The story of the 2025 Gabby Awards is entitled “Goddesses in our Midst,” during which we will recognize and honor the extraordinary lives of 20 contemporary goddesses from throughout North America. During the program, with film, song and theatrical elements, we will also pay tribute to a series of dynamic women who each in her own way, left her mark on the world. We are honored to have the support of longtime foundation supporter Erini Tornesaki aka “Erini”, vocalist and educator, lead in our tribute to Roza Eskenazi on the night of June 7, 2025.
Roza Eskenazi (1895–1980) remains one of the most influential figures in Greek music history who paved the way for female singers that followed her. Off the stage, her dedication and selflessness during the Nazi occupation place her in a small league of true national heroes and heroines.
Born in Constantinople (now Istanbul) to a Sephardic Jewish family, Eskenazi moved to Thessaloniki with her family during her childhood.
Her rise to fame came through the world of rebetiko — a male dominated genre of Greek urban blues rooted in the experiences of refugees and the working class. Female performers like Roza often faced sexism, skepticism and had to work harder to gain recognition and respect in the industry.
Eskenazi’s musical journey began in the 1920s when she performed in Athens as a dancer and singer. Her unique, nasal-toned voice, combined with her emotional delivery, quickly set her apart.
In 1929, she signed a multi-year contract with Columbia Records obligating her to record 40 songs per year, simultaneously negotiating a 5% royalty for each record sold. She was the first female singer in Greece to sign such a lucrative deal, opening the door for many worthy female singers who would follow.
The Columbia Records contract would launch a career that would span over five decades and would include hundreds of songs that have become part of the immortal musical heritage of Greece.
Her repertoire included not only rebetiko but also smyrneika (songs from Asia Minor), laïkó (urban folk), and demotika (traditional folk music). Songs like “Kanarini Mou Glyko” and “Dimitroula” became cultural landmarks, celebrated for their authenticity and emotional depth.
Eskenazi’s songs often explored themes that were not part of mainstream Greek music at the time but represented a marginalized population of refugees from Asia Minor.
She sang about poverty, drugs, betrayal, and loss. Her 1930s recording “Eimai Prezakias” (I’m a Junkie) was later banned by the Metaxas regime as part of its effort to censor what it considered immoral or subversive art.
Eskenazi’s Greek and Sephardic Jewish heritage gave her music a rich multicultural flavor. She incorporated influences from Ottoman, Greek, Armenian, and Balkan traditions, blending them into a distinctive and emotionally charged sound. Her ability to switch between languages (Greek, Turkish, Ladino) added to her wide appeal.
During the Nazi occupation of Greece, Eskenazi had three goals: to stay alive and to keep singing and resist the Nazis and save her people. She seduced a Nazi officer and maintained a romantic relationship with him for over a year. Roza knew exactly what she was doing.
She spent time in the German headquarters with her “lover” and listened in on conversations amongst German officers, eavesdropping on valuable information that she passed on to the resistance. She was also able to help save hundreds of Greek Jews and was also able to shelter members of the Greek resistance and British agents in her home.
Her courage and strategic maneuvering, not to mention the moral complexity of the decisions and actions she had to take– sacrificing her own character and dignity for the greater good– place Eskenazi in a very small group of Greek heroic figures who faced unthinkable moral and ethical dilemmas.
Eskenazi’s signature style combined the improvisational nature of rebetiko with the melodic influences of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir). Her vocal style was marked by deep emotional intensity — she sang of love, loss and exile with haunting vulnerability, while songs about drug use– common amongst the refugee class– were raw expressions of an entire generation of people– Greek refugees from Asia Minor who were not welcomed by native Greeks and were marginalized and relegated to ghettos away from the city centers.
Her performances in Athens’ underground taverns made her a favorite among working-class Greeks and refugees. By blending rebetiko with smyrneika and laïkó, she created a sound that bridged social and cultural divides.
After World War II, rebetiko was marginalized by the Greek state due to its association with political resistance and working-class culture. The genre was often censored, and many musicians were forced underground. However, Eskenazi’s personal charm and musical talent helped her maintain a steady career.
Her ability to perform across social and cultural lines allowed her to remain relevant, even as political and social norms shifted around her.
She traveled to the United States multiple times during the 1950s to perform for the Greek diaspora. Her first tour was in 1952, sponsored by the Parthenon Restaurant and Bar in New York City, and lasted several months with sold out shows throughout the nation. She returned in 1958 and even married an American man in order to obtain legal working papers.
Eskenazi performed well into the 1970s, As rebetiko experienced a revival among younger Greeks, her recordings were reissued, and new generations discovered her music. Filmmakers and music historians highlighted her contributions to Greek culture, solidifying her place as the “Queen of Rebetiko.”
Eskenazi passed away in Athens in 1980 at the age of 85, but her music remains a cornerstone of Greek identity. Songs like “Cloudy Sunday” (Synnefiasmeni Kyriaki) and “Hariklaki” continue to be performed and recorded by new generations of singers, and celebrated and sung by audiences in Greece and throughout the world.
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Erini grew up in a musical family on the island of Crete, Greece. She played the piano and cello and performed with her hometown’s string orchestra and choir. As a descendant of Greek-Anatolian refugees, Erini’s mother introduced her to the Greek – Anatolian musical tradition. Going on to complete a Master at the Berklee College of Music paved new paths of experimentation for Erini as she redefined the constraints of genre and birthed a new sound combining Greek traditional music with contrasting genres such as jazz, pop and classical music. Read more here.
