F RST MODE THE EASTERN FEDERATION OF GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH MUSICIANS NEWSLETTER WINTER 2016

PAUL MAVROMIHALIS PRESIDENT, EFGOCM

DRUCIE A. PAPAFIL, FIRST MODE EDITOR

Happy New Year! Please send your 2016 Choir Roster updates

via e-mail to Susan Karkanes at susank622@verizon.net

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA HOSTS 2015 ANNUAL CONFERENCE With a hurricane in the forecast bearing down on southeast Virginia, 79 “troopers” made their way through the rain to a delightful weekend (ok, maybe not weather-wise) of singing and fellowship at the EFGOCM Annual conference October 1-4, 2015. Although the hurricane turned east days before and never came close to Norfolk, we did have our share of rain, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the attendees as we sang the beautiful arrangement of the Divine Liturgy, “The Liturgy of Hope”, by Christopher Kypros, who also conducted.

Miriam Kotsonis and Pauline Arides attend the Icon Exhibit at the Chrysler Museum on Saturday afternoon...braving it through the floods in that area!

Jim Bostaph from Newport News and Angelo Neskis of Nor-folk, Virginia receive their 25 year pin and certificate from Awards chair Nick Kyrus as President Paul Mavromihalis looks on. Congratulations!

For more pictures from the conference, please visit the EFGOCM website at

www.newjersey.churchmusic.goarch.org

KATHERINE BIRNBAUM RECEIVES ATHENAGORAS AWARD

Katherine Anas Birnbaum received the 2015

Athenagoras Award from Father George

Bessinas, National Forum Chairman Maria

Keritsis and Awards Committee Chair Nick Kyrus

after the Divine Liturgy in Norfolk, Virginia.

Katherine has been active since her youth in the

Newport News Church and has continued her

stewardship at St. Katherine’s in Falls Church as

organist. On the Metropolis level, Katherine has

served our Federation as First Mode Editor and

presently serves as Virginia’s District Supervisor.

Axios!

SCHOLARSHIP NEWS Congratulations to Elias Nicholas Kotsis of Middletown, NJ as the 2015

recipient of the Anna G. Gallos scholarship. Elias attends Kimisis Tis

Theotokou in Holmdel, NJ where he sings in the choir and was president of

the GOYA. Among his many accomplishments, he has spearheaded the

youth choir program at Kimisis. He was keyboardist and arranger for the

GOYA Band which won first place for two years in a row at New Jersey’s

Sights and Sounds competition.

At Middletown HS, he played piano in the jazz band and percussion in the

concert band. In 2014, he volunteered as a piano teacher for underprivileged

children at the summer program for Rumson Country School.

In 2015, Elias completed his Eagle Scout Service Project by creating a music room for Amandla

Crossing - a facility which houses homeless families. He sponsored a donation drive to collect musical

instruments. Elias has studied piano, music theory and voice, and will continue his education at the

University of Pennsylvania where he will major in piano and composition.

Many thanks to Fr. George Nikas and Marie Devino for recognizing the talents of this well-deserving

young man and nominating him for the scholarship. Elias was awarded $1000 toward his studies. Άξιοs

Thank you to all who contribute to the Gallos Scholarship. Your generosity allows these scholarships to be awarded to deserving young people. Donations can be sent to:

Maria Keritsis

EFGOCM Scholarship Chair 9030 Kings Crown Road

North Chesterfield, VA 23236 Donations are tax deductible and no amount is too small.

WESTFIELD, NJ Holy Trinity Choir, Westfield NJ held their second

annual “Karaoke Night Out” on Saturday,

November 21 from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. It was

an evening of music, fun with light refreshments.

It brought out lots of “talent” including surprise

appearances. It included solos, duets, and on

the spot ensembles. Lists of thousands of

available songs were on display in catalogues

that the participants could choose. It was also a

way for our congregation to see the choir in

another way. Our final hilarious rendition of “We

are Family” summed up the evening.

Norfolk Choir performs at Chrysler Museum

The Annunciation Choir, led by Christopher Kypros, performed a selection of hymns in the auditorium of the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia as part of an exhibit entitled, “Saints and Dragons: Icons from Byzantium to Russia”. This exhibition comprises 160 extraordinary works of religious, historical, and artistic importance—rare icons and extraordinary artifacts that rarely leave the collections of The British Museum and the Museum of Russian Icons. The hymns chosen were reflective of the beautiful icons dating back to the 5th century, but also included some pieces from his new Liturgy of Hope. Father George Bessinas, Proistamenos, also gave a presentation on iconography and its significance in the Orthodox Church.

DISTRICT NEWS

Lenten Concert

On April 22, 2016 the NJ District of EFGOCM

will be sponsoring our 26th Anniversary “The

Spirit of Lent” Concert hosted Sts. Nicholas,

Constantine and Helen in Roseland, NJ. Every

year the Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox

Church Musicians (EFGOCM) District 3, gathers

singers from the various parishes in New Jersey

and produces a program of hymns during the

Lenten season. This year will be the 26th

Anniversary of “The Spirit of Lent” which is a

choral offering of Ancient and Modern Works in

English and Greek.

