Trio Bel Canto -- Photo Gallery The Trio Bel Canto


The 1980's Decade

The Trio Bel Canto continued to dominate the Greek music scene in the United States well into the '80s. With another Australian tour in 1981 and more trips to Panama and Canada, they also entertained here in the United States, travelling across the country and appearing with various other Greek artists. In 1986, Takis Elenis left the group to pursue solo interests, and the Trio was once again faced with having to find a competent bouzouki player. George Vlismas joined the group in 1986 and remained with them for 11 years, until 1997. But it seems that Takis's leaving the Trio was a turning point for them. From 1988 until 1995, the group primarily performed in local clubs of the greater New York City area, as well as playing the local Greek dinner-dances and festivals for which they were very much in demand. Gone were the golden years of playing exclusively in dinner theatres and night clubs. Over the years, they began to close, one by one, until there was only a handful of them left, typically in major metropolitan cities. And those that WERE left preferred to be cost-conscious and hire disc-jockeys and have recorded music. Live performers would be booked for special events, and only if it would bring a profit. During this decade, however, Greek music was becoming more readily available in the United States in the form of cassettes and CDs, and popular Greek singers were even coming over from Greece to entertain the Greek population here in the U.S. Additionally, with the simultaneous formation of more and more Greek orchestras, the Trio was becoming "one of the boys", and they were losing the "monopoly" that they had with the Greeks. Nevertheless, the Trio continued to be a very sought-after group and typically performed for special occasions and esclusive events.(Click on a thumbnail to view the enlarged photo, then use the "Back" button of your browser to return to this gallery.)


1980 -- with George Economidis1980 -- with George Kastanas1980 -- with Filipas Nikolaou

Trio Bel Canto, Australia, March 1981March 1981 -- AustraliaMarch 1981, AustraliaMarch 1981, Australia

w/ clarinetist Panagiotis Haligiannis, Panama, March 1983Trio Bel Canto, circa 1984/1985


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