The fifth Boston Byzantine Music Festival presents a year-long series of events focused on Byzantine music and related medieval and Mediterranean musical traditions.
Please check back throughout the year. More events will be added to the schedule.
EVENTS
Wednesday, November 8 & Thursday, November 9, 2017
Venue: New England Conservatory
Music and Monotheism: A Symposium on Music and Morality in the Abrahamic Traditions. Presented in partnership with New England Conservatory’s Intercultural Institute
A multi-disciplinary conversation of performance and scholarship. The symposium includes two concerts Let Us Repeat the Names of God, featuring Holy Cross St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir, Choirs of the New England Ghanaian Seventh Day Adventist Church, and a Jazz Quartet with Nedelka Prescod, Brian Levy, Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, Dave Santoro, and Bertram Lehmann, and DEVRAN: Music of Islam, Turkey & Renaissance Europe, featuring the Dünya Ensemble and the New England Conservatory Chamber Singers, and a full day of papers and discussion.
Wednesday, November 15–Friday, November 17, 2017, 7:00 PM–9:00 PM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
The Ministry and Art of the Chanter
Georgios Theodoridis, Protopsaltis, Saint Sophia Cathedral, Washington, D.C., leads a three-evening master class focusing on the role of the chanter in the Greek Orthodox church, the use of liturgical books, and reading and intonation.
Seating is limited. Advanced registration is required.
Saturday, November 18, 2017, 1:00 PM–2:00 PM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
From Misunderstanding to Masterworks: The Anglophone Evolution of the Psaltic Art, 1892–2017
Richard Barrett, Indiana University, examines the history of anglophone composition influenced by Byzantine chant.
Saturday, November 18, 2017, 2:15 PM–3:15 PM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
An Introduction to Makam and Gazel
Grammy nominated composer and New England Conservatory faculty member Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol introduces participants to makam.
Saturday, February 3, 2018, 9:30 AM–4:00 PM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Collection (top floor of the library), Hellenic College Holy Cross
The Basics of Gregorian Chant
Jennifer Donelson, St. Joseph’s Seminary, New York, introduces participants to Gregorian chant in this one-day intensive workshop.
Saturday, February 10, 2018, 1:00 PM–3:00 PM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
An Exploration of the Musical Traditions of Greece and Cyprus
A musical journey through the sounds of Greece and Cyprus.
Saturday, February 24, 2018, 10:00 AM–10:50 AM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
Medieval Byzantine Chant: A Living Tradition in Historical Focus
Spyridon Antonopoulos discusses the written and oral traditions of Byzantine chant.
Saturday, February 24, 2018, 11:00 AM–11:50 AM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
Chanting Torah – The Five Books of Moses and its Melodies
Lynn Torgove introduces workshop participants to the form and function of the te’amim.
Saturday, March 24, 2018, 10:00 AM–10:50 AM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
Music and Colors
Jazz pianist and composer Lefteris Kordis introduces workshop participates to three-dimensional sonic/spatial sound colors.
Saturday, March 24, 2018, 11:00 AM–11:50 AM
Venue: Archbishop Iakovos Library Reading Room, Hellenic College Holy Cross
Greek Folk and Contemporary Music (Jazz and Chamber)
Jazz pianist and composer Lefteris Kordis discusses techniques for composing original contemporary music rooted in Eastern Mediterranean folk music traditions.