ASTORIA – With the call of “Orestes from Volos” and “Maria from Sparta,” the audience at the Greek Cultural Center (GCC) and its musicians paid tribute on November 16, from Astoria 2024 to the Polytechnic Uprising of 1973 and the beginning of the fall of the dictatorship, 51 years later.
GCC President Iraklis Kremmidas gave the welcoming remarks at the concert which featured the members of the Sinafi Music Collective- Areti Giovanou on keyboards and vocals, Giorgos Papapostolou on guitar and vocals, Helias Makrynos also on guitar and vocals, Angelos Papadatos on bass, Michaela Shiamilis on vocals and percussion, and Rodini Shiamilis on vocals.
The program featured the powerfully moving songs from the great composers, lyricists and poets, and made famous by renowned performers, highlighting the Uprising and the struggle for freedom- Ritsos, Kambanellis, Theodorakis, Gatsos, Papadopoulos, Goufas, Eleftheriou, Brecht / Ladis, Savvopoulos, Wolf Biermann, Kyriakou, Markopoulos, Loizos, Xarchakos, Kounadis, Mikroutsikos, Farantouri, Dimitriadis, Sidiropoulos, Dalaras, Alexiou, Pavlos and Michalis Katsimichas, Dimitratos, Tsaknis.
Among the songs performed were ‘To Proskinima’, ‘To Sfageio’, ‘Archigos’, ‘Proti Maiou’, ‘Sti Diadilosi’, ‘Liontas’, and ‘Fasismos’, ‘Antonio Torres Heredia’, and ‘Ai Garoufalo mou’, ‘Kapote tha ’arthoun’, and ‘San Vgo ap’ Afti Ti Filaki’.
Vasiliki Tsanaktsidou, educator and activist of Pontic origin, recited poems related to the Uprising, ‘Gerontoi’ by Ritsos, the poem by the former soldier, writer, journalist and donor Aziz Nesin, ‘Sopa, Min Milas’ and the poem ‘An Thes Na Legesai Anthropos’ (‘If You Want to Be Called Human’) by Tasos Livaditis.
The group also performed songs about Cyprus as this year marks the 50th grim anniversary of the illegal invasion and occupation of 37% of the island nation. Songs such as ‘H Diki Mou i Patrida’ and ‘Kyrenia Mana Mou’ were also performed.
In his closing remarks, GCC President Iraklis Kremmidas thanked everyone for their participation and support and invited everyone to attend the GCC’s upcoming events.
More information is available online: https://www.greekculturalcenter.org/.
