A laterna (λατέρνα) is a small barrel piano that was once hugely popular in Greece. It could be considered the Greek equivalent of the Dutch street organ that to me, when I first heard one, presented two major advantages: the type of music it produces, and the fact that it is a stringed instrument that doesn’t hurt your ears. Once during a modal composition seminar I committed a mortal sin by secretly writing a piano piece entitled ‘Chasapiko Burlesque’. It is cheerful and nostalgic at the same time, it is full of clichés but somehow nice. I never knew what to do with it, but a squeaky midi version + melody recently made me think of a laterna. Two weeks ago I sent the piece to Manolis Kanakakis, with whom I was recording, and who is not only an exceptional kanun player but also an excellent pianist. The next day he got back to me saying he liked it but considered it laterna music rather than piano music. Without knowing we had both been spending night time searching for options to get the piece played on a laterna. This however is not a trivial thing. Access to the instrument set apart: ‘programming’ a street organ requires you to punch a hole per note in paper, and for a laterna you must hammer as many nails in a large wooden cylinder. So what I am thinking of is to create a laterna VST instrument and make a single. First contacts have been established.