HOLY CROSS CELEBRATION Our annual Holy Cross Celebration was

held on September 27 at the Paramount

Theater, Asbury Park. It was a

beautiful but chilly day with parishioners

from many New Jersey churches filling

the theater and afterwards enjoying the

throwing of the cross by Metropolitan

Evangelos. Kay Kehayas directed the

choir in a beautiful liturgy by Kevin

Lawrence. Hope Demitry accompanied

on the organ.

O Come All Ye Faithful – And They Did

The choir of St. George,

Ocean was featured at the

first annual Christmas Tree

Lighting at St. George, on

November 29th. The parish

council wanted to bring the

community together to enjoy

an evening of fun and

fellowship at the start of the

Christmas season. Father

Andrew Eugenis started the

evening with a short service, followed by prayers for peace throughout the world.

A tree had been erected in the center of the church grounds, and after a unison “group countdown” the

tree was beautifully illuminated! The choir was up next. It was a cold night, but wearing Santa hats and

scarves (and standing in a tight group!) we created our own warmth. Director Alex Karpodinis led

roughly 15 members of the choir in singing 5 traditional hymns and carols including Η Γέννησης Σου

and Silent Night. The congregation sang along.

Hot chocolate and sweets were donated by two of the long-time church families. A good time was had

by all – with many requests to do this every year.

Newport News, Virginia Ten of us had an awesome experience attending the EFGOCM in Norfolk. The weather tried to cause

havoc, but Annunciation prevailed with a well organized conference; great fun, awesome food, and

wonderful fellowship with old and new acquaintances. Our entire choir was well prepared for the

beautiful liturgy. We began learning the Liturgy of Hope with the help of Biljana Soldo, our choir

member, and Jim, our organist, this past

summer. We attended regional rehearsals

along with hosting one here. All the

preparation enabled us to concentrate of

Chris’ interpretation of his liturgical

composition. Our own Jim Bostaph was

selected as the conference organist.

One of our members attended the Direct

Archdiocesan District Federation conference

in New York city. Dr. Jim Maniatis led over 90

voices to the Desby liturgy.

7 of our choir members joined the Richmond

Cathedral choir for its Christmas concert on December 20th. Sondra Awad, the Richmond director,

came several times to help prepare those members for the concert. We hope everyone enjoyed the

Christmas season and wish continued good health to sing praises to the Lord each week in 2016.

St. Luke, Broomall, PA The St. Luke Senior Choir performed in the annual Christmas Pageant. Guest soprano soloist, Serena Pantazopoulos performed “O Holy Night” and complimented the Senior Choir with descant singing. Christmas Pageant Singers also performed in the Christmas Pageant. They sang along with the Senior Choir in addition to performing carols independently. Christmas Pageant Singers Choir is open to students in grades 3 through 12. Pageant Singers rehearse Christmas Carols during the month of November to perform in the Christmas Pageant. Sunday Youth Choir offers students in grades 4 through 12 the opportunity to sing with the Senior Choir during Divine Liturgy service every Sunday. (There are no rehearsals for this group.) GOYA Liturgical Choir is offered to St. Luke GOYA members (grades 7 through 12). GOYA Liturgical Choir rehearses after church during the months of January, February and March. The choir performs at the Second Salutation of the Theotokos Service during Lent and performs liturgical hymns at the annual Delaware Valley Sights and Sounds event. In addition, the GOYA Liturgical Choir participates in Divine Liturgy by singing the hymns they have prepared for the annual Delaware Valley Sights and Sounds. Dena Papadopoulos, Choir Director

News from Richmond, Virginia Happy 2016, Hronia Polla from the Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral Choir, Richmond. We have had a busy fall and particularly busy December. The fall was spent preparing for the choir conference as well as for December activities. Those shown below attended the EFGOCM Annual Conference singing “The Liturgy of Hope” under the wonderful direction of composer Christopher Kypros. Early in December we prepared a meal for our CARITAS guests and ended the evening singing Christmas carols and songs which included playing jingle bells, djembes and egg shakers. We were also joined by Dave Preddy who helped accompany us on guitar. We all had a fun time together and enjoyed getting into the spirit of the season.

Richmond continued: On December 20th, 2015 we presented a beautiful concert of Orthodox Christmas Music. The Cathedral Choir was joined by guest singers: Jackie Anas, Mary Anas, Jim Bostaph, Sylvia Marcin, Matina Mimikos, Beyana Soldo, Christine St. Martin form Saints Constantine and Helen Church, Newport News; Lucy Pappadakes from Holy Trinity Cathedral, Charlotte, NC; and Nick Kyrus from Saint Katherine Church, Falls Church. Beyena Soldo shared her golden voice as our featured soloist. Thank you to all who participated in this wonderful musical journey and weekend of parea. Special thank you to all who assisted in providing the beautifully decorated and delicious reception which followed the concert. The Cathedral Choir also sang for the very moving Christmas Eve Liturgy, welcoming the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To get the New Year started off right on January 2nd the choir was invited to a phenomenal post- Christmas party at the home of Teresa Hudson, Teresa’s husband Joe, and her 98 year young mother. The home is located on a beautiful 100 acre farm where they raise horses and honey bees. What a glorious way to start the year. Blessings to all in the federation for a happy and healthy 2016!

