F RST MODE THE EASTERN FEDERATION OF GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH MUSICIANS NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2008 PRESIDENT S NOTE I hope all of you are enjoying your summer and getting refueled for the next ecclesiastical year. As you can see this issue of the First Mode is the big one including many important flyers that need your timely response. Permit me to review them with you. Happy New Year to you and your families and I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. It seems like a long time since our wonderful Tribute to Anna concert but the memories are all great. I want to take this time to greet you all as your new president and say how much of an honor it is to serve you. It will be a pleasure to work with the officers: Hope Demitry as Vice President, Paul Mavromihalis as Treasurer and happily Pat Sotos has agreed to continue on as Secretary. Stepping into Maria Keritsis shoes as you know is not easy. She has been such a wonderful president and has always been there for us. The only thing that makes it less scary is knowing that I can call on her at anytime. What a mammoth job she did with all the details that had to be tended to for the concert. It was especially hard since we had never done this format before. I would be remiss to say that the executive board did not help but without Maria heading us in the right direction it would not have been so successful. What a joy it was to have Marina Alexander pull us all together at great rehearsals for a beautiful concert. I very much look forward to working with our executive board. I will let you in on a secret, besides working hard we always have fun when we get together. If you will allow me to reminisce a little One of the first conferences that I attended was in Newport News, John McKay directed The Liturgy of Peace. I came by myself not knowing any people other than my New Jersey friends. Dr. Ted Savvas, of blessed memory, picked me up from the airport and quickly made me feel welcome and at ease. From then on I was hooked on conferences and have not missed one since. My choir at Holy Trinity, Westfield had never been to a conference or knew anything about them. Now there are more and more members that are also hooked. This is a tribute to all of you good people who come each year and raise their voices in song for the glory of our Lord and Savior. Now down to business. First let me congratulate our recipients of the prestigious Athenagoras Medal, Susan Karcanes of Holy Trinity, Westfield, New Jersey and Ann Sophocleus of Annunciation Cathedral, Baltimore, Maryland. The awards were presented by His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos at the banquet on Friday evening. Our executive board has changed somewhat with Renee Root as Virginia District Supervisor, Adam Birnbaum as Maryland District Supervisor, NEW SLIDE Marie Devino PRESENTATION as New Jersey, District Supervisor and P.J. Missiras as Philadelphia area District Supervisor and Nick The Kyrus Metropolis as Awards Clergy-Laity and Archival chairman. conference We have on May added 12, a new position of Youth Initiative chaired by Sondra Awad. Thank you to Katherine Birnbaum for taking over the awesome duty of editor of the First Mode. We will all be meeting at the end of January Maria to plan Keritsis, on our Nick activities which will include the conference (location not confirmed A slide at this time), and our new website. If you have any concerns or suggestions tell your district supervisor to bring it up at our meeting. Thank you to all who contributed pictures, reflections of the concert and articles. Thank you for the honor of being your Registration packet for our conference in Richmond, VA Oct. 16-19, 2008. Please register as early as possible. Directors please encourage your youth to participate. New revised Bylaws that need to be voted on at our Council Meeting on Thursday, Oct. 16. Please read the Preface by Maria Keritsas and take time to review before coming. Check out the Organizational Chart. Application for nominations for the Athenagoras I Medal due by September 22. Nominations for elections of officers due by September 22. Music Review application for conductor and Liturgy due by September 22. Application for the Anna G. Gallos Scholarship for Undergraduate/Graduate Students. Application for the Anna G. Gallos Scholarship for Professional workshops/cmi Application for the Kenneth Ray Mitchum Scholarship. Years of