Post Event Press Release
Mostly Orthros 2010 by the Axion Estin Foundation
Byzantine Chant & Folk Music Festival


Mostly Orthros Festival 2010 Detailed Report

The Mostly Orthros Festival began on Friday morning, January 15, 2010, with the first of a series of lectures offered by Dr. Katy Romanou, Senior Visiting Scholar of the Onassis Foundation USA. It was Dr. Romanou who in 1972 first translated into English the Great Theory of Music by Chrysanthos of Madytos (1770 - 1846). Byzantine music was completely hand - written until 1820. In 1814 a new method of study was introduced by Chrysanthos then an Archimandrite in Asia Minor. Traditional methods then in operation required ten years of training. Chrysanthos reformed the older notation, making it simpler by reducing the number of interval and expression signs (neumes) to the most essential. Chrysanthos' revisions at first annoyed his superiors, but when a high official realized the effectiveness of his teaching, he had the church authorities bring him back to Constantinople to form a special school and the "New Method" was launched. Two masters aided Chrysanthos in the presentation of this first great class: Gregorios Levites Protopsaltes and Chourmouzios Chartophyllax. Subsequently this trio became known as "The Three Teachers".

Dr. Romanou's translation of Chysanthos' book was made for a thesis at Indiana University. It remained unpublished until it came to the attention of the Axion Estin Foundation's board of directors. Axion Estin officers contacted Dr. Romanou and requested permission to publish the book and make it available to the general public. Dr. Romanou agreed and updated the translation to reflect advances in knowledge that have been gained in the last thirty years.

The Great Theory of Music book (Trieste 1832) has two parts, the one theoretical (222 pages) and the other historical (57 pages). It gives information on ancient Greek music, Byzantine music, Ottoman music, the New Method and Western music. It has chapters on critical comparisons of those musical systems and cultures; it discusses subjects related to social, psychological and therapeutic aspects of music. Its second part is the first History of Music to be ever written by a Greek author (since ancient times). It starts with Jewish music (as testified in the Bible), continues with ancient Greek music, Byzantine music - before and after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 - and gives also little information on Western music. Having established a learning method which is clear and fast, and having proposed a printable notation, Chrysanthos fulfilled most aims of the Greek Enlightenment, such as the popularization of knowledge.

Other lectures presented at the 2010 Mostly Orthros Festival were by Dr. Vasileios Marinis, Assistant Professor of Christian Art and Architecture at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music; Arsi Ioannidou, doctoral candidate at the Department of Music of the Graduate Center of CUNY and assistant director of the Scherman Music Library of The New School Library; and Dr. Panayotis Mavromatis, Assistant Professor of Music and Music Education and Director of Music Theory at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development of New York University. Dr. Marinis gave a talk and visual presentation about the architecture of ancient Byzantium and its relationship to the Divine Liturgy and of the influences of these upon the art of chanting. Ms. Ioannidou presented a history and analysis of the kalophonic genre of Byzantine chant. She discussed the reasons for its flourishing during the Paleologan period and how it influenced the development of the Byzantine chant during the post-Byzantine Era. She gave a visual presentation of three kalophonic settings of the 2nd psalm in order to show the different textual structure of each piece by using digitized photos of 14th century original manuscripts currently residing at the National Library in Athens, Greece. At the end, for illustration purposes, she offered an audio example of a short kalophonic piece performed by Nikolaos Yiannou. Dr. Mavromatis gave practical information on how to hear and understand the musical and textual structure of the eight modes, or echoi, of Byzantine music. He offered charts and visual aids for recognizing how the peculiar melodic formulas of the music are applied to the metrical patterns of the texts, and how these formulas serve to enhance the presentation and clarity of the theology and worship contained in the words and sentences.

The Mostly Orthros Festival also included educational workshops concerning Orthros by Nancy Chalker Takis, a chanter of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and translator into English of hymn texts that follow the meter and rules of Byzantine chant. She explained the structure of the Orthros service. Since no two Orthros services are exactly alike, Mrs. Takis explained the week - by - week rotation of the eight Byzantine musical modes and the eleven Gospel readings for Sunday services and all of the attached hymns of these rotations. She also explained the addition of hymns dedicated to saints and events of each day of the yearly calendar.
In the practical portion of the Orthros workshops, participants chanted the hymns of this complex service, learning along the way the particular reasons for various chanting practices, purposes, and traditions. During the workshops, Mrs. Takis explained the character and the rubrics of the Byzantine modes and their application to the English language.

