[pl_tabs][pl_tabtitlesection type=”tabs”][pl_tabtitle active=”yes” number=”1″]About the Concert[/pl_tabtitle][pl_tabtitle number=”2″]Location[/pl_tabtitle][pl_tabtitle number=”3″]Video about the Church[/pl_tabtitle][pl_tabtitle number=”4″]Buy Tickets[/pl_tabtitle][pl_tabtitle number=”5″]Donate[/pl_tabtitle][/pl_tabtitlesection]
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About our Concert…

On behalf of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, I would like to invite you to attend this year’s Christmas concert at Carnegie Hall entitled, Glory in the Highest. It was the holy angels who appeared to the shepherds on Christmas day and proclaimed, Glory to God in the highest for the remarkable event of our Savior’s birth. On December 16 at 6PM, the Archdiocesan Byzantine and Youth Choirs of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese will join their voices to those of the angels in singing praises to God and offering Him thanksgiving for His Son’s birth.

But this concert will serve an additional purpose. We hope to combine the spirit and excitement of this Christmas concert with the important effort of our beloved Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to reopen the ancient church of the Holy Archangels in Siyi, Turkey. We hope that the doxology offered by the shepherds on Christmas day may again be heard as it was for centuries by the faithful in this ancient church of the Holy Archangels. This is why all the proceeds from this concert will be offered to assist in this noble cause.

The church of the Holy Archangels, or as it is known in Greek, the Taxiarches, was built in the 8th century and is located in the town of Siyi, Turkey in the Metropolis of Proussa. The church of the Taxiarches is an important church of the Metropolis of Proussa, given that it is among the oldest ones still standing in this eparchy. During the exchange of populations at the turn of the 20th century the Turkish government confiscated this church and rendered it closed to the faithful. Now, almost 100 years later, our beloved Ecumenical Patriarch is diligently working, with the help of the local metropolitan, to reopen it as a house of worship. By attending this concert you will help make this sacred endeavor a reality.

The concert program will feature a selection of ecclesiastical hymns from the Christmas period performed by the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir in Greek. The Archdiocesan Youth Choir will perform a number of traditional Christmas songs and Greek Kalanda to joyfully usher in the holiday season. This is the second time the Archdiocesan choirs are sharing a stage at Carnegie Hall. This evening is sure to be a most memorable one and I hope that you will keep our choirs and the ancient church of the Holy Archangels close to your hearts.

Conveying to you His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios’ warmest prayers and blessings for a joyous Christmas, I remain

With deepest gratitude,

Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos

Director, Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music
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[pl_tabcontent number=”2″]About Zankel Hall

57th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City

Zankel Hall, the newest of Carnegie Hall’s three auditoriums, occupies a space that had previously suffered something of an identity crisis. Underneath the main hall, architect Tuthill had designed a 1,200 seat recital hall where German pianist Franz Rummel performed on April 1, 1891—a little more than a month before the official opening night in the main hall on May 5.

In 1896, this mid-size venue was configured as the 800-seat Carnegie Lyceum; for the next six decades, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts used it for occasional musical performances, but mostly for dramatic productions that included young stars-to-be Anne Bancroft, Grace Kelly, Jason Robards, and Spencer Tracy.

Carnegie Lyceum became a movie house in 1952 and served as an off-Broadway theater until 1961, when it was converted yet again to a cinema. In 1997, the process to reclaim the space for its original purpose as a performance venue began, and two years later ground was broken on Zankel Hall, a versatile 599-seat auditorium, with alternate stage configurations of different capacities. Zankel Hall opened in 2003 and is named in honor of the generosity of the late Carnegie Hall Vice Chairman Arthur Zankel and his wife, Judy. Today, Carnegie Hall presents the finest world, jazz, and folk musicians at Zankel Hall in addition to innovative new concert music and outstanding chamber ensembles.[/pl_tabcontent]
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The church of the Holy Archangels, or as it is known in Greek, the Taxiarches, was built in the 8th century and is located in the town of Siyi, Turkey in the ancient Metropolis of Proussa. The church of the Taxiarches is an important church of the Metropolis of Proussa, given that it is among the oldest ones still standing in this eparchy. During the exchange of populations at the turn of the 20th century, this church was confiscated by the Turkish government. Now, almost 100 years later, our beloved Ecumenical Patriarchate is in a position to purchase this ancient church and reopen it as a house of worship for all of her faithful. By attending the concert, or by making a contribution, you are helping this sacred endeavor become a reality.

