Byzantine Music Days

Alternative Stage Founding Donor

Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera

The Byzantine Music Days festival, titled “Genres and generations of contemporary psaltic art” and curated by performer and theologian Zaharias Karounis, presents four unique concerts at the GNO Alternative Stage at the SNFCC, highlighting the tradition of Byzantine music and its contemporary manifestations. On 21, 22, 23 and 24 October 2026, historic choirs, distinguished chief cantors, new voices, and female psaltic ensembles will showcase the wealth of a musical legacy that remains vibrant and creatively present.

The Festival’s central axis is the concept of “genre,” as expressed through the musical genres of Byzantine theory, the various psaltic schools and traditions that have evolved over the centuries, and modern approaches to psaltic art. Each day of the festival is organised around a major hymnological and theological axis of the Church’s worship experience. The four concerts – “Christmas Hymns” (21/10), “Hymns of the Divine Liturgy: Hymns from the Paraklesis and Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos (Virgin Mary)” (22/10), “Hymns of Holy Week and the Resurrection” (23/10), and “Hymns of the All-Night Vigil” (24/10) – compose a polyphonic tableau of modern-day psaltic art.

The festival aspires to become a new meeting ground for the GNO Alternative Stage and the vibrant Greek musical tradition, and to expand Byzantine music's reach to a wider contemporary audience.

More specifically, the programme for the Byzantine Music Days festival is as follows:
♦ Christmas Hymns
21 October 2026 • Starts at: 20.30
“Kleida" Chanters' Choir, Choirmaster, monody: Dimitrios Galanis
Solo chanter: Grigorios Zarkos, Chief Cantor (Protopsaltis) at the Holy Church of Piraeus, Holy Church of the Holy Trinity  
Choir of chanters “The masters of psaltic art,” Choirmaster: Achilleas G. Chaldaeakes

Genres and generations of psaltic art

Opening address by Achilleas G. Chaldaeakes, Professor of Byzantine Musicology and Psaltic Art, NTUA, former Dean of the School of Philosophy

The first day of the festival is dedicated to Christmas, the “metropolis of all holy days,” as Saint John Chrysostom described it. Through the hymns of the Great Hours, Vesper, and Orthros, ecclesiastical hymnography contemplates the mystery of the Divine Incarnation. The choirs of chanters will perform works by prominent hymnodists and composers of the Byzantine tradition, such as Saint John of Damascus, Saint Romanos the Melodist, Saint John Koukouzelis, and Peter of the Peloponnese, highlighting the celebration's poetic and musical richness.

♦ Hymns of the Divine Liturgy
Hymns from the Paraklesis and Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos (Virgin Mary)
22 October 2026 • Starts at: 20.30
Women's choral ensemble “Ouranisma”
Women's Byzantine Choir “Psaltries,” Choirmistress: Nektaria Karantzi
Girls’ Byzantine Choir “Nektar” 
Solo chanter Georgios Dovolos, Archon Maistor of the Great Church of Christ
Ainountes • Choirmaster Anastasios Stellas

Introduction to the Divine Liturgy

Opening address by f. Evangelos Papanikolaou, theologian, doctor, missionary at the Holy Church of Cameroon

The second day will focus on the Divine Liturgy, the heart of Orthodox worship, where the ecclesial body unites “in one mouth and one heart,” praising the Holy Trinity and participating in the mystery of the Divine Eucharist. The Byzantine Choir "Ainountes" will perform chants from the Divine Liturgy, highlighting the deep connection among speech, melos, and worship practices. Alongside them, women's choirs will chant hymns from the services of the Paraklesis and the Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos.

♦ Hymns of Holy Week and the Resurrection
23 October 2026 • Starts at: 20.30
Children’s Choir of the School of Psaltic Art • Musical direction Konstantinos Bousdekis
“En Psaltirio” Choir  •  Musical direction Konstantinos Fotopoulos
Choir of the Association of Constantinopolitan Friends of Music in Athens • Choirmaster Kallistratos V. Kofopoulos
Athenian Byzantine Choir, Choirmaster Dionysios Thanasoulis
The Troparion of Kassiani – A Theological And Hymnological Approach

Opening address by Zaharias Karounis, performer - theologian

The third day of the Festival is dedicated to the most reverent and radiant period of the Orthodox Church’s liturgical cycle: Holy Week and Christ’s Resurrection. Through the tropária of these days, ecclesiastical hymnography traces the path to Christ’s “willful Passion,” the Crucifixion, and ultimately to the Light of the Resurrection. The choirs and solo chanters will perform hymns from the services of the Bridegroom, the Holy Passion, the Epitaphios Lament, and the Resurrection, highlighting the theological, poetic, and musical richness of the Byzantine psaltic tradition.
The concert is dedicated to the memory of the late Chief Cantor and Archon Hymnodist of the Great Church of Christ, Georgios Hatzichronoglou.

