Giselle & Friends are a group of friends and musicians based in West Mani, Peloponnese, Greece.
Their music is accessible, fun and moving, as they bring together contemporary and classical styles, traditional folk music, music theatre and much more to create an at times emotional, at times uplifting, and definitely an exciting musical experience. The bands exquisite music is provided by the brass, strings and piano and completed with soaring vocals from Giselle. They regularly perform across the regions venues and are one of the headline acts of the bi-annual Kardamili International Jazz Festival.
Giselle - Vocals and Piano
"I came to live here in the Mani in 2022 with my husband Elliott and our two dogs Aslan and Bonnie. We decided to get off the treadmill and lead a more simple and peaceful life here in beautiful West Mani. Heaven on Earth." Giselle has spent over 20 years performing as a professional singer on stages across the world. She is a multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her work includes performances with artists such as Jose Carreras (The Three Tenors) and the BBC Concert Orchestra for BBC Radio 2. She has appeared on Canadian Radio, Canadian TV (CBC), and British Television (BBC), and won Talent Rock’s Top Female Vocalist Award, where she performed live on U.S. Television. She has won over 20 song writing awards for her 2008 album Turning Circles and Marquis Records (under EMI Records) released another of Giselle’s songs worldwide called “The Key”.
Ben - Violin
"I visited Mani in 2017, and it was at this time that I met my partner. After a few months back in the UK together, we came here to live permanently. My musical journey here has been quite varied, including playing baglamas in a psychedelic trance band for a while. I play violin as well as bass guitar and drums." Ben’s musical history has taken many turns. From orchestras and brass bands to folk, rock, tributes, and trance, he just loves to play to an appreciative or bemused audience. After hearing Ben sing, Pope John Paul 2 asked him if he had ever thought about a career in football.
Hanna - Viola
“I came to Mani in 2022 to take a year off from my full-time orchestral job and to work on my solo recording project. Three and a half years later I‘m still here and enjoying the Mani’s stunning nature and the lovely people. And the recording was just finished too!” Hanna grew up in an alive and flourishing folk music scene in Ostrobothnia, Finland. A former principal violist with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, she now freelances with both baroque and modern ensembles while teaching viola at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Hanna enjoys collaborating across genres and art forms, and she views music as a powerful meditative tool – especially in the mountains of beautiful Mani.
Steve - Euphonium
“My wife Alison and I moved here from the UK in 2019, so this is our 6th year living in the Mani.We’d enjoyed a lot of time travelling around the Greek Islands and planned to live in Greece at some stage. The Mani was more by chance than design, having visited the area for the first time it just felt right for us.” Originally from the NE of England, Steve’s family moved to live near Holmfirth in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire. There was a strong music tradition in the area, with 6 brass bands, 3 choirs, a choral society and an orchestra all based in the Holme Valley. It wasn’t long before Steve went along to the local village brass band, was given an instrument and joined the junior band. 46 years later and he’s still playing – although he really didn’t think there’d be much opportunity to play euphonium here in the Mani! Steve is fortunate to have had some memorable experiences and made many lifelong friends through brass bands and music.
