MUSIC ARTISTS
London-based Musician, Singer and Songwriter
Taliya Khafizou
Taliya Hafiz is a Lonodon based singer-songwriter, composer, producer born in Kerynia whose multi-lingual abilities see her make music with lyrics in seven different languages including English, French and Japanese. With English being the language of her mind, French the language of her heart and the Turkic dialect of Tatar the tongue of her DNA, she flutters between the varying vehicles of speech to best suit her current artistic expression.
Sharing her spellbinding vocal prowess and songwriting talents, she released a string of stunning singles over the last 5 years and a debut record titled “Sensations” in 2021, which won several awards including Best Album by Music Durham in the UK, Best Love Songs from BHW in the USA and Top Chansons Françaises from Références Bien Être in France.
Taliya has collaborated with Billboard charting and Hollywood award nominated producer Art Tawanghar, took part in Grammys 2020 ceremony with “Morning Dew” and was air-played on BBC Music Introducing with “Connect to the Stars”.
She performs as a solo artist and also with her pop-soul band “EXXPORT” based in Cyprus and the UK.
Contact details: taliyakhafizova@gmail.com
London-based Musician (Bass Player)
Vassilis Lazouras
Vassilis Lazouras is a professional bass player and music tutor. He got involved with music at young age and he is now working in London as a professional musician and a freelance bassist, after graduating from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. Over the last years, he has performed live at many different venues in London and abroad. Most recently he had the opportunity to work with well known music producers/engineers such as Sam Miller (Paloma Faith, Christina Aguilera, PJ Harvey, The Temperance Movement, One Direction, Razorlight, The Magic Numbers) and Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure, Paul McCartney, George Best, Laura Pausini) and to perform next to great musicians such as the session guitarist Joon Switon (The Roots, Compton, Les Nubians, Ayo, Eric Roberson and more), the L.A. based jazz singer Tricia Tahara (Patrice Rushen, Alphonso Johnson, Lenny White, Nungu Chancler), percussionist João Caetano (Incognito, Chaka Khan, Mario Biondi, Omar, PB Underground) and guitarist Tolis Zavaliaris (Pete Lockett, Laurence Cottle, Neil Angilley, Vanessa Mae).
Contact details: info@vassilislazourasmusic.com
London-based Theatre Director, Singer, Interactive Performance, Installation Artist
Pavlos Christodoulou
I am an artist and theatre maker working at the intersection of live art, immersive experience and performance. I’ve worked as a director and maker in theatres and festivals across the UK and have experience working with artistic collaborators, professional actors, young people and different communities. At the heart of my work is the invitation to play, and in accepting this invitation, an audience forms a temporary community that thinks collectively about complex ideas through games and joyful encounters. I often focus on ‘small p’ politics and finding the grey in an attempt to resist binaries. My work is optimistic about the power and desire of people to imagine a better world and way of living. It can look very different every time, and I believe in creating transparent structures that openly declare how they work to make the work accessible and unintimidating. I am currently developing a series of work under the name Chatterbox, a standalone audio immersive experience tailored to a variety of topics that invites audiences into a sound world which can facilitate them slowing down and encountering ideas and each other in a new way.
Contact details: pavlos.c.artist@gmail.com
Surrey-based Actor, Actress, Singer and Theatre Producer
Elena Hadjiafxendi
Elena Hadjifaxendi is a Greek-Cypriot actress and soprano. Elena studied Opera at the Conservatory Elefthero in Greece, acting at the Drama School of National Theatre of Northern Greece and musical theatre at the Associated Studios in London. She graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with BA (Hons) Primary School Education and from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with an MA in Drama and Education.
She has worked in the UK and Europe (Cyprus, Greece, Italy) with directors and musicians in classical and contemporary theatre, in musical theatre, operettas, cinema and television. These include but are not limited to Heinz-Uwe Haus, Fabio Tolledi, Mikis Theodorakis, George Hatzinasios, Spyros Evaggelatos, Alexandros Evklidis, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Elli Papakonstantinou.
Performance highlights include: EU IMMIGRANTS (Round House and Tate Modern, London), Cyprus’s Rhymes of Love (Paphos), Oedipus Rex and Women in Parliament ( Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus), The Daughter of the Storm (Athens Festival), Axios Esti (Union Chapel, London), The Lady from the Sea (National Theatre of Cyprus - THOC).
Contact details: ehadjiafxendi@yahoo.com
London-based Songwriter, Music Producer and Pianist
Zina Melekki
Zina is a pianist and composer from Cyprus based in London. She specialises in creating music that blends piano and strings to craft cinematic atmospheres. Her journey as a musician began at the age of 14, when she decided to pursue her passion for music. She started learning the piano and continued her musical education at the University of Surrey. Zina's music has been featured in BBC playlists, animations, short films and art exhibits. Her ultimate dream is to create music that transports people to different places and stirs a range of emotions. Zina released her most recent piano album, "Places," last October, marking her second piano album release. This album is a reflection of her inspiration drawn from the people and places that surround her.
Contact details: melekkizina@gmail.com