Fall 2009 In-Choir-Er
Transcript of Fall 2009 In-Choir-Er
Beloved Church Musicians, November 2009
Greetings in the name of the Lord!
This year the theme for the Ecclesiastical Year is steward-
ship, and your ongoing commitment as chanters, choir directors,
singers and organists is a living example of offering one’s time and
talents for the Lord. I am grateful for your continued commitment
to this ministry and I pray that you will inspire others to join with
you so that our rich Byzantine music tradition can be passed down
to the next generation.
In keeping with this theme of stewardship, the Metropolis
recently launched a new program, the Spirit of Stewardship
Awards, to recognize the
countless volunteers and un-
sung heroes of our communi-
ties and ministries for their
tireless service to the Church.
It was no surprise to me to
find several church musicians
among this year’s honorees.
A most pleasant and
welcome surprise, however,
were the regional Youth
Choirs who prepared a special
musical program which was
performed at each of these
three events. I was especially
uplifted by their angelic
voices and the confidence
with which they sang. The
small group of young singers from the Bay Area took the message
of stewardship to heart, asking people for donations for the sheet
music from which they performed, and then eagerly giving me the
$26 they collected to be used for the Metropolis. This is, indeed, a
true example of stewardship and gives me great hope for the future
of our Church.
I have challenged you before, and I will continue to chal-
lenge you to keep this younger generation inspired and involved in
the Liturgical life of our Church. They have much to offer, but
only if you step aside and let them show you their incredible talent
and commitment.
May the glorious sounds of the angels be a continued in-
spiration to your work, praising God with all your heart and all
your might!
With Love in Christ,
My fellow church musicians, I bid you greetings! I hope
this note finds all of you and your families well. As 2009 comes to a
close, let us reflect on this past year as a Federation. When we met at
our last Winter Business Meeting in Pasadena, we established a Me-
morial Fund and a Listserv to better communicate to each and every
one of you. Our website is almost ready to debut as well, which
makes me very excited.
Our conference this past June was inspiring and uplifting.
I thank our host parish of Sts. Constantine and Helen for a mag-
nificent weekend. Carol Pekras and her crew of many did an out-standing job to make that weekend most enjoyable to all. Another
big debt of gratitude goes to our guest conductors and organist, Neal
Desby, Eva Canellos, Fr. Dino Pappademos, and Christopher
Yokas. We appreciate all your wonderful work.
We also had our Federation board elections the weekend of
our conference. I thank all of you for entrusting me to be your presi-
dent for another two years. I pray that God grants me the strength to
lead our Federation.
A few weeks ago, we had concurrent CMI’s with 4 parishes
hosting. The topic this year was the Nativity. Dr. Tikey Zes did a
wonderful job of preparing all the CMI’s and working with the host
parishes. We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed themselves
and came away with something new.
As I close, please remember that this is a time for giving
and the Federation is asking you to give from your hearts with your
Stewardship.
I wish you all God’s blessings this coming holiday season.
See you in January!
In His Service, Katherine Meck, President
FALL 2009
Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco
A NOTE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT
WINTER BUSINESS MEETING WITH FOLK DANCE, CHORAL FESTIVAL IN JANUARY
The Church Music Federation's Winter Business Meeting will be held
in San Jose, California in conjunction with the Folk Dance and Choral
Festival on Friday and Saturday, January 15 and 16, 2010. The host
hotel for that weekend will be the Fairmont, San Jose. The negotiated
rate for the Federation is $129.00 a night for up to two people. An
additional $25.00 per adult, per night charge will apply for a third and
fourth adult in a guest room. To make your reservation, please call
800-346-5550 and refer to SF Church Music Federation to receive
the rate mentioned above. The block of rooms will be held until Janu-
ary 4, 2010. After that, they will be released to the general pub-
lic. We hope to see you there!
It is always a great occasion in my
life when I get an opportunity to conduct my
father's Divine Liturgy music. I grew up hear-
ing it,
singing it,
and loving
it, and it
continues
to be the
music I
know best
in the
world,
including
my own. When I was approached earlier this
year about being guest conductor at this year's
conference, I, quite naturally, jumped at the
chance. I have conducted my father's liturgy
with other federations, Denver and Florida to
name two, but never with his home federation,
so this was a perfect opportunity to realize a
long-held ambition.
Although I have not attended a con-
ference in many years, I have many fond
memories of those I did attend in the 1970's
and '80's. Choir conventions can be a lot of
fun. They are an opportunity to renew old
friendships, make new ones, sing some beauti-
ful and inspiring music, and at the end, go
home with a deep sense of satisfaction that
can only come when like-minded people come
together for a cause greater than themselves.
I had a wonderful time in Cardiff by
the Sea. The members of the Saints Constan-
tine and Helen community who were respon-
sible for organizing the conference deserve a
great deal of praise and have my heartfelt
gratitude. I am also grateful for Kathy Meck
and her superb organizational skills. Man, did
she have a lot to deal with! She put out more
fires and handled more sticky situations than I
thought possible for only one person. But
handle them she did. I wrote to her shortly
after the conference and told her that she
should be an agent in Hollywood, and I wasn't
kidding. My hat is off to you, Kathy. If ever
you get a chance to work in the entertainment
business, by all means take advantage of
it. You're a natural.
After two days of intensive rehearsal,
I was very confident that the liturgy would go
well, but even I was taken aback at how in-
credibly well it did go. I have always felt that
a venerable classic like my father's liturgy
should be approached as if it were a brand
new piece of music, as if the ink were not yet
dry. And that's exactly what happened. From
the opening chords of the Doxology, I knew
that we were off and running, that there would
be no catching us, and that we were on a new
and wonderful adventure that would bring a
lifetime of memories for all who were
there. The energy I felt coming from the choir
was almost overwhelming, and I had to catch
myself a number of times from getting emo-
tional on the podium. A great deal of thanks
must go to Chris Yokas, the federation organ-
ist that morning. Chris and I have celebrated
many liturgies together as conductor/organist,
and he was with me every step and nuance of
the way. His knowledge of the order of ser-
vice is unparalleled, and was a huge security
blanket for me.
There were so many great moments
on Sunday morning. The Doxology was in-
credible, as I said, and set the tone for the rest
of the service. The noble and powerful strains
of the Agios O Theos tou Vimatos sent shiv-
ers up and down my whole body, and continue
to every time I think of it. The Cherubic
Hymn was heavenly, as well it should be. It
is one of the most beautiful pieces my father
ever wrote, and I really wanted it to sound as
though a choir of angels were singing, cliche
though that may sound. Cliche or not, it did
sound like angels singing. Yes, really. I think
we also captured the mystery at the beginning
of the Enite. I could go on and on, but I think
you get the point.
