Greek Byzantine Choir

Greece

The Greek Byzantine Choir was founded in 1997, at the initiative of Lykourgos Angelopoulos (1941-2014), Archontos Protopsaltes of the Holy Archdiocese of Constantinople and his fellows, its main purpose being to research and promote the byzantine music as it has been maintained by the oral and written tradition up to the present-day.

 

During the 40 years of activity, the Choir performed in more than 1300 concerts, offices and other manifestations in Greece as well as in other 31 countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and America.

The most important performances include participation in the Pan Orthodox Divine Liturgy in Bethlehem celebrated by his Al-Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch to celebrate 2000 years since the Birth of Jesus Christ, Divine Liturgies celebrated by His Al-Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical in the Basilica of Saint Apollinaris in Ravenna (2002) or in the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev (2009). In addition the Choir performed in important concerts in International Symposiums at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1997 and 2008), in the manifestations ”Greece of Britain” where the Choir performed on the stage of the Queen Elisabeth Hall (London, 1998), as well as in numerous concerts in Athens and Epidaurus Festival  or at the Athens Concert Hall.

 

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The Choir released albums with the most important record labels in Europe and participated in the premiere of the work ”Rodanon” by the contemporary composer, Michael Adamis. Moreover, they performed the promoted extracts from the Ancient, Greek, Ancient Aramaic music, as well as the Ancient Office the ”Three Youths in the Furnace” (transcription and reconstitution by Michael Adamis). From 1990, the Choir recorded and published the work of Master Saint John Koukouzelis. This project has been supported for three years by the grants awarded by the ”Alexandros Onasis” Foundation.

The Choir made several recordings and published the works of Saint John Koukouzelis (”Selected Works”), Petros Ephessios (”Antologhion”) and Lykourgos Angelopoulos (”The Importance of Simon Karas’s Research and Teaching Methods”).

 

Georgios Konstantinou (conductor)

 

The actual conductor of the Greek Byzantine Choir, Georgios Konstantinou (since 2014) was born in 1961 in Galata Mesolonghi, Greece. He received his PhD from the Ionian University, Greece (Musical Studies Department) and graduated the ”Marasleion” Academy of Athens and the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He participated in numerous musicology and pedagogy symposiums and masterclasses in Europe. He published five pedagogical volumes in the series ”The Theory and Practice of Church Music”. He edited the published versions of the work of the Three Teachers (at the publishing house of the Vatopaidi Monastery) as well as the work of Konstantinos Pringos (at the ”Apostoliki Diakonia” Publishing House). He sung in numerous churches in Athens.

 

Georgios Konstantinou - Greek Byzantine Choir

 

Georgios Konstantinou taught psaltic music at the ”Live-Giving Spring of the Most Holy Theotokos” School and at the School of the Metropolitan Diocese of Fthiotidos, as well as at the National Conservatory of Athens. Since 1981, he has been a member of the Greek Byzantine Choir and he is involved in the study of the oral and written tradition of the Church music, as well as in the valuing of the research results in teaching. He is the initiator of the Training and Further Training in the Church Music Program which was established in 2003, awarding grants which are supported by the ”Saint Maximus the Greek” Institute.  

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