Service Awards Send to Nick Kyrus by Oct. 1. Flyer for new CD by Anna G. Gallos 2008 in Garfield, NJ was attended by Kathryn Athanasoulas, Ginny Botsis, Marie Devino, Hope Demitry, Susan Karcanes, Kay Kehayas, Kyrus, Paul Mavromihalis, and Pat Sotos. presentation about the goals and activities of our EF- GOCM was narrated by President Kathryn along with pictures projected by Nick Kyrus. It was presented in president and say a prayer that I will be able to carry out my duties in the most helpful way. the morning general assembly to the clergy and laity, and to the Philoptochos in the afternoon. It was very well received. This presentation Kathryn could be used at other Federation functions. We hope to present it again at the conference in Richmond. Reflections from our 2006 Federation Conference/Concert Metropolitan Evangelos celebrated his 5 th anniversary as Metropolitan of New Jersey. We wish him polla ta eti (many years). At the banquet awards were given out to members in the northern churches of the Metropolis. Among them were Hope Demitry, selected by her parish, Elaine Gregory, former choir director selected by her Philoptochos and Kathryn Athanasoulas, selected by It is amazing what a team who works well together can accomplish!! That was the case in hosting our 2006 federation conference. What began as a dream developed into a first-of-a-kind conference. When several of the federation officers met with His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos to discuss our music ministry, one of his suggestions was that we have a Metropolis concert. This direction was one that we had not embarked on previously and our think-tank went to work brainstorming. The outcome was the that Metropolitan. our 2006 conference be a concert honoring a nationally known composer who is a vital part of our federation non other than Presbytera Anna Gallos. The membership enthusiastically endorsed the idea and our mission had begun. In my 9 years as federation president, the board had not hosted a conference and working out the details by long distance task assignments was a TRIFOLDED BROCHURE Another project in the making is a new tri-folded brochure explaining our goals and activities. This brochure can be used at any Federation function for public rela- challenge in itself. Truthfully, I was scared to death that we had bitten off more than we could chew! No one could be more blessed than I to have had such a fantastic team pulling together. Thanks to each of you who went above and beyond all expectations. Once we had secured a date and location, we spent time with tions. Anna Look and for our tremendous it in the near guest future. conductor Marina Alexander compiling music. Until you have been to Anna s home and have seen the music in her computer, on her shelves, in her closet and in her desk drawers you can t fathom the amount of music tend that she the has conference written during in her Richmond. career! Marina spent hours sorting through the music and selected a representation from the various types of music that Anna has written. Her liturgies are well - Kathryn known to us but few knew of her many other works. Distributing the music (constant updated versions at that) was another challenge. Then the real work of learning so much new music had begun and we only had a very short time to rehearse. Panic was beginning to set in there was so much to do and we had contracted out thousands of dollars in financial obligations! It was at this point that I knew God was with us and had answered many prayers. FIRST Messages MODE for is the published commemorative by the EFGOCM album started for pouring the Enjoy the rest of the summer and make plans to at- in, thanks members, to Vic Panagos, parishes other and federations friends of the and Federation. those of you who were our benefactors and took sponsorships; several of the Baltimore area folks began calling and offering help as well since they were in the area and Contributions knew we couldn t are welcome. physically be there. Just a few of our good Samaritans who stopped to help are Dr. Peter Sitaras; Diane Tsekares Katherine, Joanne Dietz Birnbaum and Ann Sophocleus who prepared the reception, sold tickets Editor etc.; and Connie Durakis who handled the local publicity. 6036 Buttercup There were Court too many others to mention by name but your Alexandria, assistance was VA most 22310 appreciated. Throughout all of the preparations, katherinebirnbaum@gmail.com rehearsals, and numerous emails and phone calls, I couldn t believe how calm Marina appeared. If she had any concerns at all, she did not express them. She just kept encouraging us and reassuring us that everything was g(copanic w