The response following the service
was overwhelmingly positive. People came
up to me with tears in their eyes expressing
their feelings about how beautifully the choir
sang. And I'll never forget the look of aston-
ishment on Metropolitan Gerasimos's face
when he was describing what he'd just
heard! That was worth the whole weekend.
Thank you to everybody who partici-
pated in what turned out to be a glorious ser-
vice. I know that my father would have been
very happy. Rest in peace, Dad. Your music
will always live on and ensure that your mem-
ory will always be eternal.
Neal Desby
Oct. 19, 2009
The In-Choir-Er A publication of the
Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of
San Francisco
Church Music Federation
Honorary Chair:
Metropolitan Gerasimos
of San Francisco
President:
Kathy Meck
760-729-6061
sfchurchmusic
@sanfran.goarch.org
Vice President:
Elizabeth Levy
925-243-1611
Secretary:
Athena Anastos
480-614-6696
Treasurer:
Daralyne Baddour
619/280-7741
Regional Administrators:
Northern California:
Dr. Chris Vitakes
510-582-9691
Southern California: Costa Kourtis
562/597-5191
Central California:
Margarita Jakovas
916-716-9003
Southwest:
Kiki Kyriakakis
520-241-4682
Music Minister:
Dr. Tikey Zes
408-723-0640
Membership Chair:
Mario DiGiovanni
510-654-5266
In-Choir-Er Editor:
Fareeda Christ
FOR INQUIRIES AND
SUBMISSIONS, CONTACT:
Fareeda Christ at 2467-16th Ave,
San Francisco, CA 94116
415-564-8481
(T0 fax, call in advance)
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ELECTIONS HELD AT SUMMER BUSINESS MEETING for 2009-2011
During our annual Summer Conference Meeting, the following were nominated and
elected to serve on the Executive Board for the 2009-2011 term:
Serving second terms are Kathy Meck, President, and Daralyne Baddour, Treasurer. Newly
elected this term are Elizabeth Levy as Vice President and Athena Anastos, Secretary.
We wish them all the best!!
NEAL DESBY CONDUCTS HIS FATHER’S LITURGY AT CARDIFF BY THE SEA
Our church community of Sts. Constantine and Helen in
Cardiff by the Sea, hosted the 2009 Church Music Federation Con-
ference for three days in June. We arranged and coordinated events
that included rehearsals at our church, an awards banquet at the San
Diego Marriott Del Mar and dinner for 307 on the flight deck of the
historic Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum.
Participants came from Utah, Washington, Arizona, Nevada,
Northern and Southern California and represented thirty-one par-
ishes. In addition to the one hundred and forty eight adults we had
nineteen youth choir members. Our guest conductor, Neal Desby, did a marvelous job of directing
the liturgy of his father, Dr. Frank Desby, of blessed memory, the
noted director and composer/arranger of liturgical music. Also par-
ticipating in the liturgy was Christopher Yokas as our guest organ-
ist, Eva Canellos as our guest youth director and Father Constan-
tine Pappademos as guest chant director.
The voices united in praise to God during the Hierarchical
Liturgy with Metropolitan Gerasimos was a truly memorable ex-
perience for all who shared in this momentous occasion. So many
have sent comments on how welcomed they felt by our entire com-
munity and how much they enjoyed the conference.
Joyfully in His service,
Carol Pekras
Chairperson
GEORGE N. GEORGE AWARD 2009
A combined 133 years of service
At this year’s church music conference at Sts. Constantine and
Helen in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, three worthy recipients were acknowl-
edged for their lifetime service to their choirs and given the George
N. George award. These individuals were Emily Tcsharos from St.
George in Palm Desert, Nick Karidakis from the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary in Long Beach, and Bessie Pothos from An-
nunciation in Sacramento. Here are brief summaries of their contri-
butions.
Emily Tcsharos: Emily began her church music career for 20 years
in Canada. After moving to the Palm Springs area of California, she
attended a church with no choir. She spent the next 20 years build-
ing up a choir to what it is today. Retired, but still an integral part of
the choir, she trains new singers and substitutes as choir director. As
stated on her nomination form “Like many people who truly love the
Lord, Emily provided a great example of Christian dedication and
leadership.”
Nicholas Karidakis: Nick’s choir career began in the early 1950’s
as a young man. A trained musician, Nick sang in the choir and be-
came the choir director in 1957 for 13 years. After his tenure as di-
rector, Nick joined the ranks of the singers for another 35 years.
When the need for a new director surfaced in 2005, Nick came to the
rescue again until a permanent director was hired. The members of
the Assumption Long Beach choir are very grateful to Nick for his
58 years of service.
Bessie Pothos: Bessie is a loyal, dedicated member of her choir. She
never misses a rehearsal and greets everyone with a smile. In addi-
tion to her choir responsibilities, Bessie is a charter Women’s Board
member of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute, Philop-
tochos member, and member of her parish’s Senior League. She is
always there to lend a helping hand and support all aspects of Parish
life. She is a dedicated church musician for over 35 years.
Thank you to all who took the time to nominate your worthy
choir members. If your applicants did not receive the award this
year, please nominate them again! We received 8 nominations in
2009, and all were worthy. Unfortunately, the awards committee
must limit the recipients to just a few. So keep those applications
coming. The George N. George Award has become a joyous tradi-
tion of our church music ministry.
WORTHY AWARD RECIPIENTS
Three very deserving individuals received special recognition at this
year’s Grand Banquet at Cardiff-by-the-Sea, given by Katherine
Meck, President of the Church Music Federation.
The first two recipients received the Patriarch Athenagoras Distin-
guished Service Medal. The first was Alex Christ of San Francisco,
California and the second was Stella Daskalakis Thurkill, formally
of Seattle, Washington and currently residing in Salt Lake City,
Utah. Both of these individuals have given of themselves to their
church and the Federation in both service and music for many years.
The highest honor given by the Federation is the icon of St. John the
Damascene and St. Cosmas the Melodist. This year’s recipient was
Kristen Bruskas of Phoenix, Arizona. She has been involved in all
aspects of the Federation, including serving as president for nine
years. She is also a past recipient of the Athenagoras Medallion.
We congratulate all three recipients by saying “Axios” “Worthy”.
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REMEMBERING THE 2009 SUMMER CONFERENCE
THANK YOU, CONFERENCE YOUTH CHOIR!
