PAGE 1 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008 Singing and Dancing in Akron A News Publication of the Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians October 2008 The 2008 Convention of the Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians held last July in Akron, Ohio was an unqualified success. The Conven- tion Choir, comprised of church musicians from the Metropolises of Detroit and Pittsburgh, debuted the English-Greek version of George Raptis’ choral setting of The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The choir also par- ticipated in a Vespers service on Friday evening, several educa- tional workshops, and many re- hearsals. All of the hard work paid off at the Sunday liturgy with a very spiritual and uplifting service with the choir being con- ducted by the composer. The fun part of the convention con- sisted of ballroom dancing lessons, a Dancing-with-the-Stars style competi- tion featuring Greek dancing, and fi- nally with a Madrigal Dinner-themed Grand Banquet, complete with a boars- head! A good time was had by all, and the convention chairpersons, Zoe McClish and Georgia Stathopoulos are to be congratulated for planning and pulling off the well-run event. Other members of the Akron Annuciation Church team that should be recognized are Olga Yogmour, who prepared the Sunday lunch; Cindy Spanos, chairman of the madrigal dinner; Diamond Mar- cum, Friday lunch donations; Tessie (Continued on page 3) BELOW: Did you say “Dance?” ABOVE: The convention choir pauses for a group photo.
Transcript
PAGE 1 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
Singing and Dancing in Akron
A News Publication of the
Mid-Eastern
Federation of
Greek Orthodox
Church Musicians
October 2008
The 2008 Convention of the
Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek
Orthodox Church Musicians held
last July in Akron, Ohio was an
unqualified success. The Conven-
tion Choir, comprised of church
musicians from the Metropolises
of Detroit and Pittsburgh, debuted
the English-Greek version of
George Raptis’ choral setting of
The Divine Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom. The choir also par-
ticipated in a Vespers service on
Friday evening, several educa-
tional workshops, and many re-
hearsals. All of the hard work
paid off at the Sunday liturgy
with a very spiritual and uplifting
service with the choir being con-
ducted by the composer.
The fun part of the convention con-
sisted of ballroom dancing lessons, a
Dancing-with-the-Stars style competi-
tion featuring Greek dancing, and fi-
nally with a Madrigal Dinner-themed
Grand Banquet, complete with a boars-
head! A good time was had by all, and
the convention chairpersons, Zoe
McClish and Georgia Stathopoulos are
to be congratulated for planning and
pulling off the well-run event. Other
members of the Akron Annuciation
Church team that should be recognized
are Olga Yogmour, who prepared the
Sunday lunch; Cindy Spanos, chairman
of the madrigal dinner; Diamond Mar-
cum, Friday lunch donations; Tessie
(Continued on page 3)
BELOW: Did you say “Dance?” ABOVE: The convention choir pauses for a group photo.
PAGE 2 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION
Dear Federation Friends,
As your new president, I would like to thank everyone for their confidence in me. One of my goals this year is to work on cleaning up the details on many of the on-going projects. Many dedicated Federation members are work-ing very hard to put everything together. The other goal is to continue doing whatever we can to encourage our youth to participate in our music ministry. Any ideas on which the federation could work would be appreciated.
At our organizing meeting in September, Ted Niforos presented a preliminary report from Alex Skylakos and Connie Bogdanos, co-chairs of the 2009 convention in Westland, Michigan. They are very excited about hosting next year’s convention and I wanted to be sure that everyone marked the date on their calendar. It’s never too early! The next convention, hosted by Saints Constantine and Helen Church, will be held on July 16-19, 2009, in Westland. Mark your calendars now!
The 2008 convention in Akron was a huge success! The teens I talked to were enthusiastic about going to next year’s convention so I know that the Akron community succeeded – when the teens say you are great, you are in-deed great. We want to thank everyone for all their hard work. As anyone who has ever hosted a convention knows, the hard work begins a year in advance and hundreds of hours by hundreds of volunteers are what is needed to make it a success. Again, thank you Akron!
On a final note, what is your community doing to help the young people of our church learn its hymns? What is your church doing to get our young people in our congregations singing in the choir or at the psaltiri? It’s every-one’s job to teach our young. It takes a whole community to raise a child. If you have a wonderful program that you would like to share for our next Echo, please send it to Stan Takis, Byzantine Echo Editor, 1900 Burkley Road, Williamston, MI 48895, or email it to [email protected].