The highlight of the Orthros workshops was the participation of two distinguished soloists from Thessaloniki, Greece, Christos Chalkias and Eleftherios Eleftheriadis. These highly educated and renowned musicians contributed their expertise to the instruction. They also served as the "right choir" in the antiphonal tradition of Byzantine chanting where a chanter or a choir of chanters is placed on both sides of the Church. The right choir leads the service and alternates hymns with the left choir. Mr. Chalkias and Mr. Eleftheriadis would begin each part of the service in Greek, setting the pitch and the tempo. Then the workshop participants led by Mrs. Takis would respond with the next hymn in English, trying to match the Greek chanters musically. Although novice and untrained chanters cannot normally match the experienced chanters in the execution of the intricate Byzantine nuances, an admirable continuity and flow was established between the right and left choirs. This combination was repeated at the Sunday Orthros service. The Greek chanters used traditional music set in Byzantine notation. The English chanters used translations set in Western staff notation by Mrs. Takis, Fr. Seraphim Dedes of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Hieromonk Ephraim of St. Anthony's Monastery in Arizona. During the workshops, discussions were also held on the merits and the difficulties of these translations.

Participants ranged from CUNY graduate music students who had a musicological interest in Byzantine chant to practicing Church musicians from different jurisdictions who were interested in acquiring additional knowledge about the practices and realities of chanting the Orthros service.

On Friday evening of January 15, 2010, the Axion Estin book presentation and signing event of the "Great Theory of Music" by Chrysanthos of Madytos was held at the Proshansky Auditorium of CUNY - Graduate Center. CBS anchor John Metaxas, served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. The evening started with a lecture entitled "Chrysanthos of Madytos and his Great Theory of Music" by Dr. Katy Romanou, followed by a Byzantine sacred music and Greek Folk music concert. The highlight of the evening was the delivery of the first copy of the book by Theodore Brakatselos, representing the Axion Estin Foundation, along with Nick Kyriakos, chairman of the Rev. Peter N. Kyriakos Endowment Fund, to Professor Stephen Blum, Director of the PhD program in Ethnomusicology of CUNY - Graduate Center. Professor Blum congratulated the two participating foundations and expressed his satisfaction for this book contribution to Graduate Center's Mina Rees Library. He added that he looks forward to additional contributions of related Byzantine chant music text books by the Axion Estin Foundation and the Rev. Peter N. Kyriakos Endowment Fund for the benefit of Graduate Center music students and of the general public.

The first half of the concert celebrated the contributions of "The Three Teachers." The first hymn of the program (i.e., Anoixantaria) was included to highlight the works of the newly - formed Axion Estin Vespers Choir. The choir debuted in St Nicholas Church, Flushing, Queens, on December 5, 2009. Its second engagement was on January 29, 2010, at Three Hierarchs Greek Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, New York. The program continued with antiphonal Byzantine chanting by Christos Chalkias & Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, who performed compositions by Gregory Protopsaltes and Chourmouzios Chartophylax.

The second part of the program included Greek folk songs, with Mr. Chalkias singing and playing the oud, Elias Sarkar playing violin, and Graduate Center doctoral candidate in Music Ozan Aksoy playing percussion. In the final two songs, the ensemble was joined by the St Nicholas William Spyropoulos School Choir of Flushing, New York, directed by Areti Giovanou. The talented young students made a spirited contribution to the proceedings.

The Mostly Orthros Festival continued throughout the day on Saturday at the CUNY - Graduate Center Music Department. On Saturday evening Mr. Chalkias and Mr. Eleftheriadis chanted the Great Vespers Service of Saint Antonios at St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, New York. On Sunday morning, several of the workshop participants joined Mrs. Takis in chanting the service at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in New Rochelle, New York. After the Orthros service, Mr. Chalkias and Mr. Eleftheriadis served as right and left chanters for the Divine Liturgy, celebrated by Protopresbyter Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anctil, who proclaimed his delight with the chanting, comparing it to "being in Heaven."

Post Event Press Release
January 17, 2010 Event Date
Creating Sacred Space
A Celebration of the Byzantine Arts

Dr. Helen C. Evans Receives Axion Award of Excellence at Foundation Gala Hastings - on - Hudson, New York

Honored as one of the foremost authorities on Byzantine Art world - wide, Dr. Helen C. Evans, curator, author and educator, received the Axion Award of Excellence during an original event entitled "Creating Sacred Space" held on January 17th, 2010. The formal gala, subtitled "A Banquet Celebrating the Byzantine Arts," was jointly presented by the Axion Estin Foundation and The Rev. Peter N. Kyriakos Endowment in Hastings - on - Hudson, New York. Fox 5 News Meteorologist Nick Gregory, served as Master of Ceremonies for the event that also featured renowned speakers in Byzantine architecture, iconography and music. Master Chanters from Thesaloniki, Greece performed for the audience and the newly published book, "Great Theory of Music" was dedicated to the late Very Rev. Peter N. Kyriakos. "You all who overfill this room stand as a commitment of your community to everyone knowing the greatness and culture of the Byzantine tradition,'' Dr. Evans said to the sold - out audience in attendance at the Newington - Cropsey Foundation Gallery, where the event was held.