What a great privilege it was to direct the talented youth
choir at this summer’s Church Music Conference at Sts. Con-
stantine and Helen Church in beautiful Cardiff-by-the-Sea!
The 20 youth choir singers, ranging in age from 8 to 17
(all extremely tall, by my standards), sang beautifully and
showed what outstanding people they are! They were ex-
tremely nice, well-mannered and respectful (if you don’t count
a few who patted their director on the head). They really
bonded at the pool party and throughout the weekend. I loved
working with them to sing for the glory of God!
At the Saturday banquet, the youth choir sang the meal
blessing prayer and then performed Steve Cardiasmenos’
“Jesus Is the
Resurrection”
and a fun song,
“Music, Hoo-
ray!” to the
t u n e o f
“ A n c h o r s
Aweigh.”
On
Sunday morn-
ing, the youth
choir sang por-
tions of the liturgy by themselves and other portions with the
gorgeous adult choir. I’ll never forget that beautiful service
and the heavenly sounds that were created by the choirs as they
sang in worship!
Along with the liturgy, my favorite part of the confer-
ence was the exciting visit to the aircraft carrier museum USS
Midway. We ate dinner on the flight deck, surrounded by awe-
some fighter
jets and the
American flag
flying high and
lit-up by huge
flood lights. It
was a little
cold-- okay,
freezing-- but
still magnifi-
cent!
Thank
you and con-
gratulations to
the youth singers who offered their time and talent to the
Lord: Kyra Balourdas, Katelyn Borgwardt, Sierra
Borgwardt, Lemlem Brook, Loza Brook, Christian Canel-
los, Ella Eleopoulos, Mary Fellios, Alex Gallanis, Gregory
Gallanis, Tony Gallanis, Kayla Leventis, Ellie Meck, John
Navrides, Christiana Rigopoulos, Markayla Stroubakis,
Dante Thurkill, Kristina Thurkill, Frank Yokas and Penny
Yokas.
Thank you also to the parents and chaperones who
brought the kids and helped out in many ways.
Many thanks also to the Sts. Constantine and Helen
parish for the great hospitality, and especially to Connie
Fellios, Peter Fellios and Linda Kounelis for always being
there to help us and oversee the youth activities. Also, sincere
thanks to Fr. Theofanis Degaitas, Conference Chairwoman
Carol Pekras and
her amazing com-
mittee members.
Addition-
ally, thank you to
Anna Counelis and
Elsa Libowitz for
playing the piano
during our rehears-
als, and also to
Anna for playing
(and wearing her
sailor’s hat) during the banquet performance.
Many thanks to the Federation leadership for giving
me the opportunity to direct, Chris Yokas for the fantastic
organ playing and guidance, and Neal Desby for his wonderful
support and flexibility.
I hope even more youth will step forward next year to
sing praises to our Lord at the Tucson conference!
Eva Canellos
KATHERINE TRAPP YOUTH MUSIC AWARD
This year’s youth music award went to a 16 year old
who is a shining example of a young man immersed in music
at church, school, and community. Christopher Kouldoukis
is a member of Seattle Washington’s Church of the Assump-
tion. He is also
the son of Father
Dean Kouldou-kis. Chris has
participated in
many community
choirs including
Vocal Point Seat-
tle and The
N o r t h w e s t
Choir’s participa-
tion with the Seat-
tle Symphony. A
member of his High School Band, Christopher is the first chair
trumpet player. He has also received voice training, under-
stands music theory and can sight-read music.
Christopher’s music contribution extends into his par-
ish life. He teaches music at vacation bible school and is
“director in training” at his church choir. His Dad, Fr. Dean
states “When Chris realized the Church has a need, and that he
has the ability to fill that need, he stepped up to a position of
leadership to serve the body of Christ.”
Christopher’s contribution to our church music minis-
try is astounding. He is more than worthy of the Katherine
Trapp Youth Music Award. AXIOS!
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Four successful Church Music Institutes were held on Sat., Oct. 10 in
four regions of the San Francisco Church Music Metropolis. The CMI
in the Northwest was held in
Portland at Holy Trinity and
w a s
led by Mark Powell, one of
the principal singers and ex-
ecutive director of Cappella
Romana. Eighteen singers
from Holy Trinity, St.
John's and St. George's read
through several chants and
polyphonic works for the
Advent and Nativity. The
participants also learned about the chanting of psalm verses with anti-
phons. Deacon David Cole gave an introductory talk with a thorough
exposition of the themes of
the feast.
In Southern Cali-
fornia Kathy Meck led the
CMI in San Bernardinon at
Prophet Elias. Twenty
choir members attended and
read through music for the
Nativity. Kathy also worked
in vocal techniques through-
out the day. Fr. Josiah
Trenham gave a wonderful talk on the feast of the Nativity.
In the Northern California region thirty choir members from
the parishes of San Jose, St. Nicholas, Castro Valley, Resurrection,
Oakland, Ascension, Santa Cruz, Prophet Elias, Sacramento, An-
nunciation and San Francisco, Holy Trinity attended the CMI in
Castro Valley. Tikey Zes opened the morning session with a quiz
on the 6 special hymns for the
Nativity service after which
Fr. Michael Prevas gave a
most interesting talk on the
geneology of Christ. The
group then read through the
special music for the Nativity
service including a variety of
music: simple, complex,
chant, polyphonic in both
Greek and English under
T i k e y ' s d i r e c t i o n .
For the third year in a row the Southwest region CMI was hosted by
the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Scottsdale, Ari-
zona. Thirty singers attended from the following churches in Ari-
zona: St. Katherine, Chandler, St. Haralambos, Peoria, St. De-
metrios, Tuscon, Assumption, Scottsdale and St. George, Pres-
cott. Fr. Andrew Barakos gave an excellent talk on the signifi-
cance of the feast and the liturgy. Yiorgios Vassilondonakis, ac-
complished composer
and musician as well
as choir director of
Ascension Church in
Oakland, California
served as facilitator
and directed the group
in the various hymns
and chants of the Na-
tivity and Advent.
It is a privilege and an honor to serve as chair of the Xenia
Anton Desby Memorial Organ Scholarship Committee. I wish to thank
the members of my committee, Maria Deville and Anita Motolla and I
also thank Anna Counelis who chaired this committee for many years.
This year’s recipients were Kristina Dominque Thurkill
from the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle, Washington.