Youth News: Richmond This truly is the most wonderful time of the year! The Christian Education department prepared the children for a beautiful Christmas Pageant. Beginning in November all the children began to learn and practice singing the Christmas carols. Joining the pageant of shepherds, sheep, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus etc. were the children below who helped out acting as the Pageant choir.

Have Conference...Will Travel

You may be hunting for ideas for a summer or autumn trip, or you may already have a reason to be traveling to a different part of the USA. Look at the National Forum’s schedule of choir conferences around the country, and add the fun and learning of visiting another Federation to your schedule. You’ll bring new skills and fresh energy to your parish choir and to our annual EFGOCM conference. For example, I had dreamed of singing Chris Kypros’ Liturgy of Peace and knew it was not on our Federation’s near-term agenda. So I went to the Southeastern Federation conference in St. Pete, FL, last July and found many EFGOCM friends there too. (Note: there’s another chance to sing it with Chris in Boca Raton in July 2016.) Even more EFGOCM members attended the Direct Archdiocesan District conference in New York this past November.

“But… I’m not one of those super-singer types who can read music really well,” you may say. (Neither am I.) Doesn’t matter. You can still learn some of the Liturgy and be surrounded by gorgeous music. “But… I don’t know anyone in the [INSERT NAME HERE] Federation.” That doesn’t matter much either. Choir people are friendly and everyone wears name tags! Reach out to the conference coordinator before the event, and he or she will help you get settled in. You also have a good chance of seeing our own Maria Keritsis, National Forum President, as she tries to attend virtually all the conferences, as well as other members of the EFGOCM.

What happens when you go to other conferences? You sing Liturgies that you might otherwise miss out on for many years and attend helpful workshops or Church Music Institutes. You experience the conducting skills of other talented directors and meet some of the legends of our choral tradition in America. And you get insider perspectives on unfamiliar cities, accompanied by tremendous hospitality.

EFGOCM attends SFGOCM!

5th Annual Saint George Christmas Concert—Bethesda, Maryland

Over 200 music-lovers attended the Fifth Annual Christmas Concert on Saturday December 12th, 2015 at the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Bethesda, MD. The event featured Concert Artists of Baltimore, with their reduced holiday chorus of

24 members conducted by its internationally acclaimed artistic director, Edward Polochik. This year’s guest artist was our own Saint George parishioner and acclaimed concert pianist Aglaia Koras, a graduate of the exclusive Curtis Institute of Music. A veteran performer at Carnegie Hall, Aglaia has given the US and World Premieres of several Greek classical composers at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. The program opened with Concert Artists processing to “Veni, Veni” (O come, O come, Emanuel) followed by Anna Gallos’ arrangement of the “Hymn of Saint George” in Greek & English, dedicated to our own choir director Paul Mavromihalis. Next was a set of four choral songs that included John Rutter’s “Candlelight Carol” followed by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Finale from Sonata in g Minor, for Cello and Piano, Op. 19” performed flawlessly by cellist Jacques-Malan and pianist Clinton Adams. The first half of the program concluded with four moving renditions from the Propers of the Divine Liturgy for Christmas Day, all arranged by Presbytera Anna Gerotheou Gallos including the Apolitíkion: Thy Birth O Christ, the Kinonikón: Lítrosin, the Apolitíkion: I Yennisís Sou Christé, and the Kontákion: I Parthénos Símeron, (dedicated to Daniel Pinkham, Anna’s teacher and colleague) followed by Daniel Pinkham’s Love Came Down at Christmas, (dedicated to Anna) and Movements I & III from his Christmas Cantata. The second half of the program began with a set of piano works performed masterfully by our own Aglaia Koras that included Chopin and Villa-Lobos as well as the Greek Folk Song: To Louloudi Next on the program was the traditional choral favorite by Fred Waring, “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, followed by tenor John Noh’s electrifying performance of “O Holy Night” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” by baritone Rob McGinness. The evening concluded with an extensive audience sing-along that started with several Kalanda and concluded with “White Christmas”. The committee wishes to thank Peter & Adrienne Barris, Paul & Toula Fotopoulos, Joseph Gawler's Sons Inc., and Emmanuel & Bessie Staurulakis for their major financial support. Special thanks to Alexa Kempel, Fr. Dimitrios & Presbytera Maria Antokas Marylou Relle, GOYA, and Levan Mamatsashvili. Gratitude is also extended to our choir director, Paul Mavromihalis, for his artistic guidance and hard work in coordinating one of St. George’s premier events. The committee is also proud to announce that over $5,000 was raised for The Bishop George Fund.