Singer Katerini Manolatos is a Greek Queenslander raised in Brisbane and currently residing in Cairns. She is a mezzo-soprano. “It’s a classical term and it basically means the warmer part of your voice is your main area.” She is also a warm personality, pragmatic in her approach to her aspirations as a singer.
Katerini performed recently in Cairns. Under the title A Musical Odyssey, the show was an assemblage of nostalgic Greek songs and traditional folk music. “I brought a bouzouki player up from Sydney, Costa Vasili, and two local musicians Paul Chantrill and Larry Hammond. The musicians are really into world music and Larry actually played with Nana Mouskouri when he lived in Sydney.”
The singer is influenced by her Greek upbringing and grateful for her background.
“I’m very connected to my Greek heritage. My dad came over as a migrant in the late sixties on the ships and my mum was born here, she is a second generation Greek, from Kythera.” Katerini’s parents were integral to the encouragement and support that has enabled her to follow her musical path.
“I went through the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. I was really lucky that my parents gave me that opportunity and then to be able to pursue it. I love singing classical and opera, but my heart really lies in Greek music.”
But success does not come without hard work and Katerini is nothing if not a hard-worker. She plies her craft in Cairns as a vocal teacher, a music therapist and also sings at weddings. This level of no-nonsense application can only be of benefit to Katerini while growing her reputation as a mezzo-soprano. Thankfully, for those of us who don’t live in Queensland, she intends to grow further.
“I want to take the music around Australia. The music that I do is classical Greek music that isn’t so often performed and it’s very special music. Coming from the classically trained side I create a different spin.” Having built herself up to a professional level where she is ready to take further steps, new audiences may not even be confined to Australia.
While an album with her band is planned for 2012, ultimately Katerini would like to perform concerts in Greece. Her father is from Ithaca and the family has maintained connections there through a house. “I was in Ithaca last year, I got married there. My husband is of Danish heritage but he just loves Greece. He proposed to me in Greece two years before we said ‘well, why don’t we just get married there?'”
Hopefully, the near future will see Katerini’s talent escalate and her warm voice become better known nationally.
And for those of you wondering what the mezzo in mezzo-soprano means, Katerini advises cheekily, “Mezzo means medium in Italian so you can still sing the same range as a soprano- but you just sound better!”