Meet the Organizer of the 1st Aegina Jazz Festival: Kosmas Anagnostopoulos

At a time when cultural creation is seeking new paths of expression, Aegina welcomes the 1st Aegina Jazz Festival, a fresh initiative born out of love for art, music, and the island itself. Behind this endeavor stands Kosmas Anagnostopoulos, a man with a rich professional journey and, above all, a deep affection for both jazz and Aegina. We had the chance to get to know him better and talk about all the elements that make this festival truly special.

Tell us a few words about yourself.
Although I am introducing myself to the Aegina audience through a cultural initiative, I should clarify that my profession is Civil Engineer, specializing in Transportation and Urban Planning, with a focus on island mobility. In fact, I founded the National Network of the European CIVITAS Initiative back in 2018. That’s why you might see me riding around Aegina on a rather unusual red Danish cargo bike.

My love for the arts, quality music, and jazz has lasted as long as my love for science, about 30 years. I caught both “bugs” as a student in Patras, where I had the great fortune of learning from two extraordinary mentors who are no longer with us: the architect and urban planner Barbara Despiniadou and the brilliant jazz composer and pianist George Metaxas.

Although at a pivotal point in my life (back in 2000) I decided I would likely make a better engineer than a musician, another key moment (in 2023) made me realize I could contribute to culture through a new role, drawing on the experience I’ve gained over the years in my professional career. And that’s how we got from the Jazz Solidarity Network… to the 1st Aegina Jazz Festival!

Do you live on the island or visit it for holidays?
I’ve spent summers and many holidays in Aegina since I was born. But I wouldn’t say I only visit for vacation anymore. I’ve set up branches of my companies in Kypseli, Aegina, and I’m gradually shifting more and more of my life to the island, especially from spring to autumn. If you asked me where I see myself in five years, I’d probably say I’ll be living in Aegina about 50% of the year, year-round.

Why Aegina? What made you choose it, not just as a place, but also for the Jazz Festival?
Aegina is my mother’s birthplace, and I’d say I didn’t choose it, it chose me. For years I felt affection and love for the island, like one feels for a dear friend, but I was more drawn to other Aegean destinations. Now, I feel a deeper connection to Aegina, and I view it as an inevitable part of my journey, especially at a stage of life when I’m seeking experiences, emotions, and meaning that a typical tourist destination simply can’t offer.

A few words about the Jazz Festival
As I mentioned earlier, organizing jazz festivals is not my job. But two years ago, out of love for jazz and music, I took some steps to support the album releases of several important Greek artists. I soon realized it would be worthwhile to support the broader Greek jazz scene in my spare time.

So I founded the nonprofit cultural network Jazz Solidarity Network, currently the only official organization for jazz in Greece. Today, it includes over 280 artists from music, dance, and other arts, focusing on developing original and innovative cultural initiatives both in Greece and abroad.

One initiative led to another, and this year we are excited to announce the launch of two new jazz festivals in the Attica region Aegina and Dionysos, with plans to expand to more locations across the country (such as Nea Smyrni, Zografou, Ioannina, Thessaloniki, etc.).

I see the Aegina Jazz Festival as more of a personal duty—towards the island and its people, to whom I owe many beautiful moments in my life. As an audience member at concerts at Proka, the Fistiki Festival, and the International Music Festival of Aegina, I noticed that many notable jazz artists either hail from or own homes on the island. At the same time, the local audience is highly receptive to this kind of music.

That’s what inspired me to establish an annual festival dedicated to improvisational music and dance, centered around jazz. The goal is to enrich the island’s cultural offerings even further. The festival will be held each year from mid to late July, celebrating Aegina’s deep connection with high-quality culture.

This year’s program features four musical ensembles and two performances of collaborative improvisation between musicians and dancers. The festival presents a panorama of jazz styles designed not only to entertain but also to educate and expose audiences to the diversity within the genre.

The Flying Jazz Trio, led by Aeginetan jazz pianist and composer George Kontrafouris under the artistic direction of Stefanos Andreadis, will perform their refined original compositions in the jazz organ trio tradition.
Alekos Vretos Quartet will blend Mediterranean musical traditions with American and European jazz.
The Vocal Jazz Quartet of Pantelis Benetatos and Alexandros Affolter will offer emotional tributes to the great male voices of the Swing Era.
And finally, Hippomaniacs, featuring Giannis Kassetas, will close the festival with a powerful jazz-funk and Ethiopic jazz set that will make it hard for anyone to stay seated.

Between the music sets, contemporary dancers Maria Mavridou and Loukiani Papadaki will improvise with Alekos Vretos (oud), Dinos Manos (double bass), and Giannis Kassetas (baritone sax), in ways that will even surprise us, the organizers.

Still undecided about attending? Let us give you one more reason: the legendary Haris Alexiou will be our special guest this year. She will recite poems written in or inspired by Aegina.

And it’s all taking place inside the historic Kapodistrian Orphanage, which operated as a prison for political detainees from 1880 to 1985.

What are your favorite spots on the island? Any hidden gems you’d like to share? What do you love most about being in Aegina?
The places I love most in Aegina are not the usual well-known ones, but rather locations tied to deeply personal memories and experiences, so I’d prefer to keep them private. But I strongly encourage visitors to walk a lot and explore by bike. I’m confident everyone will discover their own “hidden treasures” on the island, spots they’ll never want to let go of.

Describe Aegina in one word.
Self-discovery.

Finish the sentence: I love Aegina because…
I love Aegina because it’s welcoming and protective like a mother to her child, yet it also pushes you to explore the world and yourself just as a father would when encouraging your first steps.

Tell us something about weloveaegina.com.
weloveaegina offers a fresh, thoughtful, and high-quality perspective on how to get to know and fall in love with Aegina through the stories of its people. That’s why we love it and recommend it to anyone planning to visit the island.