Odysseus: Creative Collaborators

Luka Lesson is a poet and rapper of Greek heritage born in Brisbane, Australia. His work crosses between the history of his family homeland, the fiercely political and the vulnerably self-reflective. A former Australian Poetry Slam Champion (2011), Luka has featured at the mecca for slam poetry: the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe (NYC) and performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Luka has released three collections of poetry independently: The Future Ancients (2013), Antidote (2015) and Agapi & Other Kinds of Love (2022) and two poetic rap albums: Please Resist Me (2012) & EXIT (2014).

 Luka has also taken the stage with his band at festivals such as Splendour in the Grass (Byron Bay), 4E Hiphop Festival (Sydney) & OneBlood Festival (South Africa). Luka's poems and rap verses are being studied on official school curriculums throughout Australia, and unofficially by rebellious educators worldwide.

Luka's latest project: Agapi & Other Kinds of Love  is a multi-disciplinary project which consists of a live hip-hop theatre show, a verse novel and a studio album. Agapi premiered at the National Museum of Australia during their exhibition entitled Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors & Heroes.

James Humberstone's output is influenced by his research background in experimental music, and his interest in composing for children and community ensembles. Born in London, Humberstone migrated to Australia in 1997 after completing a degree in composition at the University of Exeter. His honours thesis was on the music of Howard Skempton, with whom Humberstone studied briefly after graduating. Humberstone has often cited Skempton as his greatest influence.

By combining postgraduate studies in composition and experimental music with education qualifications and an 11 year residency at Sydney's MLC School, Humberstone developed an approach to combining new and challenging music for children with supporting resources, and continued to extend his experimental research and practice. He also combined knowledge about technology gained through nearly a decade at Sibelius Software with his compositional and education experience, and has become a leading authority in this field, publishing and regularly speaking at conferences internationally. In 2013 Humberstone completed his PhD and was appointed Lecturer in Music Education at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Today he works in the fields of composition, music education and technology research, as well as experimental music.

Rhyan Clapham (P.K.A. DOBBY) is an ARIA Award-winning composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. A proud Filipino and Murrawarri musician, whose family is from Murrawarri and Ngemba Lands, DOBBY effortlessly traverses the classical, contemporary hip-hop and traditional music worlds, to create a sound that is wholly his own.

DOBBY composed all the soundscapes for PARRTJIMA 2021 & 2022 in Alice Springs, NT, and his music was the driving force behind Australia's first 500-strong drone show, Elevate Sydney 2022 & 2023. DOBBY's music is more than just entertainment; his song 'I CAN'T BREATHE' won Best Video at the FBi SMAC Awards in 2020 and has become an anthem for Australia's Bla(c)k Lives Matter movement and is used in schools to educate students on the struggles faced by marginalised communities.

DOBBY is the 2017 recipient of the bi-annual Peter Sculthorpe Fellowship, and released WARRANGU; River Story, the outcome of this fellowship. The project won the ARIA for Best World Album and was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize.

Theodore Koumartzis is a musician of the ancient lyre and the visionary behind the first interactive Museum of Ancient Music Instruments Seikilo of Thessaloniki. He is also a member of the family of luthiers and the musical brand Luthieros, responsible for the construction (together with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Hellenic University of Greece) of all these musical instruments. He has founded the folk-fusion music group Reggetiko Project, which has released three albums in the last decade (with international performances in Sicily, Istanbul, Nicosia, Bonn, etc), and has recently founded Pausis to present the ancient Greek lyre as a symbol of the heritage of humanity, collaborating with many important institutes around the world (Archaeological Museum of Nicosia, Museum of Byzantine Culture of Thessaloniki, Villa Grecque Kerylos, Museum of Ancient Greek Technology Kotsana, etc.) in order to promote Ancient Greek culture and music (his articles have been covered internationally by BBC4, Deutsche Welle, TRT2, ERT3). In this short life he has had the opportunity to collaborate with musicians such as Grammy award-winning Bulgarian pianist Milcho Leviev (for the album Albatross) and Ross Daly (in search of the movable yoke of ancient Greek Kithara).

Kleopas is a self-taught Greek musician. He has traveled, lived and played his compositions out of Greece in countries such as China, Thailand , India, Japan, France, Germany, Portugal, Holland, Cyprus and many more. He is a Composer as well as a Singer and he plays the Apollon's Ancient Greek lyre ,the guitar and the bouzouki. Listening to Kleopas' melodies one can understand his Greek origins as well as his deep love for world music.

In 2024 alone, Kleopas toured around Germany and Poland. He also performed in Texas Eclipse  Festival in Burnet, Braga Romana festival in Portugal and Cosmic Convergence festival in Austria. He was also invited to play in the cultural events of the municipality of Keratsini in Athens, Colibri Spirit festival in Corfu and in Thermopylea as part of the cultural events of the municipality of Lamia where together with his band they accompanied the legendary singer of Greek folk music Giota vei. In October 2024, Kleopas performed for the inauguration of the 15th anniversary of the German Archaeological Institute in the presence of the German President of the Republic  Mr Steinmeier. In December together with Theodoros Koumartzis they performed at the National Archaeological museum in Athens.