National Forum Meets in Washington, D.C. The 32 nd Annual Meeting of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Musicians was held at the Marriott Wardman Hotel in Washington, DC in conjunction with the 39 th Biennial Clergy Laity Congress, July 13-17, 2008. Our Eastern Federation delegation was once again the biggest in attendance. Our five designated delegates were Kathryn Athanasoulas, Westfield, NJ; Hope Demitry, Trenton, NJ; Nick Kyrus, Alexandria, VA; Maria Keritsis, Richmond, VA; Anna Gallos, Baltimore, MD; with alternates, Kay Kehayas, Piscataway, NJ along with Paul Mavromihalis, Broomall, PA; and Virginia Botsis, Broomall, PA and Joanne Johnson, Bethesda, MD as participants. Susan Karcanes, Westfield, NJ, served as the National Forum recording secretary. The week began for many of the National Forum delegates on Saturday with a rehearsal at the Cathedral of St. Sophia in preparation for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on Sunday. National Forum members com NATIONAL FORUM bined with St. Sophia s Byzantine choir, under the direction of the Cathedral s protopsalti, Stelios Kontakiotis, to sing a Byzantine-style liturgy arranged by Mr. Kontakiotis. The Liturgy was officiated by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain, the official representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, along with all of the Metropolitans of the Archdiocese. Sunday evening the National Forum delegates hosted a reception attended by Hierarchs, priests and invited guests honoring the new recipient of the St. Romanos Melodios Medal. National Forum members, under the direction of Paul Mavromihalis, Broomall, PA, sang a medley of Greek folk songs and hymns. This year s honoree is Andriana Kolandrinos of Santa Barbara, California. Many should remember Andriana from our conference held last October in Egg Harbor. She is a very dynamic director who offered a great deal of instruction to our group in a very short period of time.
Maria Keritsis, Hope Demitry, and Anna Gallos enjoy the Sunday Reception AXIA Andriana. This medal is awarded to an outstanding individual with significant national contributions to the advancement of Church music and is given biannually at each Clergy Laity Congress. Monday morning featured the official opening session of the Congress which included a Doxology Service and Keynote Address by Archbishop Demetrios. The members of the National Forum, under the direction of Paul Mavromihalis, Broomall, PA, sang hymns, responses and the Greek and American national anthems. Dr. Vicki Pappas, National Forum President, officially opened our meeting on Monday afternoon. The next four days were filled with reviewing past projects, presenting new ones with specific emphasis on establishing youth choirs, and presenting our new look as part of the Archdiocese website. Our goal is to make information NATIONAL FORUM Mark Powell, Exectutive Director of Capella Romana, John Michael Boyer, Protopsalti of the Metropolis of San Francisco, Dr. Alexander Lingas, Artistic Director of Capella Romana, Dr. Lycourgos Angelopoulos, Protopsalti of Greece and resources available to parishes and church musicians. During the course of our meetings many Hierarchs, priests and guests visited offering thanks and praises for the work the National Forum does for the parishes and choirs of the Archdiocese. On Tuesday the National Forum offered a Workshop to the Congress Gather the Youth: Ideas for Youth Music Programs for Your Parishes. A panel comprised of choir directors, youth choir directors and chanters presented their tricks of the trade in organizing and training youth choirs for our churches. The workshop was well attended by clergy and lay people alike. Materials to aid in beginning youth choirs were distributed to the attendees. Tuesday evening was the focus of our National Forum hosted dinner where we all relaxed and had the opportunity to catch up with each other in a casual atmosphere. After a long and very productive week, Thursday afternoon was time to bid farewell to all our old and some new friends until next year. We will be meeting again in Boston next year, August 2 6, 2009, where we will have the unique opportunity to piggyback our meeting directly upon the conclusion of the National Church Music Institute at Hellenic College/Holy Cross which is scheduled for July 29 August 2, 2009. Hope to see many of you then! Respectfully submitted, Susan Karcanes