Singing Praises to His Name,
Kathy Doulgeris, Federation President
THE BYZANTINE ECHO is published by the Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians. Please send all correspondence to the editor: Stan Takis, 1900 Burkley Rd., Williamston, MI 48895 — [email protected]
EDITOR’S NOTE:
I’m pleased to be able to bring you this year’s convention review issue of THE BYZANTINE ECHO. Also in this
issue, we feature a loving tribute to the late Chris Demakes of Cincinnati, written by George Raptis. We also offer a cou-
ple of Orthodox “Christmas carols” that you can sing anytime during the festal season of the Nativity of Our Lord.
We had an excellent convention in Akron, which I’m sure will give many precious memories to the members of our
Federation. Our hosts in Akron wanted to make this a memorable event, and they succeeded. It takes a lot of planning,
hard work, and stamina to host a convention, and the members of Annunciation Church had all of this and more.
Now that the convention has been put to bed, we turn to the future. The emphasis on youth in our federation is
probably the most important thing we are doing right now, as the graying of our choirs continues, and the need for a new
generation of church musicians becomes evident. We will not mold these young people nearly as much as they will
make their own path, and it is the job of the elder generation to help clear that path and welcome our youth into the
realm of church music. There is probably a greater generation gap today than at any time since the 1950’s and 60’s.
Young people today have grown up in a world of computers, Internet, cellular phones, cable and satellite TV, and a soci-
ety that is markedly more open to subjects and issues that were considered taboo even a generation earlier. The rele-
vance of the Church in their lives is increasingly at risk due to all of these distractions.
One of the advantages the Church has in this struggle for the hearts and minds of youth is its timeless and serene tra-
dition. It is and always has been a stormy world, and the Church offers refuge and peace. The most important thing that
our Federation can give to young people is the opportunity to serve the Church with their time and talents. Leading a
congregation in prayer is one of those things that perpetuates the work that God has appointed us to do on this earth. The
role of a chanter or a choir is the same: To work for the salvation of the human race. What could be a more appealing
task for our idealistic youth? And to do it through music is extra special.
PAGE 3 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
(Continued from page 1)
Lazos and Rana Levenderis, who manned the registration
table; Nicolette Koozer, public relations and album pub-
lisher; Dan McClish, album coordinator; Elizabeth Bartz
Chames, President of State and Federal Communications
for the use of their technology and staff; John Karnou-
pakis, album sales; the Philoptochos Society, who pre-
pared lunch and pastries; Chuck George, ticket sales; and
Chris Archer, the manager of the church hall. In keeping with one of the themes of this year’s conven-
tion—that is, focusing on youth participation—this year’s
convention review will consist of the reminiscences of three
young people who attended and participated.
The 2008 MEFGOX Church Music Convention
by Marina Monoyios
Marina is a senior at Forest Hills Central High School in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. She participates in the choir at
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, where her father
Terry Monoyios is the protopsaltis.
The Church Music Conven-tion was one of the most surpris-
ing weekends of my life. Honestly,
I expected lengthy meetings and
rehearsals without much fun
squeezed between. I was fortu-
nately greatly mistaken. Who
knew you could have so much fun
in so many meetings and rehears-
als? It wasn’t just the hospitality
and friendly faces, but the people
you meet. It’s one of those life ex-
periences that no one should miss.
Young people ought to immerse
themselves in a strange situation. I know that it is uncom-
fortable to do so, but it is also rewarding. You meet the best
people if you simply allow yourself to be open to new cir-
cumstances.
It really was not that difficult to meet people, especially
since I had a good friend to give me an extra push. If you are
like me and are a bit shy, know that everyone is very
friendly and they won’t judge you in any way. Don’t worry
about anything. Just have faith in the Lord and know that life
is about making the most of what has been given to you.
I’m not trying to sound “preachy” or anything, but it
truly was quite a delightful weekend. The hotel was amazing
and the food was superb. You should have seen all of the
events that were held. The dance, the grand banquet, and
Sunday morning’s service were my favorite elements of the
weekend. During all of the gatherings we would chat with
just about everyone. Usually I would not have the spunk to
start up a conversation with a complete stranger. However,
when you realize that being shy and cautious hinders your
enjoyment, you start to open yourself up. It becomes easier
to unmask yourself. Here, I was thinking I would be sticking
with my own group from home all weekend, but I met some
good friends with whom I still keep in touch.