Kristina applied for the scholarship because she loves music. When she
listens to hymns or sings in church she feels peaceful as though she is
floating in the sky with God. She is involved musically both at her par-
ish and in the extended Seattle community. Her Priest, Father Dean
Kouldukis highly recommended this young lady, eleven years old, who
has expressed interest in working in the music ministry of the Assump-
tion Parish specifically in playing the organ for the parish choir.
Amanda Dina Fields from Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox
Church in Northridge, California stated on her application that when she
was thirteen years old she would watch her church organist play the
organ. Her favorite part of the Divine Liturgy is always when the long
hymns are sung. In receiving the scholarship, two of her favorite things
were combined: Church and playing instruments. Father Haralambos
Fox stated that Amanda is a remarkable self driven young lady. Her
zeal for her faith is what fuels her love for worship.
It is with pride and joy as part of the federation that our committee is
able to award these scholarships to encourage and nurture talent which
seeks to offer glory to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.
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METROPOLIS OF SAN FRANCISCO 2010 CHURCH MUSIC CONFERENCE June 17-20, 2010
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church
Tucson, Arizona
“Sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing His praise from the ends of the earth!” Dear Fellow Church Musicians,
It is with hearts full of joy and love that we make preparations to host the 2010 Conference of The Church Music Federation of the
Metropolis of San Francisco. Some of you may recall the first conference we hosted in 1993. We look forward to this second opportunity to
extend our hospitality to our fellow church musicians as we join together to sing praises to God. As with our previous conference our entire
community is committed to making this a memorable experience. We look forward to seeing you in Tucson, June 17-20, 2010.
XENIA ANTON DESBY MEMORIAL ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP By Christopher Yokas
CHURCH MUSIC INSTITUTES HELD THROUGHOUT METROPOLIS
San Bernardino
Scottsdale
Portland
Castro Valley
COMPOSER’S CORNER
By Steve Cardiasmenos
The Infamous Blank Page...
Anyone who has sat down to
create something, whether it be as an author, artist, or musician, has met up with the infamous "blank
page". The "blank page" for some artists is viewed as a stum-bling block and for a few... an immov-
able object. Depending on the scope of the art you are trying to create and
the time constraints you are under to complete the work, that blank page
for some artists can either turn into
your dearest friend or a foe to be reckoned with. For me, the blank
page has always served as a positive challenge and in a very special way, a blessing. You have to
have an optimistic perspective for life, no matter what you set out to accomplish, because life is full of blank pages, whether
you work as a carpenter, pastry chef, teacher or any multitude of other vocations. Sometimes the blank pages fill up quickly
and other times, it takes a little longer for it all to "ferment".
For those of you who know of my work "Lord I Cry", that was a blank page that filled basically with no revisions in a 36-hour
period of time. I'm here to tell you, it doesn't always happen that way, but there have been many golden moments along my
personal journey when the page filled as if by divine guidance. I could go on to try and justify somehow that we create based
solely on our talents, experience and skills and that it's all about
us, but it's absolutely not. God has everything to do with who we are and what we do, and I have no silly delusions that
somehow I'm able to create anything by myself. God gave us all many talents and he guides us in our daily journeys to use
those talents to help others in many ways. When you come to recognize that fact, everything makes sense. The blank page
can be a window to God, in a way. As I get back to filling up the last few blank pages of a new Cherubic Hymn in English
that I'm currently working on, I send you all this wish: May
you fill up all your blank pages with ease, with the loving guid-ance that only God can give us all.
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FORMER ORGAN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT UNSTOPPABLE
Congratulations to Christopher Vezzuto, organist for the parish of St. Katherine in Redondo Beach, California. Chris will be graduating
as Valedictorian of the Class of 2009 at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California. Chris has been accepted at the Univer-
sity of Southern California (USC), where he will pursue a double major in engineering and pipe organ performance. Chris recently audi-
tioned for Professor Ladd Thomas, USC department chair of organ studies, and will also be studying with world renowned organist Jelil
Romano. Chris was awarded the Church Music Federation’s XADMOS organ scholarship in 2003 and 2005, which sparked his interest
in organ performance. Chris accompanies the St. Katherine choir for Sunday Divine Liturgy, plays for weddings, serves in the altar, and
participates in a number of church organizations and activities.
EIGHTY EIGHT AND STILL BELTING THEM OUT
In front of an audience of 40,000 baseball fans at
AT& T Park in San Francisco this past summer,
eighty-eight year old phenomenal bass singer,
Gregory Pantages Sr. sang “Take Me Out to the
Ball Game” and “America The Beautiful”. Greg
has been a member of the Annunciation Choir in
San Francisco for many years. Keep up the good
work, Greg!
LISTSERV
New this fall is the use of the Greek Orthodox Archdio-
cese ListServ facility. A new list SFCHURCHMU-
[email protected] has been established for our use. At this
time it has been set up as one-way communication to send an-
nouncements to our list of church musicians. It has been loaded
with the 536 e-mail addresses in the CMF database. You can find
the list at: http://listserv.goarch.org/scripts/wa.exe?HOME under
Online Mailing List Archives. You can join the list using your
name and e-mail address. A confirmation will be sent to the e-mail
address. Once you click on the link in the e-mail, you will open a web page confirming that you have joined successfully or that you
are already subscribed under that e-mail address with the name
“Fname Lname”. If you receive mail from the Listserv and do not
want it, you can unsubscribe by going to the same web page.
OUTREACH BROCHURE
In 2009 I revised the Church Music Federation brochure
created by Kristen Bruskas for use in outreach to parishes that do
not actively participate. A PDF file of this brochure is available for
your use upon request. It should also be available as a download
from the CMF web site.If you have any really good photos from the 2009 Summer Conference similar to those seen in the brochure
I would love to hear from you so that they can be included in the
next update.
ATHENA TSOUGARAKIS HONORED
At the Spirit of Stewardship dinner held on the occa-
sion of the Feast Day of Saint Gerasimos
and to celebrate the Name Day of His
Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos in
San Jose California on October 10,
Athena Tsougarakis was one of the
faithful stewards honored. She was
given the honor in recognition of her ser-
vice to the ministry of the Church Mu-
sic Federation as well as her service to
her choir and parish. This award is given to worthy recipients in
honor of their hard work and dedication to their parish or the
ministry of the Metropolis.
Athena held the position of choir director at Annuncia-
tion Cathedral in San Francisco for many years. She was very
active in the Church Music Federation traveling to attend all
meetings and was the calming “sage” at many federation meet-
ings through the years. She also has worked quietly behind the
scenes in getting this newsletter to you for many, many years,
putting in countless hours for each edition. She formatted the
layout right from the beginning. In 1982, Athena co-chaired the
very successful Clergy-Laity Congress held in San Francisco.