♦ Hymns of the All-Night Vigil
24 October 2026 • Starts at: 20.30
Greek Byzantine Choir “Lykourgos Angelopoulos” • Choirmaster: Georgios Konstantinou
Solo chanters Archimandrite Cherubim Tsinoglou, Fotios Ketsetzis Archon Protopsaltis  of the Holy Archdiocese of America, Vassilios Prassas
All-night Vigil. A Conceptual Approach

Opening address by f. Chrysovalantis Theodorou PhD in Liturgical Theology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, vicar at the Holy Church of Theotokos’ Dormition, St. Stefanos, Attica,

The last day of the Festival is dedicated to the ritual and atmosphere of the Mount Athos all-night vigil, in which psaltic art is inextricably linked to nighttime prayer, silence, and the mystical experience of worship. Through the hymns of the all-night vigil and the distinctive Mount Athos psaltic style, a deeply experiential tradition shaped over the centuries within the monasteries of Mount Athos emerges. The choral melismatic developments, combined with the melodious performances of the solo chanters and the constant flow of psalmody,  transport the audience to the spiritual atmosphere of Mount Athos all-night vigils, where music serves as both prayer and an experience of collective reverence.

Brief biographical notes
‘KLEIDA’ Chant Choir
The choir was founded in 1988 by distinguished Protopsaltes and Lampadarioi from the city of Patras, under the direction of Protopsaltes and Greek Music Professor Dimitrios Galanis. It has participated in dozens of services of the Eastern Orthodox Church throughout Greece, at the invitation of various organisations. Accompanied by instrumental ensembles, it has performed Dimitrios Galanis’ Byzantine Christmas Oratorio in Patras, Pyrgos, Kalamata and Athens. The choir has organised concerts in the form of musical and literary events honouring prominent figures in psaltic art. In 1999, it paid tribute to Archon Protopsaltes Dimitrios Nerantzis at an event marking the presentation of his book A Contribution to the Interpretation of Ecclesiastical Chant. Similarly, at an event in 2003, it presented an honorary plaque to Vasileios Emmanouilidis, Archon Lampadarios of the Holy Great Church of Christ, in recognition of his significant contribution to the psaltic art. At Christmas 2002, the choir performed the special sung service (Vespers and Matins) for the Jubilee marking 2,000 years since the birth of Jesus Christ. The service was composed and set to music by the late Metropolitan of Patras, Nikodimos, and was performed in the presence of the composer in central churches throughout Patras. In 2010, the choir established a formal sisterhood with the Association of the Constantinopolitan Friends of Music, whose director was the late Leonidas Asteris, Archon Protopsaltes of the Holy Great Church of Christ. The twinning ceremonies took place in Patras and Constantinople in the presence of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The choir has participated in numerous Byzantine choral festivals, receiving honorary distinctions and awards. It also takes part in the Protokliteia celebrations organised by the Holy Metropolis of Patras, as well as in musical and dance evenings dedicated to the musical traditions of various regions of Greece. The choir’s mission is to revive older musical manuscripts and to document and perform authentic traditional songs.

The Maistores of the Psaltic Art
The choir was founded in 1983 by Grigorios Stathis. Since 2004, its artistic direction, teaching, and leadership have been entrusted to Achilleas Chaldaeakes. Today, it is an internationally renowned musical ensemble that has performed more than 500 times around the world, across Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Its performances have taken place at prestigious venues, including Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, Athens and Thessaloniki Concert Halls, Sydney Opera House as well as in Romania, Russia, Estonia and South Korea. The choir has also performed in numerous historic Byzantine churches in Greece and abroad. To date, the ensemble has recorded more than 25 albums. A notable recent project was its participation in the soundtrack of the 2021 film Man of God, in which the choir performs compositions by the award-winning Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner.