Being involved in such a massive choir was definitely an
incredible thing to be a part of. When we sang, it sounded
like I had fallen into heaven with a choir of angels. Every
choir member should experience that pleasure, and the honor
to be directed by George Raptis. He directed all of us, all one
hundred of us. That man is amazing. He is energetic and
strict, but he is also patient with us, which many of us know
is what choir members need.
The Akron Greek Orthodox community truly did a won-
derful thing for everyone. They really made each person feel
welcome. The weekend was especially great because Metro-
politan Maximos attended as well, and he is the kindest and
most soft-spoken person you will ever meet. The clergy, the
speakers, and the choir directors were also wonderfully sin-
cere.
Being a part of all of this definitely made me appreciate
being in choir more, being in church more, and being a
friend more. It’s one of those things that you just need to
have in your life: a push, an eye opener, one of those experi-
ences that make you see things differently, that makes you
see yourself differently.
A Young Adult’s Reflection on the Convention
By Jennifer Dalton
Jennifer is a senior at Hamilton High School in Hamilton,
Michigan. She participates in the choir at Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids.
This past July, I had the privilege of attending the 2008
MEFGOX Church Music Convention in Akron, Ohio. It was
the first time that I have sung in such a large choir, and it
was a uniquely personal and spiritual experience for me.
The rehearsals were very thorough and efficient for the
limited preparation time that we had. Mr. George Raptis, our
wonderful and persevering director, did not like to waste any
time, because we had to cover a lot of music and fix the
amount of mistakes we made that came with it. He guided us
well, and his passion for develop-
ing the music through us as sing-
ers made me want to try harder to
sing out for myself, too. I wanted
to give my best contribution to
the efforts of the whole choir.
There was always something
happening whenever rehearsals
were not in session. There were
banquets, ballroom dancing les-
sons, and a Greek dancing com-
petition. I found this last activity
to be one of the most stimulating,
because it was a completely new
(Continued on page 4)
PAGE 4 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
form of dance to me. It made me feel more at home knowing
that I participated in a culture while not necessarily being of
the same genetic heritage. Overall, it was good to have a so-
cial break between rehearsals, so that we could enjoy each
other’s company, and it kept our upbeat momentum going
throughout the entire weekend.
Sunday morning came very quickly, and we all went to
the Church of the Annunciation promptly for the early re-
hearsal. Mr. Raptis gave some final words of encouragement
and wisdom before we warmed up and went into the sanctu-
ary for the liturgy. As I walked in among the pews, robe on
and music in hand, I noticed that the atmosphere of the
church was completely changed compared to our former re-
hearsals in it. The incense, the chants, the iconography, Fr.
Jerry, and Metropolitan Maximos were all serenely different.
Even the music was changed from simple notes on a page
into a faithful prayer to God, asking for His mercy, grace,
guidance, and love. I could not ask for a more beautiful mo-
ment. It made me happy to be singing such music as a prayer
from my own heart while contributing to the large choir sur-
rounding me. When it came time to leave, I could see that
everyone, including myself, would go their separate ways
and know that they have participated in an extraordinary
event.
I left the convention with a deep gratitude to Him who
made song possible, to those who organized the convention,
to Metropolitan Maximos who was able to come and even
listen in rehearsal; to Mr. George Raptis for writing beautiful
music, to Sophia Raptis who taught us sopranos to always
think and sing the right pitch, and to my home parish council
and choir director at Holy Trinity who made it possible for
me to attend. Their efforts have allowed me to receive an
invaluable experience that I will forever cherish. I hope that
the members of future conventions feel what I felt in Ak-
ron—the pure blessing of singing out to God.
The 2008 MEFGOX Convention
by Otto Wallenmeyer
Otto is a teen member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox
Cathedral in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and is a
freshman at West Perry High School.
The 2008 Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox
Church Musicians (MEFGOX) had their annual Convention
in Akron, Ohio this July. George Raptis was the honored
Guest Conductor and he conducted the English version of his
own music. There were many familiar faces as well as new
ones. The liturgy was held at the Annunciation Church of
Akron. The choir members stayed at the ever-so-exquisite
Sheraton hotel in Akron for a total of three nights and three
days. There were about 130 singers there. Thursday was a
simple day where everybody just “hung out” and ate dinner.
