ASTORIA, NY – The Pancyprian Association of America presented a unique poetry reading with Christina Metaxa and music by Maestro Aris Antoniades on May 28 at the Hellenic Cultural Center (HCC) in Astoria.
HCC Artistic Director Alexandros Ammohostianos gave the welcoming remarks, noting that the event follows successful presentations of Metaxa’s latest poetry collection ‘Afloat’ in Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia, and the United States, with translations forthcoming in various languages.
Christos Metaxas, Christina’s younger brother, introduced the evening’s presenters including his sister, their mother Professor Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa, and maestro Aris Antoniades who performed on the piano in dialogue with the poems.
Born and raised in Limassol, Cyprus, Christina Metaxa graduated from Brown University with honors with a dual degree in Creative Writing and French and Francophone Studies. She teaches English, French, and Creative Writing to children and adults in Cyprus. Her poems and translations have been published in literary magazines in the U.S. and in Cyprus. In 2009, at age 13, she published her first children’s book in Greek ‘Fidakis Amialakis’ (‘Snakey No-Brainkey’) and in 2020 a selection of her Greek poems was published in the Cypriot poetry anthology ‘Young Poets and Poetesses of Cyprus 1981-2001’. In 2021, Metaxa published the chapbook ‘An Honorable Woman’, letter in honor of her grandmother. She writes in English, French, Greek, and the Cypriot dialect. She is expected to soon release the second book in her series of children’s stories as well as her first novel ‘Antithetical Sensation’. ‘Afloat’ is her first poetry collection and it is currently being translated into five languages.
Maestro Aris Antoniades is a Cypriot composer, arranger, and music director whose work spans symphonic, jazz, theatrical and cinematic mediums from symphony orchestras to jazz big bands, his creations resonate with audiences worldwide. He has collaborated with iconic figures such as nine-time Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria, the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Greece, legendary composer Giorgos Chatzinassios, platinum-selling vocalist Alkis Protopsalti, and esteemed composer and pianist Stefanos Korkolis. His contributions extend to some of Greece’s most influential artists, including Michalis Hatzigiannis, George Perris, Sofia Manousaki, and X-Factor Greece judges Giorgos Theofanou and Maria Rizou. Since January 2021, Antoniades has served as the artistic director and principal conductor of the TrakArt Pops Orchestra in Cyprus. He also hosts Musical Compass on Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation Classical Radio. A Fulbright Scholar, Aris earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, receiving the Provost’s Award for Academic Excellence.
The event’s keynote speaker and Q&A moderator Dr. Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa is a respected educator, researcher, writer, and speaker whose work has impacted education in both Cyprus and abroad. She began her teaching career in New York and later, along with her husband Socrates Metaxas, founded the Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa Private Institute in Cyprus, a leading educational institution and exam center. An award-winning educator, she has also been honored with the Pancyprian Association Lifetime Achievement Award.
The poetry reading began with a recording of a poem and then Christina Metaxa took to the stage, thanking all those present for attending and offering an introduction to her work in ‘Afloat’ and its mission, “to question and to recall the ways and the resilience of our human heart and to remind ourselves that the choice for light and breath and life is always inside of us, it’s an inherent force we are born with, so not matter how much we want to stay away from it, it finds us in the end.”
Throughout the poetry reading, Antoniades’ impressive accompaniment on the piano responded soulfully to Metaxa’s emotionally-charged poems. Audience members expressed their appreciation with warm applause and looked forward to seeing more from both Antoniades and Metaxa.
In her keynote remarks, Dr. Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa shared her reflections on’Afloat’, noting that “this poetry collection is bold and courageous because through it Christina opens the depths of her soul and invites us to journey with her in a feast of words and images, a dynamic interplay between darkness and light, allowing us to authentically experience the voyage from the depths of loneliness to the innate, spontaneous human urge for breath, life, and light.”
Following the poetry reading Pancyprian Association President Philip Christopher shared his greetings and congratulations and thanking all those present for attending, including members of the Pancyprian Women’s Initiative Network and the Pancyprian Choir. He noted that Metaxa “has certainly taken us on a journey from loneliness to life and hope and I think all of us have felt that way once or twice and perhaps with Cyprus suffering all Greek Cypriots have gone through those emotions over the years, so I think we have witnessed tonight the beginning of a very talented young person… Christina makes us all very proud tonight.”
The Q&A session with Metaxa and Antoniades was moderated by Dr. Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa and further highlighted the poetry and the music.
A reception followed with refreshments and food by Skevi Roussopoulos from Dionsyos restaurant.