Women’s Psaltic Ensemble ‘Ouranisma’
Formed in early 2026 at the initiative and invitation of Grigorios Anastasiou, Associate Professor in the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. ‘Ouranisma’ brings together undergraduate and postgraduate students, graduates and doctoral degree holders of the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as well as other fellow female chanters who share a commitment to the in-depth study of Byzantine and post-Byzantine chant composition. The ensemble aspires to provide a fertile ground for the cultivation and flourishing of women’s chanting in an exclusively female ensemble, under the guidance and instruction of Grigorios Anastasiou. During performances and other occasions when the ensemble presents its work, the role of choir director is undertaken by one of the participating chanters.

Byzantine Women’s Choir ‘Psaltries’
Byzantine Girls’ Choir ‘Nektar’
The Byzantine Women’s Choir ‘Psaltries’ serves as the artistic ensemble of the Byzantine Female Chanters Association, founded by Nektaria Karantzi, Doctor of Law and doctoral candidate in Theology. She has an international artistic and educational presence, with research focusing on the historical and contemporary role of women in the tradition of Byzantine chant. The choir’s primary focus is educational and it welcomes women of different ages and musical backgrounds who wish to study and serve Byzantine music. A particularly significant moment in the choir’s journey was its participation alongside Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece in a liturgical service, during the Service of the Salutations to the Theotokos at the historic Church of St Nicholas Rangavas. Its activities also include concerts attended by the Archbishop, participation in events organised by Apostoliki Diakonia and the Hellenic Bible Society and television appearances on Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation and Pemptousia TV. The choir has also contributed to the recording Lógos, released by the Worldwide Association of Women in Byzantine Chant.

Following the same educational philosophy, the children’s and youth chanting choir ‘Nektar’ was established for girls aged 5 to 15. Its inspiration comes from the women’s and children’s choir that operated, with the blessing of Saint Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia, at the analogion of the Church of St Paraskevi in Malakasa. All the children, including the youngest members, receive instruction in Byzantine music and learn to read Byzantine musical notation, ensuring that their participation is grounded in musical knowledge rather than relying solely on aural memorisation. A large proportion of the members of both ensembles attend the School of Women Chanters (School for Psaltries).

‘Ainountes’
The Cultural and Artistic Association ‘Ainountes’ was founded in 2009 with the aim of studying and promoting the ecclesiastical arts. It has presented a wide range of noteworthy events, combining ecclesiastical music, its primary field of activity, with traditional music, literature, theatre, cinema, photography, iconography and even astrophysics. The Association has produced the documentary En agkalais Symeon (In the Arms of Symeon), which focuses on the city of Kalamata and is preparing to publish two books. It has also collaborated with numerous associations and organisations. The Byzantine Choir ‘Ainountes’ is the Byzantine chant ensemble of the Association of the same name. It has chanted at liturgical services and performed at concerts in Kalamata and other cities throughout Greece. The choir has also participated in television and radio programmes and has produced noteworthy digital content.

Children’s Choir of the School of Psaltic Art
The Children’s Choir of the School of Psaltic Art introduces children to Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical music and the traditional psaltic style through the practice of choral singing itself and participation in liturgical services. Now in its nineteenth year, the choir is an integral part of the School of Psaltic Art educational and artistic activities, having participated in numerous events and liturgical services. During services, the young choristers perform a variety of roles: they sustain the ison (the continuous supporting note), lead the chanting of hymns, sing simple chants and recite the Epistle reading. This gradual involvement cultivates their musical perception, aural memory, and familiarity with the traditional psaltic style. At the same time, choral practice teaches them to listen, collaborate, and function as an ensemble, while gradually introducing them to the theory of Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical music. The choir currently consists of approximately twenty members and is directed by Konstantinos Bousdekis.

Choir ‘En Psalterio’
The choir ‘En Psalterio’ serves the psaltic tradition primarily in the setting where it originated: the worship of the Orthodox Church. Its repertoire includes chants by masters of the Byzantine, post-Byzantine and modern periods, originating from Constantinople, Smyrna, Thessaloniki and Mount Athos. The choir approaches this repertoire with respect for both the written and oral traditions, with particular emphasis on the legacy of the most distinguished cantors of the twentieth century. The choir was founded in Athens in 2007 by Konstantinos Bousdekis and Konstantinos Fotopoulos, growing out of a group of chanters who were already singing together. Over the years, advanced students of the School of Psaltic Art joined the original members, alongside other chanters who shared the same musical vision. The ensemble’s style and sound have been shaped not only through regular rehearsals but, above all, through the members’ long-standing shared experience of chanting during Orthodox liturgical services. The choir actively participates in the liturgical life of the Church, singing at feast-day and other solemn services as well as all-night vigils. At the same time, it presents its work at numerous musical and cultural events in Greece and abroad. The choir’s founders alternate in the role of choir director.

