Approximately $100,000 was raised for the purposes of the Hellenic Educational Fund of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America through the successful benefit concert recently held at Weill Recital Hall at the famed Carnegie Hall complex in Manhattan.
The theme of the concert was “The Music of Athanasios Zervas – Letters on Three Luminaries: From Ancient to Modern Hellenism – A Tribute to Greek Education”. Organized by the archdiocesan Department of Greek Education, the event marked the celebration of Three Hierarchs and Greek Letters Day.
“It was a way of raising awareness to support Greek education, which is why the archbishop created the Hellenic Education Fund,” Father Grigorios Stamkopoulous told the National Herald’. He chaired the organizing committee, alongside Dr John Athas and Dr Monica Tadros-Athas, who were pleased with the participation and response from the public.
The evening began with the performance of the “Apolytikion” of the Three Hierarchs – “The Three Great Luminaries” by the Archdiocese Youth Choir under the direction of maestro Kostas Tsourakis. The rest of the evening included classical pieces by Dinos Constantinides and Athanasios Zervas. Soprano soloists Nicoletta Mitroussias and Xanthi Panagiotopoulou, as well as baritone Eleftherios Hasanidis, also performed and received warm applause from the audience at historic Carnegie Hall.
“It was a sold-out concert. The room was full. We received other requests from interested parties, but they were unable to secure a spot. Everyone left satisfied, after all, Thanasis Zervas has a gift for mixing the old with the new, the traditional with contemporary classical music – they combined the violin with the clarinet and the bouzouki! added Father Stamkopoulous.
Archbishop Elpidophoros of America congratulated the artists and organizers and highlighted the participation of the children’s choir. He emphasized everyone’s responsibility to preserve Greek culture and traditions in America from generation to generation.
“Listening to the voices of our children in this special place reminds us why we are fighting: for our Greek culture, philosophy and language. All of this forms the basis for the formation of Western civilization, and there is no doubt about it. It is up to us to pass on to our children the best elements of this incredible tradition,” declared the Archbishop, stressing that the effort to support the Education Fund will continue.
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