Ruth Hunter

Greek Singing

Ruth Hunter began her musical career singing and playing Bulgarian folk music, but immersed herself in Greek music and culture after marrying Christos Govetas in 1995. She sings and plays accordion, tambura and kanun and has taught Balkan singing at EEFC camps on both coasts and privately. Ruth has been actively performing Greek and Balkan music since 1985 as a founding member of the iconic girl-group, Medna Usta, and with her family in Dromeno (traditional regional music of Greece and the Balkans) and The Fetatones (Panos Gavalas tribute band). Ruth and Christos were awarded the Gordon Ekvall Tracey Award by the Ethnic Heritage Council in 2017 for their work in the Pacific Northwest Greek and Balkan community. Ruth works carefully to bring traditional singing to singers at any level, offering a path towards an understanding of the cultural context of the music in addition to vocal production and ornamentation.