The Polyphonic Caravan is a longstanding project that aims to preserve, research, and promote the Epirus polyphonic song. Epirus is an ancient form of folk polyphony used by ethnic Albanians, Aromanians, Greeks, and historically ethnic Macedonians in southern Albania and northwestern Greece.
The Epirus polyphonic song has been performed for centuries by a group of singers with two to four distinctive roles and explores almost every aspect of life, such as childhood, marriage, death, historical events and pastoral life.
In its twenty-year-long history, the Polyphonic Caravan has greatly contributed to the sustainability and enhancement of the practice in a constantly changing social environment. In the academic world, it is regarded as a tradition dating back to ancient Greek and Thraco-Illyrian eras, or the Byzantine era, which was influenced by Byzantine music.
In addition to being the most significant example of world polyphonic music in the repertoire of its time, the Polyphonic Song of Epirus is a living tradition and part of the cultural identity of the Greek minority of Albania. It grew up in parallel with Byzantine music but is compatible with other forms of polyphony, including Albanian.
The Polyphonic Song of Epirus is classified as a part of the broader region of areas where polyphony is practiced, which includes the Balkans, Caucasus, Northern Iran, Afghanistan, Northern India, and Indonesia. The Epirus polyphonic song touches on every aspect of life, from childhood to marriage to death.
In the mid-1990s, a small group of Epirus-based young people formed the first polyphonic group in Athens, a group that was called Chaonia. As a result of understanding the threats facing the element, the group decided to ensure it could be safeguarded and promoted in the new urban environment and started the non-governmental organization ‘Apiros (Polyphonic Caravan)’ after Chaonia’s first concert in 1997.
A primary objective was to raise awareness, document the practice, and create bridges across generations and geographical boundaries in order to bring the polyphonic song of Epirus and everyone involved in it together. These goals continue to define the philosophy of the project today.
First acoustic records of the genre date back to 1928. In 1993, Simon Karas and Domna Samiou recorded polyphonic groups of Ktismata village in Pogoni. Since 1996, notable polyphonic groups have emerged from this region. A Polyphonic Song Festival was institutionalized in 1999, as well as the first European Meeting of Polyphonic Singing was held at Pogoni and Filiates.
In 2003 the Archive for Polyphonic Song was created, while International Meetings were renamed Polyphonic Caravan. The dynamics that have characterised the phenomenon over the last few years point to the wealth and range of initiatives associated with Polyphonic Singing in Epirus, denoting the manifestation of a new community.