NATIONAL FORUM PHOTOS Panel discusses ideas for youth programs
CHURCH MUSIC INSTITUTE The EFGOCM in conjunction with the National Forum offered a Church Music Institute entitled Effectively Conducting the Greek Orthodox Choir on Saturday, April 5 th at St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church in Broomall, PA. Highlighting the workshop were the presentations by renowned conductor and teacher, Rodney Eichenberger. He masterfully led us through methods to improve our choirs by changing what we do with our gestures, body language, and overall attitude. His positive approach and exuberant love of music and teaching were infectious. Many conductors reported immediate success with their choirs the next day. And while this workshop was geared to the conductor, the choir members in attendance felt they had gained tremendous insight and were better able to respond to their conductors. The workshop also offered information on the Seira of the Hierarchal Liturgy, given by the Chancellor, Very Reverend Father George Nikas, a session on Understanding the Divine Liturgy by Drucie Papafil, a session on Youth Choirs by Sondra Awad, and a wrap up Q and A monitored by Renée Root. It was a very successful CMI with over 50 participants. Our hosts, the Choir of Saint Luke, conductor, Paul Mavromihalis, and PA Supervisor, Ginny Botsis did an exceptional job seeing to our needs. Everything was wonderfully organized and beautifully orchestrated. We are grateful to all who went out of their way to feed us and to see to our comforts. - Drucie Papafil FROM THE CONDUCTOR OF THE 2008 CONFERENCE I am honored that you have chosen me to conduct the choir for this year s annual EFGOCM conference, and I am very much looking forward to being with you all. The Spathis music is available from your district supervisor if you have not already purchased it, and please remember that only authorized copies of the music will be allowed during the conference. Thank you. A little background about the music - Dr. Spiros Spathis wrote the music for the consecration of St. Stephan Cathedral in Paris at the turn of the last century. This is before Vrionides, Anastassiou and Roubanis. During our Liturgy in Richmond, I will be imagining this new choral sound being sung for the first time over 100 years ago. As you sing this music, look beyond the rather simple notes and realize that the choir represents the laos, the people responding to the words and actions of the priest. As I have been teaching the children at my parish church school the meaning and history of the liturgy, I have come to appreciate the dialogue nature of the service. Ours is not a spectator liturgy despite how it often looks. Our Orthodox services are designed to put us on the court for example, the priest blesses us, and we bless him back. I invite you all to keep this in mind as you rehearse and as we celebrate our Liturgy in October. We will again have a children s choir at this year s conference. Here is what you choir directors should be teaching the children: Amin #1,the Kyrie leison #2 (alto line), Si Kyrie #3, 2 nd & 3 rd verses of the 1 st Antiphon #4, the 2 nd Antiphon #7, Doxa Patri 7bis, the last 3 measures of Justinian s Hymn, Trisagios Hymn #14 (everything except the 2 nd verse of Agios), #16, #17, #20 bis, #21, #22, #23, #24, and #47. It looks like a lot but most of the responses are short or repeated just do your best. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge that the Sts. Constantine and Helen choir of Annapolis is unable to join us this year. They are marking the 50 th anniversary of their community s Philoptochos, and His Eminence, Metropolitan Evangellos will be celebrating that weekend with them. We will miss you and wish you all well. See you all in Richmond! P.S. bis is a musical term and a little-used Interlingua word meaning "encore", "again", or "twice". - Nick Kyrus