Choir of the Athens Association of Music Lovers of Constantinople
Founded in 1984 by members of the Byzantine Choir of Constantinopolitans, which had been active in Athens since 1975. The association’s purpose is to continue the legacy of the historic Pera Association of Music Lovers, which had already been in existence for fifty years and continues to operate in Constantinople to this day. The association brought together almost all the cantors of Constantinople, with its choir directors being the respective Archon Protopsaltes and Lampadarioi of the Holy Great Church of Christ. It is worth noting that this association is the successor to the renowned Musical Society of the Phanar, which flourished from the nineteenth century until the Asia Minor Catastrophe. They have visited Constantinople on numerous occasions to participate in various ecclesiastical events and celebrations, following invitations from the Holy Great Church of Christ. They have also performed in concerts in Paris, Bulgaria, Great Britain and Cyprus. In 2016, the choir participated in the Holy and Great Council of Crete, having received an official invitation from His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy and Sacred Synod. In November 2021, the association took part in a commemorative event in honour of His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch at Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, marking the thirtieth anniversary of his distinguished patriarchal ministry. To date, the association has released approximately 30 recordings. Its recordings are distinguished by their devotion to the Constantinopolitan tradition of psaltic art, which is widely regarded as the most authentic expression of the ancestral tradition of Byzantine ecclesiastical music.

Byzantine Choir of Athens
The choir was founded in 2001 by distinguished members of Athens’ artistic and academic communities, including officeholders of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, university academics, cantors and music enthusiasts. Until his passing, it was directed by the late Georgios Chatzichronoglou, Protopsaltes and Archon Hymnodist of the Holy Great Church of Christ. The choir has participated in sacred all-night vigils at significant monastic sites, including Protaton on Mount Athos, Holy Monastery of Simonopetra, Saint Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai and other monasteries throughout Greece. It has also performed with great success at concerts, cultural events, artistic gatherings and music festivals in Greece and abroad, including Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall and in Constantinople, Smyrna, Montreal, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Warsaw and Białystok (Poland). The choir won first prize in 2005 and 2026, and second prize in 2023, at a competition of Orthodox church choirs in Poland. It is a formally recognised cultural association dedicated to researching, studying, preserving, promoting and making the most of the Byzantine and Traditional Musical Heritage, both as a cultural hallmark and as a means of education and personal development. Its members include highly regarded, accomplished and distinguished Protopsaltes and Lampadarioi of Athens, as well as outstanding students of Byzantine music. The choir is currently directed by Protopsaltes Dionysios Thanasoulis.

Founded in 1977 by the late Lykourgos Angelopoulos (1941–2014), Archon Protopsaltes of the Most Holy Archdiocese of Constantinople, together with his associates. Its aim is to study and present Byzantine music as it has been transmitted to the present day through both written and oral tradition. Over its 49 years of activity, the choir has given more than 1,400 concerts, participated in liturgical services and appeared at numerous other events in Greece and in 31 countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. It has made recordings for some of Europe’s leading radio and television broadcasters and participated in the premiere of Rodanon, a contemporary musical composition by Michael Adamis. Its repertoire has also included excerpts from ancient Greek music, early Christian music, Old Roman chant and Ambrosian chant, as well as the ancient service of I Treis Paedhes en Kamino, transcribed and reconstructed by Michael Adamis. In 1990, the choir began recording and publishing the works of the great Byzantine master Ioannis Koukouzeles. This project received substantial support over a three-year period through scholarships awarded by the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation. The choir has an extensive discography and has published the books Selected Works by Ioannis Koukouzeles, Anthology by Petros Manuel Ephesios and The Significance of Simon Karas’ Research and Teaching by Lykourgos Angelopoulos. Since 2021, a twelve-member ensemble drawn from the Greek Byzantine Choir, under the direction of its choir director, Georgios Konstantinou, has chanted at the Church of St George in Papagou. The Children’s Byzantine Choir was established in November 1984 by its teacher and director, Lykourgos Angelopoulos, with the blessing of the late Archbishop Seraphim of Athens and All Greece. The Children’s Choir is currently overseen by Antonios Aetopoulos and Myriam Marinou.