her mission today: to put contemporary Greek music on the world map.
As co-founder and lead of Music from Greece, the country’s first national music export office, Spyridaki is working to give Greek artists the structure, funding, and international connections that other countries have had for decades.
In a conversation with The National Herald, she traced her path from a choir girl in Heraklion to cultural policy adviser, and explained why the Greek diaspora may be the key to the project’s next phase
“I grew up with music all around me,” she said. “Traditional songs with my grandmothers, piano and theory lessons from age eight, then choir at 12.”
That choir exposed her to a wide range of repertoire — from Vivaldi and Purcell to Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis. She also began organizing school concerts, something that felt as natural as performing.
Her university years in the United Kingdom deepened both sides of that interest. She kept singing, but she also saw how a professional music sector could work: with export strategies, funding schemes, and institutions that supported artists beyond the stage.
When she returned to Greece, she joined the a cappella ensemble Thalitas, learned the oud, performed in tavernas and concert halls, and contributed to recordings. At the same time, she found herself drawn more and more to the work behind the scenes — organizing festivals, producing concerts, and advising cultural institutions.
“For years I felt I didn’t quite fit in professionally in Greece,” she said. “The way things worked abroad was very different from how the Greek music sector operated.”
That gap led her to a master’s degree in Cultural Policy and Development. For the past 15 years she has worked as a freelance cultural manager and policy adviser, and in 2021 she founded Cultural Reserve Nexus, a nonprofit focused on intercultural dialogue, intangible heritage, and contemporary production
The idea for Music from Greece came in 2023 at WOMEX, the Worldwide Music Expo. Spyridaki attended with her collaborator Nikos Vogiatzakis, hosted at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture’s stand.
What they saw surprised them. Other countries had large, coordinated delegations. Their artists had managers, press support, and meetings booked months in advance. The Greek presence was minimal — just a few representatives, including Helen Kontos, Panos Bothos, and artist Erini, who had been selected for an official showcase.
“It was impressive and intimidating,” Spyridaki recalled. “Not because we lacked talent, but because we lacked structure. There was no national strategy to support Greek professionals internationally.”
That night, she and four colleagues decided to change it. Working initially under Cultural Reserve Nexus, they built Music from Greece as a bottom-up initiative. Today it functions as Greece’s official music export office.
The organization now organizes Greek delegations to major industry events, connects artists with international partners, and provides guidance on funding, touring, export readiness, and professional development.
“Our ambition isn’t just to export songs,” Spyridaki said. “It’s to strengthen the entire Greek music ecosystem and treat music as a cultural resource and a strategic national asset
What drives her, she says, is people — the musicians, composers, and producers whose work rarely gets heard outside Greece.
International perceptions of Greek music are often limited to rebetiko, laïko, or tourist tavernas. But Spyridaki points to a much broader scene: jazz, electronic and experimental music, rock, global and roots music, and new interpretations of tradition.
“When a Greek artist gets an invitation abroad, or sees audiences in another country connect with their work, that’s what keeps me going,” she said. “It proves Greek music can cross borders without losing its identity.”
She often cites countries like France and Sweden, where long-term investment and export infrastructure have turned music into both cultural diplomacy and economic growth.
“My dream is for Greece to become a confident partner in international cultural dialogue,” she said. “For contemporary Greek songs to be heard, embraced, and sung around the world.”
“Greeks abroad understand their local cultural landscapes,” she explained. “They know the audiences, venues, media, and decision-makers. That knowledge helps us place artists where they’ll be understood.”
Diaspora organizations can partner on concerts, showcases, festivals, and education programs. They can also help increase Greece’s presence at industry platforms like SXSW, globalFEST, APAP|NYC, Folk Alliance International, A2IM Indie Week, WOMEX, and even the Cannes Film Festival. The 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she notes, could be another major opportunity.
Funding remains the biggest challenge. To date, Music from Greece has received only a small initial grant from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.Music export hasn’t been fully built into Greek cultural policy yet,” she said. The organization needs support for mentoring programs, artist residencies, travel and showcase grants, market missions, and international collaborations.
“We see the diaspora not just as an audience, but as active partners,” Spyridaki said. “Combine their networks and resources with the talent in Greece, and we can build the infrastructure Greek music deserves.
After decades of relying on individual effort, Greece now has an office dedicated to collective strategy. For Spyridaki, that shift is personal.
“Music was always the thread in my life,” she said. “From singing with my grandmothers in Crete to organizing festivals to sitting at WOMEX. Now that thread connects to something bigger — a way for Greek music to travel, and for the world to hear what we’re making today.