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Nikos Stefanidis is a promoter, festival organiser and founder of Mylos Music Club, Thessaloniki. In 1994, Stefanidis received the “Europa Nostra” for the reconstruction and the idea for new uses in buildings of industrial heritages. Nikos Stefanidis has been working as music producer, promoter of concerts around Greece, has also business activities in tourism (Thalatta Camping 2004-2008), and in concept restaurants.

Other notable mentions include:

  • Radio 88miso (1993- since now) – (founder-partner- CEO).

  • River Party Nestorio festival 1995-1996 restart concept and management. 

  • Gaia Festival 1998-2008 (and now restart).

  • Principal Club Theatre (establisher & Partner) 2004 – since now.

  • Studies: Management of Tourism Business & Economic University   

In 2012 was the local partner for WOMEX 2012 & will be again for WOMEX 2026 in Thessaloniki. 

Alex Michel, known professionally as Ally, is the founder of Allyaide, a virtual assistant and business support service for Luka Lesson and his company The Future Ancients. With a Bachelor of Business majoring in Events Management and International Tourism and Hotel Management, Ally has built her reputation on meticulous planning, organisation, and dependable support for Lesson and a shortlist of clients and small business owners.

Ally thrives on helping businesses run like clockwork, handling the administrative details that allow her clients to focus on what lights them up. Her mission is simple: to give time-starved entrepreneurs the space to achieve success, balance, and presence in both their business and personal lives.

Experienced across events and administration industries, Ally has developed expertise in working autonomously, adapting to change, and thriving in deadline-driven environments. When she's not supporting her clients, she enjoys coastal living, quality coffee, gym sessions, and weekend trips with her growing family.

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Rebeka Luniak has been onboard with the Future Ancients for over a year as the primary connection between Luka Lesson and schools that both teach his poetry and book incursions of Luka’s performances and workshops in person.

Rebeka will be providing her expertise to make sure that the Odysseus education package is at the highest level possible, before promoting it to schools in NSW, Australia and beyond.

Rebeka is an enthusiastic educator and motivated sales professional with 13+ years' success enjoyed in multifaceted settings delivering and exceeding target results for EdTech/SaaS based business. Technically astute, with experience in the implementation and roll out of HubSpot and Slack. Receptive and eager to explore new systems and technologies that streamline workflow. Results-orientated and energetic, professional achievements are underpinned by a rich and continuing personal learning journey.

Supporters of Odysseus

Ms Duncan is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Assistant Secretary of the Consular Communications and Policy Branch. She has previously served overseas in Indonesia, New Zealand and Solomon Islands.

Ms Duncan holds a Bachelor of Laws/Arts from the Australian National University (2001) and an Executive Master of Public Administration from the Australia New Zealand School of Government (2014).

In her support for the Odysseus Project, Ms Duncan has stated:

Odysseus represents a wonderful example of cultural diplomacy in action. Luka Lesson's innovative approach to reimagining Homer's timeless epic through hip-hop and spoken word, along with compositions by James Humberstone from Sydney's Conservatorium of Music, builds new bridges between Australian and Greek cultures… Odysseus is an example of how contemporary Australian artists engage meaningfully with shared cultural heritage, and I commend Luka Lesson’s commitment to cross-cultural storytelling.

Paul Kelly is a highly influential Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer, born in Adelaide in 1955. He gained prominence in the mid-1980s with his band, formerly known as the Coloured Girls and later the Messengers, and has since had a prolific solo career. His work is known for its distinct Australian lyrical themes and his "natural" Australian accent, and he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. 

In support of Odysseus, after attending the 2018 Industry Showing, Kelly stated:

I believe this work has a lot to offer Australian and international audiences. The production brings together cross-artforms in a new and powerful way, showcasing the eternal lessons embedded in Homer’s Odyssey. The creative team is from culturally and linguistically diverse backrounds which adds rich layers to the piece.

I wholeheartedly support ‘Odysseus’ and the ‘Odysseus’ Creative Team in their bold, new imagining of the mother of all stories.

Mr Stavros Venizelos is the current Ambassador of Greece to Australia, serving since March 2024. Venizelos previously worked as a lawyer in Athens and has had a diplomatic career spanning almost 30 years, with postings including Consul-General in Benghazi and Libya and Minister-Counselor at the Greek embassy in Moscow. Ambassador Venizelos is also a fluent speaker of English, French, and Russian. 

In support of Odysseus, Ambassador Venizelos, has stated:
I express my support for Luka Lesson's theatrical production, Odysseus-a contemporary retelling of Homer's epic through the medium of rap music and poetry, accompanied by live orchestra and choir.

Luka Lesson's interpretation is grounded in scholarly collaboration with the SEIKILO Museum of Ancient Music in Thessaloniki, aspiring to cultural authenticity. The educational dimension of the project is also noteworthy. With an accompanying education package, Odysseus can reach schools across Australia, introducing students to classical literature through an art form they understand.

I offer my support to this Greek-Australian project and encourage everyone to join in ensuring its success.