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[pl_tabcontent number=”4″]You are all cordially invited to join us on December 16 for an unforgettable evening of glorious Christmas music for a most noble cause.

Purchase tickets through Carnegie Hall: [pl_button type=”success” link=”http://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2012/12/16/0600/PM/Archdiocesan-Youth-Choir-Archdiocesan-Byzantine-Choir/?fb_action_ids=529896697039947&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582″ target=”blank”]Buy your ticket[/pl_button]

If you are unable to attend, but are still interested in making a donation, kindly make your checks payable to:
GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE

In the Memo write: ASBM: Taxiarches Church

Send checks to:
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
C/O Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos
8 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10075

For further information, call 212-570-3590.[/pl_tabcontent]
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Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir : May 8 2010

Under the Byzantine dome of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New York City, and in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, the newly formed Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir performed its first ever concert entitled, Arise O Lord. The concert was organized by the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music (ASBM) which was established in October of 2010.

The concert’s central theme was the Resurrection of Christ, featuring a 21 member choir consisting of chanters from the New York area and from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, MA under the direction of Mr. Demetrios Kehagias. In addition, a performance by the four youngest students enrolled in the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music ages 6, 8, 9, and 10 surprised the audience with their musical talent as they chanted a musical text in solfege fashion (paralagi), as well as with words (melos) in Greek. The concert concluded with a United States premier of the Gospel reading from the Agape Vespers of Pascha chanted in Homeric Greek.

In his opening remarks, Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos, Director of ASBM, said, “The Holy Bible again and again indicates to us the importance of music in liturgical worship. The Nativity narrative in the Gospel of Luke paints for us the image of angels praising and worshiping the incarnated Christ while chanting, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased.’ Thus, at Christ’s incarnation the angels worship God using music!” Archdeacon Panteleimon continued, “we have taken seriously our Archbishop’s theme from the past Clergy-Laity assembly to Gather God’s people to His Home and to Come and See. When our faithful Come and See, their experience of worship is also impacted by what they hear. Archdeacon Panteleimon finished by asking, “what do our people hear when they enter our churches?” This question was the impetus behind the establishment of the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music and as a new ministry of the Archdiocese has as its mission to teach Byzantine Music in order to enhance the musical ministry within our churches.

At the conclusion of the concert, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios thanked the choir and the four young students of ASBM for a remarkable performance. He continued by stating, “the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music will play a decisive role in enhancing the musical ministry within our parishes.” His Eminence further commented, “Byzantine Music has been the liturgical music of the Eastern Orthodox Church for centuries and this concert is one more example of the timeless beauty and solemnity of this ageless ecclesiastical chant. I also extend my congratulations to the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music for organizing this concert. This school represents a wonderful response to the ever-growing need to educate our faithful, and especially our youth, of the importance place music holds in the worship of the Church. Through the efforts of the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music, Byzantine Music will not only be preserved in our Greek Orthodox parishes, but promoted and shared with the local non-orthodox community.”

There were 240 people that attended the concert and over 500 more who watched the live broadcast over the Internet. A reception for all attendees was offered in the Cathedral Hall where people were given the opportunity to support, through donations, the Archdiocesan School of Byzantine Music. The event raised $25,000 towards this new Ministry of our Greek Orthodox  Archdiocese through another grant of $10,000 from the Kallinikeion Foundation and $10,000 from Mr. Demetiros and Georgia Kaloidis.

Archbishop Demetrios of America with Mr. and Mrs. Demetrios and Georgia Kaloidis and Archdeacon Panteleimon.