Congratulations Athena!
ANNUAL DUES AND STEWARDSHIP REQUEST MAILINGS
By Mario DiGiovanni, Chairman
Greetings to my fellow church musicians! By now your parish priest and
director will have received the 2009-2010 fiscal year parish dues request. As
in the past several years this remains $75 per parish adult music program
and $35 per parish youth music program. Your choir director or, in some
cases you yourself, should have recently received the 2009-2010 Steward-
ship request. You may have noticed an increase in the minimum requested
stewardship from $15 per musician to $25. We understand that those on
fixed income may find it difficult to give more. We only ask that those who
can give more support the increase and support our shared ministry.
In the 2008-2009 fiscal year, parish music program dues brought
in $3,265 in income to the Federation for 37 adult programs and 14 youth
programs. Stewardship in 2008-2009 resulted in $7,900 in additional in-
come from 345 stewards.
At the Summer 2009 Business meeting the assembly voted to ap-
prove an increase in the requested minimum stewardship from $15 per musi-
cian to $25. This is the first increase in 6 years. Why the increase when our
annual income seemed adequate to support current programs? True, we have
been able to make ends meet (averaging the ups and downs in expenses and
income) over the last few years but not much more. Over that time while
inflation has gone up 2.5% per year, combined dues and stewardship have
decreased 2% per year, so Federation annual income has, in effect, dropped
by approximately 20% in real terms.
The principal reason for requesting increased stewardship is that
there are other needs that your Executive Board has recognized for some
years but has not had the resources to support. The Federation General As-
sembly voted last year to establish a paid position of Metropolis Youth Mu-
sic Minister. This position (once filled) would offer youth choir develop-
ment training to interested parishes in each region of the Metropolis. This
would require more extensive travel than any other current Federation posi-
tion and we would expect (at a minimum) to reimburse those travel costs.
The San Francisco Metropolis is large. Reimbursement of air travel, hotel
costs (where parish hosted lodging is not available), meals, and auto rental
will be an expense we cannot maintain indefinitely with our current fi-
nances.
Every two years our Federation is expected to send delegates to
the Clergy Laity Congress and annually to National Forum meetings. We
have elected not to attend National Forum meetings in alternate years simply
to save the expense. Currently we pay travel expenses for the President or
designated alternate but for no others. If we have some funds left from those
allotted we do provide some minor subsidy to the additional delegates. The
Board feels that those delegates attending these meetings on behalf of the
Federation should rightly have their expenses paid as well. There simply
have not been resources to do so.
In summary, our actions have been self-limited by our annual
resources. The Board has tabled several worthwhile programs for lack of
ongoing funding. We believe that with your help- in fact, ONLY with your
help- these worthwhile efforts can be reviewed and the most promising put
into action.
CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE
This year, as part of the Stewardship request sent to each choir director,
I sent out a roster of all the individuals identified in the CMF database as
from your parish. This includes those who have passed on (Deceased),
active Adult and Youth musicians, Sunday School (SS) director, Chanters
and Clergy (P). Also included are those for whom the US Postal service has
indicated their address is Incorrect or Incomplete as shown or not valid.
These last I X off the mailing list. Your aid is essential in keeping your con-
tact information up to date so that we can mail you the InChoirer Newsletter,
CMI, Business Meeting and Conference information. Please send any cor-
rections by mail to
US Mail E-mail
Mario DiGiovanni [email protected]
CMF Membership
15 Stark Knoll PL
Oakland, CA 94618
7
1. What influenced your decision to come to Conference
Location (64)
Fellowship (51)
Guest Conductor (50)
Selected Music (41)
2. Areas you would like to see conference held in future
#1 Southern California
#2 and #3 Northern California
#4 Southwest
#5 Other which included 14 requests for Hawaii; 2 requests
for Alaska; a cruise; regional Churches; Greece and Denver
Metropolis
3. How would you feel if Adult choir, Youth choir, chanters and
congregation sang appropriate portions of Divine Liturgy?
Yes (33)
No (28)
Yes, but.. (11)
No comment (7)
4. Would you willing to seek office or be appointed as Chairman
of a committee?
No (45)
Yes (22)
No vote (22)
5. What did you enjoy most about the conference?
a. Director
b. Fellowship
c. Hospitality of host parish
d. Music/singing
e. Food
f. Midway/organization
6. Suggestions to improve next years conference.
Music available well in advance
Almost all comments were how great the conference was
rather than improvement.
7. During the conference you participated as?
Adult
Soprano (38)
Alto (23)
Tenor (5)
Bass (14)
Blank (14)
Youth (0)
Chant group (2)
Parent/chaperone (0)
Non-responsive (4)
8. Additional comments
Majority comments were how great a conference it was.
REPORT ON 2009 CONFERENCE SURVEYS
Following is a compilation of the conference surveys.
The list speaks for itself.
Annunciation Sacramento, California
Twenty-three Sacramento Annunciation choir members
and three spouses were in attendance at the 2009 Annual Summer
Conference in Cardiff By The Sea to celebrate the Desby liturgy.
Sacramento was especially honored that our choir member Bessie
Pothos was honored with the George N. George Award for the
past 31 years of dedicated service to the choir. Bessie is a lead
second soprano who chairs the finance and ticket sales for the
choir’s Crab Feed Fundraiser. Bessie is also active in the senior
league, Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute and an officer of
the Ladies Philoptochos Society. Congratulations to Bessie Pot-
hos!
On a sad note, the choir lost a long-serving pianist and
accompanist for Annunciation’s concerts and rehearsals, Carl K.
Naluai, Jr., who passed away on July 8, 2009. He was a dedicated
friend to the Annunciation choir and will be dearly missed.
The choir plans on working hard this year as always to
sing every liturgy and plan a Christmas concert. We are also
working on a youth choir to have our children learn the hymns and
responses and participate in the Christmas concert with the adult
choir.
The new liturgical year is starting off with a bang! The
choir sang at its annual food festival and charmed the crowd with
folk songs. Bill Bobolis, our director, started the choir off with
Miserlou, creating excitement in the crowd. John Pappachristos
of Stockton accompanied the choir on the guitar. It was a great
way to celebrate the festival and begin the year.
Annunciation Cathedral
San Francisco, California
We welcome to our community, Deacon Nicholas Bek-
ris, a recent graduate of the Holy Cross School of Theology. We
also welcome his wife, Stella, who has joined our choir as a so-
prano.
Sadly, one of our choir members, Perri Nager, lost her
husband, Steve, who had been ill for some time.
