Informed of the death of Chronis Aidonidis, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni made the following statement:

“I have just learned, with pain, of the passing away of the great Chronis Aidonidis, the man who for 75 years worked passionately for teaching, the rescue, dissemination and recording of the musical tradition of Thrace. He grew up with the sounds of Byzantine music and very early connected the Byzantine melody with the traditional Thracian music and its songs. He dived deep into the intangible heritage of his particular homeland, saving it and spreading it more widely, with relevant events, rich recordings, and systematic recordings. A legacy that he enriched with his own compositions and songs that he himself called “traditional”, because they belong “to the Greek people”.

My words are few to describe the contribution of Chronis to our Culture of this great and particularly modest artist, who dedicated his life to his creative passion. We owe him a lot. My collaboration with Chronis Aidonidis is a precious legacy for me. It would be a happiness for the country if his many and worthy students remained attached to his example and to the dissemination of his unique work.”