The PROCESSES Festival – Spring Edition 2026 at the REVMA / Performing Arts Society multi-venue in Plato’s Academy explores the multiple forms of creation and expression that shape contemporary musical creation. Shortly before the upcoming concert of the Artefacts Ensemble (Sunday, April 26, 8:30 PM), we spoke with composer Vasiliki Legaki, the festival’s organizer and artistic director.
What idea or inspiration led you to create the Processes Festival?
The starting point was the very need to illuminate something that often remains invisible: the journey of creation. The discussions we had with my collaborator, dear friend, and co-founder of the Processes Festival, Mike Sakellariou, about how a work is born, evolves, and finally takes shape, formed the core of the idea. The technical choices and aesthetic explorations that accompany every creative process became the main impetus for the festival’s birth, which was shaped as an open platform for sharing this experience.
What does the title “Processes” mean – why “process”?
The title refers precisely to this journey: to the process as an artistic event in itself. We are not only interested in the final outcome, but in the thought, methodology, and choices that shape it. The “process” thus becomes the content itself, a field in which the very essence of creation is revealed.
With the term “Processes,” we also want to emphasize the multi-layered and often non-linear nature of artistic practice. Each work emerges through successive phases, transformations, and challenges, where sound, idea, and form are in continuous negotiation. The festival, therefore, functions as a space where these internal journeys are not hidden, but highlighted and shared with the public.
How has the festival evolved since its first organization in 2025, and what differentiates the Spring Edition 2026 from the previous version?
The first organization laid the foundations: collaborations, aesthetic direction, and community. Subsequently, the festival evolved into a broader format, with new sections and a longer duration over time. The Spring Edition 2026 functions as both a continuation and an expansion: it is not a condensed two-day event, but a series of individual actions. It provides more space for presentations, discussions, and the gradual development of ideas.
What is the identity of the three ensembles and their respective concerts?
The program is structured around three main directions, which function as distinct but interconnected fields of artistic research.
Initially, the contemporary classical music section focuses on compositional thought, the score, and the performer-work relationship. Here, ensembles often operate with precision and a research-oriented approach, highlighting issues of form, texture, and structure, as well as how contemporary writing dialogues with tradition.
In this context, the Ventus Ensemble presented works for a classical wind quintet, showcasing contemporary writing through an established ensemble and the balance between tradition and renewal. The Artefacts Ensemble – on Sunday, April 26 – focuses on works for solo instruments and electronics, exploring the relationship between natural and processed sound and the dynamics of real-time technological intervention. Finally, TETTTIX, in May, will propose a more theatrical approach to contemporary classical music, incorporating elements of performance, movement, and stage action, expanding the boundaries of the concert experience.
At the same time, experimental and electronic practices shift the emphasis from the “work” as a fixed object to sound as a living process. The use of technology, multichannel diffusion, improvisation, and interdisciplinary collaboration (with image, movement, or performance) create an environment where the concert becomes an experience and not merely a presentation.
Finally, the contemporary songwriting section approaches creation through language, voice, and the song form, often in dialogue with electronic media. Here, a more direct, narrative, and experiential dimension is highlighted, without losing the experimental spirit.
To what extent do “historical,” experimental, and “neotonal” (e.g., Fazıl Say) approaches coexist?
Coexistence is essential. There is no hierarchy, but dialogue. Historical references, experimentation, and more accessible neotonal writings coexist as different expressions of the same need: to redefine sound in the present.
Specifically for the Songwriting & Electronics section, how is the concept of “live performance” transformed?
Technology transforms live performance into a hybrid event: execution, processing, and composition often happen simultaneously. The artist functions as both a performer and a “manager” of sound in real time.
How did you discover “contemporary music”? Was there a similar festival?
My acquaintance with contemporary music developed gradually, through studies and a continuous personal quest. As a composer, sound artist, and researcher, my relationship with the field was shaped primarily through active artistic practice and engagement with musical creation in different contexts. I gained my experience in this field mainly through my active participation in international festivals. This continuous contact with different artistic environments has been crucial in shaping my aesthetic and research approach.
