LOS ANGELES, CA – The UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture, in collaboration with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, co-presented a special event on October 27. Nearly 400 members of the Southern California Hellenic community came together for an inspiring evening of Byzantine chant titled In the Footsteps of St. Demetrios.
The world premiere program was performed by the critically acclaimed vocal ensemble Cappella Romana, directed by Dr. Alexander Lingas, alongside the UCLA Chamber Singers, an undergraduate chorale ensemble directed by Dr. James Bass. All of the music for this program was performed from unpublished editions of medieval chants edited by Dr. Ioannis Arvanitis (Ionian University, Corfu), Dr. Spyridon Antonopoulos, or Dr. Alexander Lingas. Dr. Arvanitis’ editions of Small Antiphons 1 and 3 were previously performed in 2001 at a celebration of Festal Vespers According to the Rite of Hagia Sophia in the chapel of St. Peter’s College, Oxford. The rest of the music received its first modern performance with this concert.
Among the works performed were excerpts from the Cathedral Offices of Sung Vespers preserved from Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki and compositions by Ioannes Stavrakios, Ioannes Koukouzeles, and Saint Symeon, who served as the city’s Archbishop from 1416 or 1417 to his death in 1429.
The performance was held under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles, and made possible thanks to generous support from Gefyra, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Peter J. and Caroline B. Caloyeras Endowment for the Arts, and the Mary Calfas Janos Program Fund. It was co-sponsored by the UCLA Humanities Division, the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion, and the UCLA CMRS Center for Early Global Studies.
This enchanting experience brought together a diverse community sharing a love for Hellenic culture.
The event’s detailed program is available online: https://shorturl.at/unEaI.