DISTRICT REPORTS VIRGINIA DISTRICT NEW JERSEY DISTRICT Annunciation Choir Norfolk Well, the summer months are upon us, and that means many choirs have a few weeks off...but not us! We have always sung through the summer, and this year, our director, Chris Kypros, has us rehearsing as well! (We should have Spathis "down pat" by the time we see you all in October). We had a lovely choir concert this May during our Greek Festival, which was enjoyed by all. The Norfolk Annunciators look forward to seeing you all at our sister parish in Richmond, this October. - Drucie Papafil Saints Constantine and Helen Choir - Newport News We gave our annual Greek Festival Concert on Sunday, June 1 st. It was entitled A Liturgical Sampler, offering hymns from our biggest feast days with explanations given to aid the non-orthodox in attendance to better understand our faith. Included were selections by Bogdanos, Zes, Desby, and Kypros. The program was well attended and enthusiastically received. Our choir room is getting a facelift! We have new floor tile, ceiling tile, and soon will also have a new coat of paint. It really brightens the look of the room, as well as our sound! The choir took the month of July off, but now that we are back, we have begun rehearsing the Spathis Liturgy in preparation for the EFGOCM conference in Richmond this fall. friends there! We look forward to seeing all our - Renée Root Saints Constantine and Helen Richmond The Choir is working hard to prepare for the EF- GOCM Conference in October. If you plan to attend and are in need of copies of the Spathis Liturgy, please contact Renée Root at reneeroot@cox.net. We hope to have excellent participation from all areas of our Federation. See you soon! - Renée Root Hope your summer is going well! As you can see, District 3 has been very busy. See you all in Richmond. SPIRIT OF LENT CONCERT Our Spirit of Lent Concert was held on Friday April 18 th, 2008 at the Kirkpatrick Chapel on the Rutgers University Campus. This wonderful concert was under the direction of Kathryn Athanasoulas accompanied by Hope Demitry. Accolades to both of you ladies for the fantastic job directing and preparing your Youth Choirs for this joyous event! HOLY CROSS CELEBRATION Our annual Holy Cross Celebration will be held on September 21 at the Paramount Theater, Asbury Park. Once again, Kay Kehayas will direct with Hope Demitry on the organ. Rehearsals are as follows starting at 7:30 pm: Sept 2 Tuesday St. George, Piscataway Sept 8 Monday - St. George, Piscataway Sept 15 Monday St. George, Piscataway Sept 20 Saturday at the Paramount Theater, Asbury Park Sept 21 - Divine Liturgy METROPOLIS The Holy Metropolis of NJ has relocated to its new offices on June 9 th to: Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey 214 East Grove St. Westfield, NJ 07090-1656 Phone: 908-301-0500 FAX: 908-301-1397 SPATHIS LITURGY We had our first rehearsal on Monday, June 9 th at Westfield. Our next rehearsals will be on Monday September 29 and Tuesday October 6 in Piscataway at 7:30 pm. We are really enjoying the music. VOCAL MASTER CLASS On Saturday, October 25 th from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Holy Trinity, Westfield, District 3 will be sponsoring a Vocal Master Class with Chrisselene Petropoulos tick- (Continued on page 7)
DISTRICT REPORTS CONTINUED ets will be $10.00. If you are in the area please come. All are welcome. MINI-WORKSHOP On May 3 rd, St. Nicholas of Wyckoff hosted a Mini- Workshop with Kathryn Athanasoulas and Hope Demitry as clinicians. This was an attempt to reactivate those churches in the northern part of New Jersey. Those that attended were very enthusiastic. We emphasized the work that the Federation does by actively participating in workshops, concerts, CMI s and conferences. We did a lot of singing. NEW CD RELEASE The Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas Choir of Staten Island is proud to announce their long awaited CD which was released on May 11, 2008. The recording is a composite setting of the Divine Liturgy and includes Easter selections, one of which is their very favorite, Polykratis Hymn of Kassiani. Cost: $15 For more information contact Mary Veros at 718-317-2066. - Marie Devino PENNSYLVANIA DISTRICT St. Luke s Choir - Broomall Our choir, with the support of our Parish Council, was delighted to host the Eastern Federation Church Music Institute Effectively Conducting the Greek Orthodox Choir on Saturday, April 6 th. It was one of the first functions held in our newly completed Education and Cultural Center. As the Host Committee, we provided the facilities, assisted with registration, and prepared and served the meals for the attendees. Several dedicated women in our parish helped us make it a very successful endeavor. On Sunday, June 1 st, following our final Divine Liturgy before summer break, we held our annual choir party at the home of