Those who arrived early enough could participate in some
workshops.
Friday was another story. In the morning, there were
two more workshops: “Lea’s Ten Tips for
Singers” and “Maritsa’s Ten Tips for Direc-
tors”. Once those were finished, everybody
went to the Annunciation Church for Liturgy
practice. First, each section of sopranos, al-
tos, tenors and basses practiced separately,
and then the whole choir practiced together.
Once our first practice was over, we headed
to the hall for lunch. We got some food in
our stomachs and everybody went back to
practice for another couple of hours. Then we all went to the
hotel, got changed, and headed back to the church for a nice
informal dinner. But there was a slight twist: Greek Danc-
ing! There was a competition similar to the popular ABC
show “Dancing with the Stars” that involved Greek dancing
instead. Teams of four were judged on their dancing and
creativity. Holy Trinity’s team, which included Kathy and
John Doulgeris, Thomas Hamilton and I, danced a kalama-
tiano and got 23 out of 30 points. When the competition was
finished, everybody got up and danced.
Saturday had a similarly hectic schedule. There was
practice, lunch, and more practice. In the evening, the sing-
ers all went back to the church for a banquet honoring His
Eminence, Metropolitan Maximos, and the past MEFGOX
presidents. The dinner hall was decorated with a Christmas
in July setting. There was even singing and presentations!
Sunday was the big day. Everybody arrived at the
church early to slip in some extra practice downstairs. They
then proceeded to the cathedral for the liturgy. The choir
sounded absolutely breathtaking. Following the liturgy was
a coffee hour and then a farewell luncheon.
Overall, it was quite an enjoyable weekend. The Divine
Liturgy was great. Everyone got to meet new people. The
new president of the Federation is none other than our own
Kathy Doulgeris. If you’re an active member in your
church’s choir and you decide to go next year, keep the last
two weeks in July 2009 open and we’ll see you in Detroit!
OTHER CONVENTION NEWS...
Chris J. Zervos was awarded the Patriarch Athana-
goras medal for Distinguished Metropolis Service. Chris
is a longtime organist at Holy Trinity Church in Toledo
and a composer of Church music. He has served the Fed-
eration as president, ECHO editor, and other positions. He
is currently stewardship chairman. Congratulations, Chris! Lately, our Federation has been concentrating on Church Music Institutes. These educational workshops have been
held all over the region and have been very useful to local
choirs. In Akron, a CMI was conducted by Maritsa Madias-
Kalasz of Detroit examining the special music for the Eleva-
tion of the Holy Cross. Father Nicholas Hughes delivered an
insightful analysis of these hymns. Maritsa also gave a work-
shop on tips for choir directors. Other workshops in the CMI
were centered on vocal techniques for singers presented by
Lea Kazakis and a discussion of the role of singing in wor-
ship by Dr. Rick Newton, Professor Emeritus of Greek and
Latin at Kent State University. See you at next year’s CMI’s!
LEFT: Metropolitan Maximos with Composer-Conductor George Raptis
ABOVE: Serenading the Metropolitan LEFT: The new MEFGOX Executive Board receives a blessing.
ABOVE: Chris Zervos receives the Athanagoras Award for Distinguished Metropolis Service from Dr. Vicki Pappas.
ABOVE: Convention co-chairs Zoe McClish and Georgia Stathopoulos look on as Metropolitan Maximos gives the blessing. RIGHT: The award-winning dance team.
PAGE 6 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
ABOUT THE RECIPIENTS
Stela Tereziu, from Troy, Michigan, joined the St. Nicholas Choir of
Troy, at the age of fifteen. While Greek might be a second language
to most of our choir youth, it is a third language to this young lady.
She is not only active in the choir but the parish Jr. Goya and an hon-
ored student athlete. Stela is the recipient of the MEFGOX Memorial
Scholarship award. Congratulations and best wishes Stela!
Thespina Christulides, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has been in-
volved with the Holy Cross church choir since about the age seven.
She has not only been involved with church and school productions,
but interned with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and apprenticed
with the Pittsburgh Opera. Thespina is attending Otterbien College in
Westerville, Ohio studying music. Thespina was awarded the George
Georgantas Memorial Scholarship Fund. Congratulations and best
wishes Thespina!
