For Academic year 2014–2015, St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Yonkers, NY,will offer an exceptional opportunity to students enrolled in its Continuing Education course on Byzantine Chant. Besides benefiting from the expert instruction of renowned master chanter Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, students will be afforded unprecedented access to rehearsals and concert events during the 2014–2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) season that feature Mr. Eleftheriadis.
The seminary is offering the Byzantine music fall and spring semester courses to seminarians and the general public on Tuesday evenings, in collaboration with The Axion Estin Foundation of New Rochelle, NY. Sessions of the fall semester will start on Tuesday September 23, 2014. Beginners Class will meet from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Advanced Class will meet from 8:10 p.m. to 9:25 p.m.
Students enrolled in the fall semester course may attend the “Byzantine Pop-Ups” concerts at the MMA’s Medieval Sculpture Hall, Fridays, December 5, 12, and 19, at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. daily (free with museum admission); and students enrolled in the spring semester may attend the “Looking East from Byzantium” concert at the MMA’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, Saturday, March 14, 7 p.m. (for tickets and more information visit the Met Museum's Website).
“More than a third of our alumni are in jurisdictions that use Byzantine music,” noted The Very Rev. Dr. Chad Hatfield, chancellor/CEO at St. Vladimir’s Seminary. “In order to serve the Church and prepare our students for service in these ecclesial settings, we are not only continuing but also amplifying our Byzantine music course offerings for the 2014–2015 Academic Year. At the same time, we are offering superb continuing education for our alumni and friends.”
Dr. Angelo Lampousis, director of The Axion Estin Foundation, added, “This is an unprecedented year in terms of exposure for Byzantine chant in North America. The St. Vladimir’s educational offerings greatly enhance the available opportunities for New York State audiences to gain a deeper understanding of these century-old musical traditions.”
Eleftherios Eleftheriadis, the highly regarded Protopsaltis of St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Flushing, NY, who previously served on the faculty of the Music School of Thessaloniki, Greece, will introduce students to original texts in Byzantine music notation. Students completing either of the non-credit semester courses will receive a certificate of completion.
For queries, or to register, contact Dr. Nicholas Reeves, 914–961–8313 x353, or email byzantine@svots.edu.
Acknowledgment: We gratefully acknowledge distinguished members of the Hellenic community of Westchester Costas T. Los, Nicholas A. Lyras, Nikolaos J. Skubas, and John Daskos, for making four semesters of instruction possible.
