Giselle & Friends Giselle & Friends offers soaring vocals, exquisite strings and uplifting brass!

Giselle & Friends is a classical Quartet based in West Mani, Peloponnese, Greece.
Their music is accessible, fun and moving, as they bring together contemporary and classical styles, traditional folk music, music theatre and much more to create an at times emotional, at times uplifting, and definitely an exciting musical experience. The bands exquisite music is provided by the brass, strings and piano and completed with soaring vocals from Giselle. They regularly perform across the regions venues and are one of the headline acts of the bi-annual Kardamili International Jazz Festival.

Meet the Musicians

Giselle (Minns) has spent over 20 years performing as a seasoned professional singer on stages across the world. She is a multi-award winning singer, songwriter and pianist.

Giselle has spent over 20 years performing as a professional singer on stages across the world. She is a multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her work includes performances with artists such as Jose Carreras (The Three Tenors) and the BBC Concert Orchestra for BBC Radio 2. She has appeared on Canadian Radio, Canadian TV (CBC), and British Television (BBC), and won Talent Rock’s Top Female Vocalist Award, where she performed live on U.S. Television. She has won over 20 song writing awards for her 2008 album Turning Circles and Marquis Records (under EMI Records) released another of Giselle’s songs worldwide called “The Key”.

Giselle has arranged pop, classical, and music theatre styles to create an at times emotional, at times uplifting, and definitely exciting musical experience.

Hanna Pakkala grew up in the midst of an alive and flourishing folk music scene in Ostrobothnia, Finland. A former principal violist with the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, she now freelances with both baroque and modern ensembles while teaching viola at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Hanna enjoys collaborating across genres and art forms, and she views music as a powerful meditative tool – especially in the mountains of beautiful Mani.

Ben Brant's musical journey has taken many turns. From orchestras and brass bands, through folk, rock, tributes and trance, he just loves to play to an appreciative or bemused audience. After hearing Ben sing, Pope John Paul 2 asked him if he had ever thought about a career in football.

Steve Hopwood Originally from the NE of England, Steve’s family moved to live near Holmfirth in the Holme Valley, West Yorkshire. There was a strong music tradition in the area, with 6 brass bands, 3 choirs, a choral society and an orchestra all based in the Holme Valley. It wasn’t long before Steve went along to the local village brass band, was given an instrument and joined the junior band. 46 years later and he’s still playing – although he really didn’t think there’d be much opportunity to play euphonium here in the Mani! Steve is fortunate to have had some memorable experiences and made many lifelong friends through brass bands and music.