Milo ke Mandarini - English

Milo ke Mandarini (“Apple and Tangerine” in Greek), is a duet who was born as a result of a great interest in traditional music from the Mediterranean sea aroused in two young people, Carlos Ramírez and Isabel Martín. They started to do some research into that particular music and its convergences derived from it, with the only desire to create new melodies. For that purpose, they have travelled many times to the most eastern Mediterranean countries, studying there their modal traditions which survived the musical westernization. At the same time, they have not left their own roots behind. As a consequence, Greek and Turkish songs are shared along with Sephardic melodies and traditional Castilian pieces at their shows, revealing the common bond that has been forged and kept among them for centuries.

As a result of hard study, at the end of 2008, they made a CD record on their own, which allowed to make them known.

In 2009, they were chosen by the Spanish Youth Institute (Injuve) to take part in the programme “Musical Circuits 2009”, and, thanks to it, they were able to act all over Spain. Furthermore, they were given a grant aid by Injuve in Castilla-La Mancha (from where they are), to go on with their studies in the island of Crete (Greece), in the Labyrinth Center, directed by the musician Ross Dely.

Also that year, they became finalists in the X Cuartu Folk Contest in Los Valles de Navelgas (Asturias).

Among their concerts, it is important to mention those in Segovia Folk Festival, Circle of Art in Madrid, Alberite Folk (La Rioja), La Sierra International Festival (Extremadura), TrebuFestival (Cádiz), Toledo’s Patios during the Corpus Christi festivity, the House of Sefarad (Córdoba) and the National Hospital for paraplegic people in Toledo.

Their musical work has been transmitted in different Spanish radios, such as Radio 3 (Spanish National Radio), in the progammes: Discópolis, Me lo dices o me lo cantas and Radio Extertior de España; Castilla-La Mancha Radio, in the programme Factoría Musical; Cadena Ser, Onda Cero, etc.

They have also appeared on a TV musical programme called “Una Vuelta por...” in Castilla-La Mancha TV.

In April 2010, with the sponsor of the International Development Co-operation Spanish Agency, Milo ke Mandarini participated in the II World Music Biennial in Quito (Ecuador). In August that same year, they took part in La Celestina Festival in La Puebla de Montalbán (Toledo), with the theatre company La Recua, by performing a Jewish wedding and playing their music to set the play.

Having been selected by the Provincial Deputation of Cádiz, within the programme COCU 2010/2011, they are developing their new project of Didactic Concerts in several villages of that region. Furthermore, Castilla-La Mancha, together with its Theater Association, has also accepted their project of “Music from the Mediterranean” for spring season in 2011.

Nowadays, they are involved in the study and creation of new pieces of music to record their first album.