Our longtime choir members, Greg and Mary Pantages,
recently became great grandparents. And, if anyone thinks they
are not happy about it, forget it.
Sunday, August 23rd, happened to be the 78th anniver-
sary of Athena Tsougarakis' baptism at the Cathedral - which in
those days was named St. Sophia. Word got around, and a few of
our old-time choir members, who have moved out of town, showed
up and joined the choir, which Athena directed that day. She of-
fers thanks to everyone who was there. It was a great experience,
and brought back a lot of wonderful memories.
Ascension Cathedral
Oakland, California
Early 2009 saw several events: On January 11th choir
members from several other Bay Area parishes came to Oakland to
join in singing a hierarchical liturgy in celebration of the retire-
ment of our proistamenos of 37 years, Fr. Tom Paris, in his final
Sunday Liturgy as our parish spiritual leader. This mini-conference
event was a challenge to organize but a joy to sing, as 60 singers
made the Oakland cathedral roof’s metal ribs shake with their
powerful sounds of prayer. Metropolitan Nikitas of the Darda-
nelles, head of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at
the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley became our interim
leader, supporting Fr. Michael Tervo until late summer when we
learned of the selection of our new proistamenos, Fr. Athanasios
“Tom” Zaferes of Syracuse, New York. Our “new” Fr. Tom cele-
brated his first liturgy at Ascension on September 13th. At a recep-
tion later the same day we met Fr. Tom, Presvytera Julie, our
new pastoral assistant Nebojsa Pantic and his wife Stephanie. We
are looking forward to having both Stephanie and Presvytera Julie
singing in the choir.
Assumption
Long Beach, California
Things are really “jumpin” at Assumption Church in Long
Beach. Nick Karidakis recently retired officially on August 15th
after many years on the director’s podium. Because Nick was un-
able to attend the awards banquet at the Cardiff by the Sea Federa-
tion Conference in June, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos
presented him with the George N. George Award at the luncheon
on August 15th following the Feast of the Dormition of the The-
otokos. Thank you Nick for all those years of dedicated service.
Onward and upward…..Penny Dovalis Benetatos, music
teacher in Orange County has taken on the position of music Di-
rector/organist at Assumption. Just a little information…she has
her Bachelor’s in Music from CSULB and a Master’s in Piano
Performance from USC. Penny has held positions at numerous
colleges and universities in California and is going on her 33rd year
of teaching. She was music director/organist at Assumption
throughout her graduate work as well as music director/organist at
St. John’s in Anaheim. For the last 16 years the Lutherans, Meth-
odists, and Catholics have “borrowed” her! Penny is very happy to
be home again.
The adult choir has gotten off to a big BANG! Penny is
thrilled at their enthusiasm and willingness to learn new music and
has already incorporated other arrangements of the major hymns
into the Divine Liturgy. There are around 20 strong singers up in
the balcony. As with all choral directors, Penny wants more
basses, baritones, and tenors! The junior choir began rehearsals in
early September in order to prepare for a special event/dinner held
at St. John’s in Anaheim titled “Spirit of Stewardship”. Our own
talented president of the choir federation, Mrs. Kathy Meck will
be conducting this choral presentation.
IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR OF MUSIC AT
THE ASSUMPTION
Assumption
Scottsdale, Arizona
Greetings to our church music family from Scottsdale, Arizona!
While it is still quite warm in the desert southwest, my
thoughts start to “cool off” when we begin preparing for our
Christmas Concert scheduled for December 19th. Our theme for
the program this year is “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”. We will feature,
once again, the talents of our youth in both vocal and instrumen-
NEWS FROM THE PEWS
8
tal participation. Our choir continues to incorporate the psalm
verses for the first and second antiphons. This year, Fr. Andrew
decided to add the psalm verses for the major feast days just prior
to the Small Entrance. The congregation has warmly embraced
this addition to the Liturgy. Our choir looks forward to Great Lent
as each Sunday during Lent is hosted by a different Orthodox
church. These Pan Orthodox Vesper services allow everyone to
not only visit different Orthodox churches, but to sing hymns in
one universal language. Pascha always keeps us very busy. This
year, our choir sang “Christos Anesti” in 4 languages: English,
Greek, Romanian, and Russian. Who knows what language I’ll
find for my choir next year!
Since Assumption has no youth choir, Fr. Andrew and I
have encouraged our choir members to be mentors to our young-
sters who are interested in singing with us on Sundays. This has
worked out quite nicely. We have 6 young members from ages 10-
17 that sing with us almost every week. I must say they are quite
good! Our choir was honored when we were asked to host a CMI
this year. We looked forward to all the church musicians who
attended. Hope to see you all at our next summer conference 2010
in Tucson.
By Athena Anastos,
Holy Cross
Belmont, California
Some of our choir members traveled to Holy Trinity
Church in San Francisco recently to sing during Sunday liturgy
with their choir and other visiting choir members. It was great
singing with such a large and talented group! Thanks to Voula
Brown, Fr. Aris Metrakos and the Holy Trinity choir and parish
for hosting us and serving a delicious lunch!
We had a wonderful time at the Cardiff Conference! Huge
thanks to the Sts. Constantine and Helen parish! The hospitality
was amazing; the music was beautiful; and we enjoyed every mo-
ment!
We performed recently at our church’s Belmont Greek Fes-
tival. We sang various hymns in English and Greek, a sampling of
Orthodox music throughout the ages. Also, many of our members
sang Greek folk songs with choir singers from other churches, un-
der the direction of Tikey Zes, Yiorgos Vassilandonakis and Gus
Gundunas.
Congratulations to Steve Cardiasmenos, who received an
ASCAP composition award for the 16th consecutive year. Steve
has completed a new English Cherubic Hymn, which we will re-
hearse soon. Congratulations also to Steve’s son, Andrew, who
received his first ASCAP composition award! Andrew is studying
to become a film composer.
Our church’s beloved chanter, Dimitri Melas, passed away
recently, after serving 44 years at the chanter’s stand. Dimitri was
extremely devoted to the church. May his memory be eternal.
We are also saddened at the passing of Frank Valavanis,
the husband of longtime alto Helen Valavanis. Frank was a lov-
able and cheerful man who worked hard for the church, and we
sure miss him.
We said farewell to two choir members: Irene Iuppa, who
moved to Vermont for a pre-med program, and Yanni Paulus,
who moved to New York for his internship in ophthalmol-
ogy. Congrats to both!
