Music in the Mountains to Present RUMBA ATTACK Next Week

Rumba Attack is a Cyprus-based music group consisting of: Constantinos Lyras (guitar), Memnon Arestis (guitar), and Savvas Thoma (cajon/vocals). The trio perform original instrumental material in their distinctive Flamenco-Rumba style, blended with sounds from Middle Eastern and Greek origins. In March 2023, Rumba Attack proudly released their debut album ‘Harmonics', available now on all digital platforms. They have appeared at numerous festivals including: Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival in Greece, 100 Guitars Ensemble Concert, Cyprus World Music & Jazz Showcase, Fengaros Festival, TedX Limassol, Rialto Ethnic Music Festival, Limassol Acoustic Festival, Afro Banana Festival, Windcraft Festival and Paphos Ethnic Music Festival. Presented by Music in the Mountains.

RUMBA ATTACK – FLAMENCO FUSION

Thursday 23 May 8.30pm

Agrovino Wine Bar Lofou

Tickets: €15

Box Office: Tel: 99584871, buy online at the button below, or Email: andrew@musicinthemountains.eu

Food & Accommodation: Agrovino Wine Bar Lofou offers tasty snacks from 6pm until the concert starts. Tel: 99584871. Lofou Tavern is open from 12noon with excellent pre-concert meals; bookings advised. Tel: 25470202. There are seven separate studios with a discount for concert-goers. Tel: 25470202.

Constantinos Lyras (guitar) was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1984. He started guitar and music theory lessons at the age of 11 with Antonis Koizas. He studied Music at the University of Wolverhampton UK, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Music and then at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire UK, where he obtained a Postgraduate Certificate and a Master in Music Performance. He holds diplomas in classical guitar (Trinity Collage London), electric guitar and bass (RSL – Rockschool, UK), acoustic guitar (University of West London), as well as music technology (Birmingham City University). He participated in the seminars of famous guitarists such as Steve Vai, Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Kiko Loureiro (Megadeth & Angra), Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne), Al Di Meola, Gary Ryan (Trinity Collage), David Pavlovits and John Williams. In England, he worked as a teacher at Yamaha Music Schools, Progress Music Academy and Lichfield Cathedral School. Since 2012, he maintains his own music school in Nicosia (Lyras Music School). As a lover and scholar of flamenco rumba music, in 2013 he created the musical group Rumba Attack.

Memnon Arestis (guitar) was born in 1985. He started his first classical guitar lessons at the age of 13. Later, he started experimenting with the acoustic and electric guitar. He received Bachelors (BA) and Masters (MSc) degrees in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. During his postgraduate studies, he began intensive practice and study of classical and electric guitar. He is a guitar graduate with distinction. At the same time, he was a member of bands in Nottingham, UK. When he returned to Cyprus in 2011, he studied musical harmony, electric guitar, and flamenco guitar. During the same period, he was a member of various musical groups and performed at well-known festivals in Cyprus and abroad. Memnon has been an active member of Rumba Attack since their formation in 2013.

Savvas Thomas (cajon/vocals), was born in Larnaca in 1987, and has been the percussionist and vocalist of Rumba Attack since 2013. Savvas started Latin and Arabic percussion lessons in 2006 with Lefteris Moschovias. Afterwards he became a member of the ethnic music group “Tat-Tnabar”. With this group, he participated in the theatre show “Ubu Roi” produced by “Paravan theater” which won the award for best musical theater in 2007 from the Cyprus Theater Association. With “Tat-Tnabar” he also appeared at the “Moving Silents” festival of the Artos Foundation, at the Cyprus Film Festival at the Rialto Theater and at the 9th Jazz Festival in Pomos. In 2010 he attended bendir lessons from the well-known Greek percussionist, Thomas Kostoullas. Since 2012, he has taken part in several dance shows and theatre performances such as “Echo” – Cyprus Festival 2018 and “Aneradon Oniremeta” – Cultural Decentralization 2020. Since 2015, he has musically accompanied the educational workshop of contemporary dance “Valitsa” by choreographer Maria Kamperis, in Cypriot elementary schools. With Rumba Attack he performs the Latin percussion instrument the Cajon, which is widely used in flamenco music.

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