Nikolai Rogich, from Canton, Ohio is a member of Holy Trinity
Church of Canton, Ohio choir. He not only sang at Holy Trinity, but
at various mission churches in his teens. Nikolai interests are not only
in voice, but Byzantine Chant and Russian Choral. Nikolai is attend-
ing The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio majoring in music
composition. Nikolai is the recipient of the Mike Hadgis Memorial
Scholarship award. Congratulations and best wishes Nikolai!
Angelica Kalasz, from Livonia, Michigan has been a member of Sts
Constantine and Helen choir in Westland, Michigan since about the
age of eleven. She is not only a member of the choir, but has partici-
pated in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. Currently she is part of
the Western Michigan’s University Symphony Orchestra. Angelica is
studying music at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michi-
gan. Angelica is the recipient of the MEFGOX Memorial Scholarship
award. Congratulations and best wishes Angelica!
MidMidMidMid----Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians Announces Memorial Church Musicians Announces Memorial Church Musicians Announces Memorial Church Musicians Announces Memorial
Scholarship Recipients for 2008Scholarship Recipients for 2008Scholarship Recipients for 2008Scholarship Recipients for 2008
CHANT CORNER
Chanting with Your Four-Part Choir
More and more church choirs are using chant in their
services, and more priests are requesting it. Some people
say that chant doesn’t mix well with harmonized music,
but a lot of that depends on how you do it. It is possible
for a choir to go back and forth between harmony and
chant smoothly with little distraction. It may not sound
exactly like trained psaltai from Greece, but that is mostly
a matter of style and tuning. With the chant materials in
staff notation now available to American Greek Orthodox
choirs, they can make some practical use of this ancient
sacred art form within our modern harmonized liturgies.
The most obvious place would be in the proper hymns
of the day. In every Divine Liturgy, the refrain of the third
antiphon is the troparion (or apolytikion) of the day’s cele-
bration. On most Sundays, this usually means one of the
eight Resurrection apolytikia. Also, on most feast days of
the Lord or the Theotokos, there’s another very familiar
apolytikion. It’s usually easy to find four-part arrange-
ments of these famous apolytikia in Greek. However,
English versions were often hard to come by. In addition,
there are frequent apolytikia added to the liturgy for saints
and events celebrated on the day of that liturgy. Finding
these was also difficult, and in some churches, the task of
chanting them is left to the psalti or the priest. However,
these less-frequent hymns, as well as kontakia, megaly-
naria and koinonika, can be found on the Internet for free
in chant form with staff notation. Since these hymns are
not used every Sunday, singing chant versions of them is
practical, because they can be learned quickly and easily.
Another time chant may be useful is for ordinary peti-
tion responses like “Kyrie eleison,” “Lord have mercy,”
“Si, Kyrie,” or “Amen.” A big advantage of this is that
you can take your pitch from the priest’s petition, and
there is no need to keep giving pitches on the organ at
every line. This has the benefit of keeping the melodic
flow of the prayers going smoothly with less distraction.
Another place a choir can use chant is for long ser-
vices other than the Divine Liturgy, such as Sunday Ves-
pers and Orthros, the Salutations, or a Holy Week service.
With the materials available today in staff notation, a lay
choir can perform an entire service in chant using Greek,
English, or both, with not a lot of rehearsal time.
Another use for chant in your choir might be to learn
an entire Divine Liturgy to keep in your repertoire for
those days when, due to circumstances, you do not have a
full choir or you may be missing some parts. Another use
may be for youth liturgies or church music classes, when
you just need the words and melodies. In any case, chant
can be part of a choir’s toolkit that can enhance the level
of service we give to our congregations.
—S. Takis
Some Internet resources for staff-notated chant:
www.newbyz.org www.hocna.net
www.stanthonysmonastery.org www.axionestin.org
www.orthodoxmarketplace.com
www.cappellaromana.org
Angie Angelos, Scholarship Trustee; Mary S. Amerdes, Scholarship Trustee; Angelica Kalasz recipient of the MEFGOX Memorial Scholarship; His Eminence Metropolitan Maximos; Dan Packis, Scholarship Trustee. Not pictured: Nikolai Rogich, recipient of the Mike Hadgis Memorial Scholarship; Thespina Christulides, recipient of the George Georgantas Memorial Scholarship; Stela Tereziu, recipient of the MEFGOX Memorial Scholarship.
