The Primo Secondo Folk Orchestra was established in Corfu by two graduating students of the Ionian University, and grew with students of its Department of Music Studies. Most of our 12 young musicians are students or graduates, so academic training meets live performance experience.
We present Greek folk music through carefully curated thematic concerts and tributes to the composers and performers who shaped Greek music.
Our approach
Greek folk music is not just an archive of the past. It is a living tradition, performed and reinterpreted by new generations, and we bring it to the stage with respect for its original character.
We also place songs in their historical and social context, so audiences who don't know the history can understand the people and places behind the music.
Konstantinos Vidalis
Artistic Director & Founder
Konstantinos Vidalis was born in 2002 on Tinos and began studying bouzouki at the age of seven. A scholarship from the Foundation of Tinian Culture took him to the Athens Conservatoire, where he studied classical piano and bouzouki, and he is now a student of Composition for Instrumental and Vocal Music at the Ionian University. He has performed in Greece and abroad, including at the Athens Concert Hall and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, and has appeared as a soloist with the Mikis Theodorakis Symphony Orchestra. He co-founded the gypsy jazz trio Gypseons in 2021 and founded the Primo Secondo Folk Orchestra in 2025. In 2025 he also became Production Director of the Ionian Symphony Orchestra, and in 2026 he was appointed its Artistic Director for 2027–2029.
Achilleas Makrakis
Co-Founder & Secretary
Achilleas Makrakis is a classical guitarist who has been studying in the Integrated Master's programme in Classical Guitar Performance and Interpretation at the Ionian University since 2020. He has performed in concerts across Greece and the Balkans, in both classical and jazz settings, and has appeared as a soloist with the Ionian Symphony Orchestra. As a guitarist with the Primo Secondo Folk Orchestra, of which he is also a co-founder, he contributes actively to its artistic development, repertoire selection and overall musical identity. His artistic interests lie in the study and performance of the classical guitar repertoire and in collaborative musical projects, with an emphasis on musical expression, interpretation and continuous artistic development.
The sound of Primo Secondo
Six bouzoukis sit at the centre of our sound. Guitars, bass, accordion and baglamas provide the harmonic, rhythmic and timbral foundation, giving a full, characteristic Greek folk sound designed for live performance.
6 Bouzoukis
2 Guitars
1 Bass
1 Accordion
1 Baglamas
1 Percussion
Thematic concerts and tributes
Our programmes combine live music with historical context, so each song is heard as part of Greece's wider musical and cultural story.
Vassilis Tsitsanis
A tribute to a defining figure of twentieth-century Greek folk music, presented at the Corfu Workers' Centre.
Giorgos Zampetas
A tribute to his life and work, presented at the Municipal Theatre of Corfu and the Foundation of Tinian Culture in Tinos.
Mikis Theodorakis
A tribute to one of Greece's most influential composers, presented at the Ancient Theatre of Butrint, Albania.
Greek Song
A concert of repertoire from different periods and traditions of Greek music, presented in Paxos.
Maestro in Blue
The orchestra took part in the filming of the television series Maestro in Blue, created by Christoforos Papakaliatis, performing a song.
From Corfu to beyond
We take Greek folk music beyond a single local setting and present it to audiences in different cultural and geographical environments.
Corfu, Greece
Corfu Workers' Centre Municipal Theatre of Corfu
Tinos, Greece
Foundation of Tinian Culture
Paxos, Greece
Concert dedicated to Greek song
Butrint, Albania
Ancient Theatre of Butrint
Current production
Giorgos Mitsakis: His Life and Work
A tribute to one of the important figures in Greek folk music. Live performances of Mitsakis' music are joined by references to his life, his career and the historical and social context of his work. The production has a historical and educational character as well as a musical one.
It has a fixed artistic programme and duration, and is presented as a complete concert production with 11 musicians and 2 soloists on stage.
Soloists
Tilemachos Ntotsikas Petroula Giova
Orchestra
6 bouzoukis, 2 guitars, bass, accordion, baglamas
Artistic direction
Konstantinos Vidalis
Join the Orchestra
Primo Secondo Folk Orchestra welcomes musicians who are interested in taking part in its future productions and artistic projects. To be considered, please send your CV to the address below.
Applications are considered according to the needs and artistic requirements of upcoming productions.
We are available to work with cultural organisations, municipalities, festivals, concert venues, educational institutions and other arts organisations that want to present Greek folk music through large-scale live ensembles and thematic productions.
We develop complete concert programmes, and can present our existing productions or create new artistic projects with you.
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