Holy Trinity
San Francisco, California
We hosted a few of our local choirs in September. They joined us
in singing Liturgy and had lunch with us. What a magnificent
sound of praise we produced! We are thrilled to have new mem-
bers join us. In the past few months Al Rangole joined the bass
section and Pons Materum will be the beginning of what has been
an empty tenor section for years. Rebekah Brown promises to be
a fabulous soprano.
Our own Paula Kosturos Tzoumbas has been working with the Sun-
day School and as a result some of the older ones, including Stav-
roula Prokopos, sing with us occasionally. We recently sang at two
weddings, one being the wedding of our new bass, Al.
Holy Trinity
Spokane, Washington
Our choir hosted the choirs of St. John the Baptist Antiochian
Orthodox Church of Post Falls, Idaho, and Christ the Savior An-
tiochian Orthodox Church of Spokane Valley for Divine Liturgy
on the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, August 15, 2009.
Our three parishes were celebrating the feast together for the week-
end with vespers at St. John's followed by a presentation on icons
of the Theotokos by iconographer Eleni Schumacher, liturgy at
Holy Trinity, a picnic on the afternoon of the feast, and vespers at
Christ the Savior later that day. The choir experience was really
exciting and the sound of all the singers was truly wonderful. We
are hoping to make this an annual event.
By Presvytera Irene Supica
St. John the Baptist Las Vegas, Nevada
"Our Golden Heritage", the 50th anniversary of St. John
the Baptist, was celebrated on October 16th, 17th, and
18th. Events began on Friday with lectures by Father John Hon-
dros, architect Chris Kamages, and Bishop Ilia Katre. This was
followed by cocktails and mezethes and a pictorial chronological
history and World Odyssey by our Hellenic Historical Soci-
ety. After Great Vespers on Saturday there was a Greek Village
Feast with dancing. Sunday, following the Hierarchical Divine
Liturgy with Metropolitan Gerasimos, co-celebrants Father
John Hondros, Father Paul Eyler, Father Dean Raptis and Fa-
ther James Adams, there was a champagne brunch.
As a side-note of interest, the first Greek Orthodox
Church in Nevada was established in McGill and it celebrated its
100th annniversary last year. Father James Adams served as its
priest as well as the priest here in Las Vegas. At the present time
Father Paul Eyler, our assistant priest, serves the parishes of
McGill and nearby Ely alternating each month between the two
parishes.
On Church Musicians Sunday our organist, Stella
Bakalas, was honored for the 19 years she has devotedly played
for the Choir of St. John.
Nativity of Christ
Ignacio, California
A new Ecclesiastical year has started and we have a cou-
ple of changes in our choir. Three seniors graduated this year and
have left for college. We are so sad to see them go but happy for
them to continue their education. We did get a new member that
came up from the Sunday School and we are happy about that.
Hopefully we will be able to get a few more.
Nativity is celebrating it's Fortieth Year in October and
we are looking forward to that. Where have the years gone?
9
Prophet Elias Santa Cruz, California
Our a cappella choir from Prophet Elias trekked north to
Castro Valley’s Church of the Resurrection to attend the Church
Music Institute on Saturday, October 10, 2009. With our director
Lara Willingham, members Cinthia Anderson, Stephen Franck
and Shirley Manis shared an inspirational day with choir singers
from around the Metropolis. Gratefully, Stephen’s GPS found our
destination, despite new freeway exit signage and incorrect online
maps.
Father Michael Prevas, parish priest in Castro Valley,
emphasized during his talk about The Nativity that we choir mem-
bers are to sing with joyful hearts to enhance the prayerful experi-
ence of the congregation.
In that spirit, Dr. Tikey Zes introduced our 40-voice en-
semble to ancient and modern Byzantine arrangements of tradi-
tional hymns sung during Advent and for the Nativity. The deli-
cious breakfast and luncheon gave us strength to sight-read
through 50+ pages of music, singing either in unison or four-part
harmony. What an amazing sound we made!
In closing the day’s activities, Lara won the drawing – a
gift card to Starbuck’s! Before saying good-bye, Father Michael
opened the church where we lit candles and spent a meditative
moment.
Our choir enjoyed this special time together. God willing,
we will attend future gatherings for more fellowship with our new
church musician friends.
As the days draw near to the celebration of our Lord’s
birth, we pray you listen for the hymns of the season. We will sing
them with all our hearts!
By Shirley Manis, Roving Reporter
Resurrection
Castro Valley, California
Resurrection Choir may be small in numbers but has very
special people. I would like to tell you about the “oldest” youth
choir member, Stephanie Varvitsiotes. She has sung most of her
life along with her younger sister Nichole. My sister and former
choir director Kathy Trapp of Blessed Memory recruited her and
she became an active participant in the Youth Choir.
Besides being blessed with a lovely voice, Stephanie has
excellent academic abilities also. When she graduated from Monte
Vista High School in 2005, she graduated with high honors. She
went on to the University of Arizona and in 3 ½ years graduated
magna cum laude in December 2008, receiving a Bachelors degree
in Psychology with minors in Business Administration, Family
Studies & Human Development. During her time at U of A, she
was also a Team Leader of the Blue Chip Leadership Program, a
Resident Assistant, Ambassador and Research Assistant in the
Psychology Department. With this busy schedule, Stephanie made
time for her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by attending St. De-
metrios Church in Tucson where she joined their youth FDF cho-
ral group.
This past summer, Stephanie traveled to France, Italy and
Greece. In Greece, she was an Ionian Village staff member, which
enabled her to be a counselor to the many high school students in
attendance. Besides learning about their faith and culture, the
groups traveled throughout Greece and toured magnificent
churches, monasteries and historical sites.
Upon returning to the U.S., Stephanie is now attending
Boston College in Massachusetts. Her goal is to receive her MSW
( Master of Social Work) as her dream is to be a social worker.
As the director of our choir and youth choir, I am truly
proud of this young woman and it has been a true blessing to know
her. Axios!
By Liz Levy
St. Barbara Santa Barbara, California
Super Tenor, Chris Hillman, was featured in the 2009-
2010 Library of Congress Concert Series on Friday, Oct. 16 in
the Mumford Room. Country rock pioneer and Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame member Chris Hillman talked about his four-decade ca-
reer and took a look at his songs covered by such artists as Sheryl
Crow, Tom Petty, EmmyLou Harris and KD Lang." Chris Hill-
man has been a member of The Byrds, The Flying Burrito
Brothers and the Desert Rose Band! For a fascinating look at
his career, visit his website www.chrishillman.com Congratula-
tions, Chris, and thank you for your love and dedication to the
choir and our parish for so many years!