hosts, Janine and Steve Voudouris. Choir members and a few friends gathered to enjoy fellowship and good food. In preparation for the Annual Conference in October, St. Luke s Choir hosted the Philadelphia District choirs for a rehearsal of the Spathis Liturgy. Choir members from other parishes joined us in a very pro- ductive rehearsal conducted by our Choir Director, Paul Mavromihalis. A second rehearsal is planned for September. Paul and I attended the National Forum of Orthodox Church Musicians Meeting in Washington, DC, July 13 17, held in conjunction with the Clergy-Laity Congress. Paul directed the choir that performed at the Forum Reception on Sunday evening and at the Prayer Service of the Opening Session of the Congress on Monday morning. For me, as a first time attendee, it was an eye-opening experience to learn about this wonderful arm of our Archdiocese and the important work that Vicki Pappas, National Forum Chairman, and the committees do. I came away wishing that every member of every parish knew what a vast resource of materials and knowledgeable, talented people this organization provides. Visit their web site to learn more about the National Forum and how it can assist you. You can also show your support by becoming a member. Finally, it is with great sadness that we bid farewell to our beloved director, Paul Mavromihalis, who is moving to a position much closer to his home. We were blessed to have him work with us for three years while commuting every week from Baltimore. With the background of experience and knowledge he brought to us, he was an inspiration to our choir members and a great asset to our church community. Although we will miss him, we wish him the very best in his new position. Thank you, Paul, from all of us. - Virginia Botsis KEEP GETTING THE MODE If you have moved or are planning to move, please do not forget to send us your new address. Send it to: Susan Karcanes 65 Fairmont Ave. Clifton, NJ 07011 susank622@verizon.net
2006 2008 EFGOCM EXECUTIVE BOARD His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos President Kathryn Athanasoulas 114 Winslow Place Garwood, NJ 07027 (908) 232-7695 kathanasoulas@hotmail.com Vice President E. Hope Demitry 95 Beechwood Ave. Trenton, NJ 08618 (609) 695-4033 EHopeD@verizon.net Secretary Patricia Sotos 3915 Wythe Ave. Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 358-3963 Prspota@aol.com Treasurer Paul Mavromihalis 11371-2 Iager Blvd Fulton, MD 20759 (301) 455-6785 paul.p.mavromihalis@lmco.com Supervisors District I (MD) Adam Birnbaum 6036 Buttercup Ct. Alexandria, VA 22310 (703) 778-8341 adamdbirnbaum@gmail.com District II (VA) Renee Root 4803 Hazelwood Rd. Hampton, VA 23666 (757) 224-3937 reneeroot@cox.net District III (NJ) Marie Devino 2050 Florence Ave. Hazlet, NJ 07748 (732) 264-0718 mdevino@att.com District IV (PA) Virginia Botsis 129 Sutton Road Ardmore, PA 19003 610-642-4099 vbotsis@comcast.net Past President/Advisor Maria Keritsis 9030 Kings Crown Rd. Richmond, VA 23236 (804) 745-8606 Mfk9@comcast.net Spiritual Advisor Rev. Nicholas Bacalis Ss. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church 30 Malvern Ave. Richmond, VA 23221 (804) 355-3687 Choir Director Position Committee Chairmen Awards/Archives/Webpage Nicholas Kyrus 5320 Echols Ave. Alexandria, VA 22311 (703) 845-9256 nbkyrus@comcast.net Scholarship Drucie Papafil 245 Forsythe St. Norfolk, VA 23505 (757) 489-4313 papafida@evms.edu Database Susan Karcanes 65 Fairmount Ave. Clifton, NJ 07011 (201) 747-5744 susank622@verizon.net Youth Initiative Sondra Awad 1503 Libbie Ave. Richmond, VA 23226 (804) 282-5301 awads@wjcc.k12.va.us First Mode Katherine Birnbaum 6036 Buttercup Ct. Alexandria, VA 22310 (703) 778-8341 katherinebirnbaum@gmail.com Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church in Broomall PA, is seeking a Choir Director for its 15 to 20-voice mixed Choir. Responsibilities include Sunday Liturgy and rehearsals from September to June, additional services during Lent and Holy Week, and a Christmas Pageant. Applicants should have experience and training in vocal music and choral conducting, familiarity with the Greek Orthodox Liturgy, and leadership/organizational skills. Piano and organ skills preferred. Compensation commensurate with experience. Send letter of interest, resume, and references to the church or email to: FatherCK@aol.com. Saint Luke Greek Orthodox Church Rev. Father Christ Kontos 35 North Malin Road Broomall PA 19008 610-353-1592 www.st-luke.org