"Her work is invaluable to the preservation and understanding of the holy places and works in the Byzantine tradition" commented Nick Kyriakos, the event chairman. Most notably Dr. Evan's credentials include her position at The Metropolitan Museum of Art as the Mary and Michael Jaharis Curator for Byzantine Art, and overseeing the award - winning exhibitions "The Glory of Byzantium (843 - 1261)" in 1997 and "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261 - 1557)" in 2004, along with the installation and recent expansion of the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Byzantine Art. Presenting the book dedication for the "Great Theory of Music" on behalf of the Axion Estin Foundation was the foundation's President, Dr. Angelo Lampousis. "All of the board members and volunteers at the Axion Estin Foundation we have diverse backgrounds and professions, but almost with no exception, none of us have a professional affiliation to music. We support the arts and specifically Byzantine Sacred music and Greek folk music, more so as 'educated listeners' than professional musicians. In this way, we continue the tradition of the plethora of 'Friends of Music' clubs and societies that once existed in Constantinople and Smyrna. And it was Rev. Peter N. Kyriakos with his unusual range of artistic aspirations and sensitivities that inspired us and encouraged us to sustain a similar foundation here in New York. This is the reason we wholeheartedly dedicate this publication to his memory" said Lampousis.

The evening was a glittering event with many stars in the audience as well as at the two podiums. It brought together experts, scholars, performers and clergy from the New York area and around the world. Among the clergy in attendance, His Grace Bishop Savas of Troas gave the Benediction, accompanied by the Rev. Nicholas G. Anctil. Rev. Dr. Robert G. Stephanopoulos delivered the Invocation and presented the award to Dr. Evans. Iconographer and four - time Olympic Artist, Rip Kastaris, presented an original documentary film entitled "Byzantine Iconography, the art of eternity". His entertaining presentation included a call to action. "There are no universities in the Western Hemisphere that offer a degree in the creation of Byzantine Icons. We can begin the process of creating great Iconographers right here in the United States." Kastaris also designed the Axion Award of Excellence and the Icon given to Dr. Evans. Dr. Vasileios Marinis, assistant professor of Christian Art and Architecture at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School, presented Byzantine Architecture as sacred space. Currently working on a monograph on the interaction of architecture and ritual in medieval churches, Dr. Marinis's presentation included one of the earliest houses of worship in Christendom. Along with art and architecture, sacred music was prominently featured in the event. Dr. Alexander Lingas, Senior Lecturer in Music at City University London and a Fellow of the University of Oxford's European Humanities Research Center, flew in on his way back to London after completing a recording with his ensemble Cappella Romana to speak at the event. In between speakers, renowned Byzantine chant soloists Christos Chalkias and Eleftherios Eleftheriadis from Thessaloniki, Greece, chanted, from opposite side of the dais, some of the most well - known Orthodox hymns.

Amongst the 150 attendees were:
Presbytera Kay Kyriakos and her children, grandchildren,
Parishioners and friends of the late Father Peter,
Rev. Nicholas Soteropoulos - President of the Retired Greek Orthodox Clergy of America
Ms. Paulette Poulos - Acting Executive Director of Leadership 100 Endowment
Ms. Polyxeni Mastroperrou, Press Counsel - Greek Press Office
Dr. Tom van Buren - Westchester Arts Council & Center for Traditional Music & Dance
Mr. Peter Polites - Architect of the Newington Cropsey Foundation Galleries


Each guest was given an Icon & Commemorative Coin created by Euripides Kastaris, a copy of the "Great Theory of Music" book by Chrysanthos of Madytos, translated by Dr. Katy Romanou, and the "Sacred Music of Byzantium" music CD featuring the Greek Byzantine Choir, directed by Lycourgos Angelopoulos (marking the choir's presentation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur on January 13, 2008).

Anna Lycouris described the event as "vastly entertaining and educational" while adding, "the future of our cultural inheritance is at risk, and (events like these) help secure its place in the minds and hearts of all of us."

Joy Zoe Anastos commented, "It was a perfect venue (the Newington Cropsey galleries) for a gathering of committed patrons and supporters of Creating Sacred Space to preserve and showcase our ancestral treasures."

"It is the mix of our human story and scholarly efforts that make our connections so meaningful" remarked Kyriakos, who has witnessed many wonders as the son of an inspired priest. "My father's 55 year ministry as well as this foundation will continue to promote education and the sacred traditions of our special culture."

The proceeds from the event were used to defray the cost of the 2010 publication, translation and commentary by Dr. Katy Romanou, of the "Great Theory of Music by Chrysanthos of Madytos" 1st published in Trieste in 1832.

Reporting contributed by Stan Takis, Penny Kastaris, and Georgeann Mavrovitis