Ross Daly

Ross Daly is a lifelong musical traveler whose journeys through the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent have shaped him into one of the most influential figures in contemporary modal music. His deep engagment with these traditions led him to establish the Labyrinth Musical Workshop in 1982. Labyrinth also is an institution that, since settling in the village of Houdetsi on Crete in 2002, has become an international crossroads for musicians. Each year, Labyrinth hosts seminars and masterclasses with some of the world’s leading traditional music masters, creating a vibrant community where students and artists meet, learn, and collaborate. Today, it stands as Greece’s foremost center for modal and traditional music education.

Daly has released over 35 albums, blending his own compositions with unique arrangements of traditional melodies gathered throughout his travels. His work not only preserves these traditions but reimagines them through a contemporary lens.

He also originatd the term Contemporary Modal Music, defining a creative approach that draws inspiration from the vast modal traditions stretching from Western Africa to Western China. Daly continues to promote this evolving musical landscape, inviting new generations of musicians to explore and expand its possibilities.