St. Vladimir’s offers public Byzantine Music program
For the academic year 2014–2015, Saint 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 8:00 p.m., while 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, on Fridays, December 5, 12, and 19, at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. daily (free with museum admission), while students enrolled in the spring semester may attend the “Looking East from Byzantium” concert at the MMA’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium on Saturday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. (For tickets and more information visit www.metmuseum.org/tickets.)
“More than a third of our alumni are in jurisdictions that use Byzantine music,” noted Archpriest Dr. Chad Hatfield, Chancellor/CEO at Saint 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 Saint 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 Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church, 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 at 914–961–8313 x353 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).