Congratulations to Soprano, Connie X. Rishwain, presi-
dent of Ugg Australia and Simple, who was honored at
a Women's Wear Daily Benefit Luncheon in New York City June
4 for supporting children’s causes. Connie was one of three
Women in Industry to be named Women of the Year for their
contributions to K.I.D.S. Since its inception in 1985, KIDS has
distributed more than $750 million in products to 65 million chil-
dren who could be victims of poverty, abuse, homelessness or
natural disasters and Ugg has helped in the mission. “I want to
thank my mom and dad,” Rishwain said. “They gave me the cul-
ture to always give.” We are so proud of your work and loving
heart, Connie!
Soprano, Sophia Kenrick, who came to Santa Barbara
via Phoenix, to study at UCSB, just completed her PhD in Chemi-
cal engineering. Her dissertation is entitled Development of High-
Affinity, Specific Peptide Ligands for Diagnostics and Therapeu-
tics. (Wow!) This research focuses on developing new peptides
that can be incorporated into drugs that target a particular organ or
disease site, such as a tumor. Congratulations, Sophia. We wish
you success in finding a great job -- in the Santa Barbara area, of
course!
Best wishes for a happy and blessed marriage to tenor
Michael Osborn and his beautiful bride Kara, who were married,
Sept. 19 at St. Barbara. Michael, a civil engineer, is a talented
musician and volunteer quietly leading and making a difference
in our community.
Congratulations also to alto, Eleni Pantages, who was the
Musical Director for this summer's ShowStoppers production of
Les Miserables at La Colina Junior High. Eleni prepared
and directed the wonderful young singers, including her sister
Chrysanthe, who performed in this outstanding production. If you
didn't see it, ask proud dad, Greg who did the photography, fliers,
signs and printing for the show!
Michael and Vivian Pahos celebrated a phenomenal
milestone, their 50th wedding anniversary! Congratulations. We 10
wish you many more years of wedded bliss and new adventures!
Director, Andriana and Ernest were blessed with the
birth Sept. 1, of their second grandchild, Xander Thomas Kolen-
drianos. The happy parents, Chris and Megan and sister Sorel, are
thrilled and grateful for this new addition to their family.
Sadly, we lost our beloved Bass, Dean Jensen, who
passed away unexpectedly this summer. Dean had a heart of gold,
a wonderful singing voice, and a ready smile and big bear hug. We
cherish the gift of his presence in our lives for so many years.
Dean was an amazing Dad, an inspiring teacher, a try anything
cook, and a life long lover of surfing. It was no accident that he
lived close to Rincon, one of the best surf spots in California! His
spirit and memory live on!!
St. Nicholas
San Jose, California
Spring and summer of 2009 were busy times for the St.
Nicholas Choir under the direction of Dr. Tikey Zes. Easter Week
was particularly exhausting for us as the full choir sang for Palm
Sunday as well as Holy Tuesday evening, Great Friday vespers and
Easter Sunday service. The men, in addition, sang the beautiful
chants of Holy Thursday evening. Needless to say, the “post-
Easter squawks” were rampant after all that vocalization!
It seemed we had just recovered from Pascha when it was
on to rehearsing the program for our church festival. Each year the
choir takes part in a presentation designed to acquaint people from
outside the Church with some of the history and beautiful music of
our faith. This year’s program was in early June and was very well
received.
On the last weekend of June, Teddi and Tikey Zes, Kay
Navrides, John Vlahos and Tony Mezilis participated in the Me-
tropolis of San Francisco Chuch Music Federation conference at
Sts. Constantine and Helen in Cardiff by the Sea in California.
All agreed it was a wonderful experience and were especially
thrilled by the evening dinner on the flight deck of the USS Mid-
way.
Some of our members, including Joanna Costouros and
Mina Masters had the opportunity to take a restful vacation in
Greece while Diane Mathios, one of our excellent soprano solo-
ists, sang with the Stanford Summer Chorus. On August 8th, the
Stanford Summer Chorus gave a concert which featured Laurid-
sen’s “Pax Aeterna” performed along with the Stanford Summer
Orchestra. A cappella pieces included Russian choral works by
Rachmaninoff and Sviridov.
Labor Day weekend was another busy time for us. On
September 6th, Wendy Mezilis, John Vlahos and Cathleen Capo-
geannis sang with the Greek Festival Folk Singers for the yearly
festival at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Bel-
mont. The mixed chorus was directed by Tikey Zes and the men’s
chorus by Gus Gundunas. A variety of folk songs and cantades
were presented including the amusingly tongue-twisting
“Tzamaika” in a new arrangement by Dr. Zes. On the afternoon of
Sunday, September 7th, the full choir at St. Nicholas sang at the
large and beautiful wedding of one of our parishioners. Then some
of us leaped into our cars for an early evening repeat performance
at the Belmont Festival, some forty-five minutes away!
Of special note: Nicholas Parsons, son of organist Steve
Parsons and brother of choir member Angelique, performed in the
trumpet section of the Valley Christian High School Jazz Ensem-
ble at the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival 2009. The group was
one of the top-placing high school bands in the Next Generation
Jazz Festival held in Monterey earlier this year. Way to go, Nicho-
las!
St. Paul’s Irvine, California
The Choir of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church has
adopted a new mission statement. The Choir’s new Mission State-
ment says,”To provide a Music Ministry worthy of the worship of
the One, True God, our Lord Jesus Christ and Support the Goals
and Mission of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in the Commu-
nity and Abroad to the best of our abilities.” We are working hard
to make that a reality.
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great
a cloud of witnesses….” (Hebrews 12:1) Work on the “Cloud of
Witnesses” wall is complete. The most necessary painting renova-
tions of the Choir Rehearsal Room have been accomplished and
we have received the icons of Christ, the Theotokos, St. Paul, and
ten saint-hymnographers which will finally give life to the vision.
Additional icons of every size and description, donated by choir
members and others, a reminder to us that we are also part of a
2,000 + year “cloud of witnesses” that worship the One, True God,
will complete the vision.
Please do not forget to check out the choir’s newsletter at
www.stpaulsirvine.org\choir. The newsletter contains a lot of in-
formation including the dates of all scheduled rehearsals.
The Choir of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church recently
received a new slogan intended to define, in just a few words, what
we are about. The slogan is shown below:
“…not just singers; worshippers who sing.”
11
GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS
OF SAN FRANCISCO
CHURCH MUSIC FEDERATION
2467-16th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94116
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
TIME SENSITIVE
FIRST CLASS MAIL