What audience is the festival aimed at? Is it accessible to non-specialists?
The festival is aimed at a broad and open audience, not limited to specialists or professionals in the field. Our goal is to create an environment where contemporary music can become a perceptible and viable experience even for people who do not necessarily have prior familiarity with the field. We aim for the audience to come into contact with the processes of contemporary musical creation, to understand ways of thinking, practices, and aesthetic approaches that shape the present. In this way, the festival also functions as a space for acquaintance and in-depth exploration of contemporary artistic production, without exclusions and with an emphasis on an open listening and observation experience.
How do you view the Greek contemporary music scene in relation to the international one?
The Greek contemporary music scene is particularly dynamic and constantly evolving. There is intense creativity, a willingness to experiment, and a fundamental need to seek new expressive means, which allows Greek creators to engage equally with international trends. At the same time, there is an interesting diversity: from contemporary classical composition and sound art to hybrid practices that incorporate technology, performance, and interdisciplinary approaches. This polyphony gives the scene a particularly vibrant and open character.
However, challenges are not absent. Limited infrastructure, lack of stable funding, and fewer opportunities for presentation and international networking compared to other countries are significant obstacles. Nevertheless, it is often precisely these conditions that enhance the ingenuity and self-organization of artists.
This is a scene that, despite difficulties, maintains a strong identity and dynamism, and has the potential to further strengthen its presence in the international environment through initiatives, collaborations, and platforms such as the festival.
What does the choice of location in an “alternative” area of Athens mean for the organization (apart from easy access to the excellent Markopoulos eatery on Servion Street)?
The choice of venue is not accidental: a multi-purpose space with its own history enhances the festival’s identity. At the same time, being in a less “central” culturally area creates new connections with the city and its audience. Furthermore, this specific space is particularly functional and flexible, which allows us to configure different presentation and listening conditions. Its industrial identity directly dialogues with the festival’s aesthetic, as it highlights a rawer, material, and direct relationship with sound and space. This condition enhances the overall experience and creates an environment that essentially reflects the experimental character of the Processes Festival.
And, why not, there can always be a stop at Markopoulos restaurant on Servion Street, because the best ideas often continue off-program.
PROGRAM
new music SERIES – Under the auspices of the Union of Greek Composers.
April 26, 8:30 PM | ARTéfacts Ensemble
The ensemble explores the relationship between performer and collective experience, using technology as a creative medium, through four 21st-century works by Michalis Paraskakis, Sarah Nemtsov, Alexander Schubert, Ben Nobuto, and Vasiliki Legaki. The central axis of the evening is Michalis Paraskakis’s work “Not Yet.” A phrase that refers to delay, postponement, or pending status is here transformed into an artistic condition: a moment before decision, where nothing has yet been finalized.
Performing artists of the ARTéfacts ensemble:
Zacharias Tarpagkos – Flute
Spyros Tzekos – Clarinet
Guido De Flaviis – Saxophone
May 24 | TETTTIX
A collage of four solo works: G. Aperghis, F. Romitelli, V. Persichetti, S. Makropoulou for solitary ‘workers’. With improvisation as a unifying element, they meet in the emblematic work by Louis Andriessen, Workers Union. At the beginning of the concert, composers Nikos Ioakeim and Michalis Paraskakis will discuss Louis Andriessen’s work Workers Union.
Contributors
Sound engineer: Minas Emmanouil
Lighting operator/designer: Nelly Poulopoulou
Stage manager: Mikes Sakellariou
Poster design: Tzortzis Kontos
Associate Producer: Nelly Poulopoulou
Communication: Eleftheria Sakareli
Organization – Artistic Direction: Vasiliki Legaki
Ticket Reservations: 2105227961, revma.performances@gmail.com
REVMA/Performing Arts Society: 8 Servion St., 1st floor, Plato’s Academy https://revmaspace.com
