A tribute to the talented man from Kythira, Konstantinos Kontoleon, titled «»A talented 16-year-old from Tsirigota built a violin," she wrote in a post on her personal blog in March 2019. Eleni Charou.
Here is the feature:
Kostis Kontoleon, the man of many talents, was born and raised as the only child in the once-bustling village of Viaradika, observing the magnificent nature that surrounded him and learning from the experience of his elders.
An elementary school student was making recorders with great skill. Now a high school student, he decided to build a violin on his own. He sourced the appropriate woods and crafted the violin body from ash and Lebanese cedar. He crafted the neck and inlaid it with ebony. He carved the pegbox, drilled the holes, and installed the tuning pegs. He took a piece of ox bone, carved it, and made the tailpiece; he stretched the strings across the fingerboard, and the violin was ready.
Now Kostis is reaping the rewards of his hard work and is passionately exploring the musical traditions of Kythira—and, in particular, its most authentic sounds.