PAGE 7 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
IN REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTOS “CHRIS” DEMAKES, 1940–2008
My initial encounter with Chris Demakes goes
back almost 50 years when the members of the Cin-
cinnati Choir bid for the 1960 Mid-Eastern Federa-
tion Convention. Back then, every choir that bid - and
usually there were at least two or three - had to put on
a skit to promote their ability to plan a good conven-
tion. I don’t remember any details of the “Cincy skit”
except that Chris was dressed like a little kid with
short pants and to top off his juvenile attire he wore a
beanie cap with a propeller on it. I asked the person
sitting next to me, “Who is that kid?” Later, when
Chris spoke about all the good things his choir was
planning for the convention, I realized he was very
sharp beyond his years, and Cincinnati was awarded
the convention. What a great memory and who have
guessed back then that the kid with the beanie and
propeller would go on to earn a degree in Political
Science and a Juris Doctorate from the Cincinnati
University Law School! It was there that Chris be-
came an Associate Vice President and Executive Di-
rector of the University’s Alumni Association and
one of the editors of the U. of C. yearbook
Chris was a gentleman well suited for his in-
volvement in leadership positions for the Holy Trin-
ity/Saint Nicholas Church in Cincinnati which he
served with distinction most of his adult life: parish
council member; President of the Parish Council; a
key member of the Church Building Committee;
choir director and psalti. Further, he served as Presi-
dent of the Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians for two terms, and also as Treasurer and Chair-
man of the AHEPA Buckeye District Scholarship Foundation.
In recognition of his long, exemplary service, in 1991 Chris was invested with the title “Archon Exarchos of the Ecu-
menical Patriarchate” by Archbishop Iakovos. For Chris and his devoted wife Asimina, as well as hundreds of friends,
this honor was certainly well-deserved of the acclamation, AXIOS, AXIOS, AXIOS!
Chris and Asimina (usually called Mina) were a devoted couple for many years. Although they had no children, they
were blessed with brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, and several godchildren all of whom they loved very dearly.
It was during two of Chris’ obligations as a godfather that his schooling in the Greek language and in Byzantine Chant
served him very well. The first was in Greece where Chris and Mina were to become godparents. When it came time for
nouno Chris to recite the Creed, he did it in perfect Greek much to the amazement of the elderly Greek priest. The other
incident was in Boise, Idaho where Chris was to be the koumbaro for a godchild’s wedding. As it came time for the wed-
ding to begin, Chris was informed by Mina that the psalti was a “no-show” at which Chris said, “I can’t do it, I’m the
koumbaro!” The priest started the service attempting to do both his part and also the psalti’s part. He became extremely
nervous and “unglued.” Chris came to the rescue, saving the priest further turmoil, and did the entire part of the psalti in
Greek and from memory. What more can be said than: You never know to what heights some choir directors will as-
cend! This offering was intended to celebrate the life of Chris Demakes who was a highly respected and well-loved
child of God, a loving husband, a dear brother, a beloved godfather and dear friend to many. He left an indelible hand-
print on all those whose lives he touched—truly a “special man” who will be missed! But, who will be welcomed with
open arms by his fellow musicians who are now in Paradise “where the choirs of the Saints shine forth like stars.”
MAY HIS MEMORY BE ETERNAL!
—Offered by George S. Raptis
Chris Demakes receives the title of Archon Exarchos of the Ecumenical Patriarchate from His Eminence, Archbishop Iakovos in 1991.
PAGE 8 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
NEWS ITEMS NEWS ITEMS NEWS ITEMS NEWS ITEMS
MAILING LISTS CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED
Last year we began updating our mailing lists in order to cut waste in our printing and postage costs. The first emphasis was to
revamp our active parish lists of church musicians. In the process, some people who are no longer active, but who still wanted
to receive mailings did not get them. Also, there were some Federation members who were so recent, that they did not make
the list either. In addressing these problems, we have made continuous updating of the mailing list a priority. If you or
someone you know is supposed to be receiving THE BYZANTINE ECHO but has not been receiving it, please contact
President Kathy Doulgeris or ECHO editor Stan Takis with the details. Contact information is on page 9 of this issue.
Including an email address with your mailing information will help assure you get instant updates and information.
FEDERATION REVISES MISSION STATEMENT AMONG OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Governance Study Committee has issued a revised statement of mission and purpose to be incorporated into the revised
By-Laws and Operational Procedures (Article 3):
The mission of a Greek Orthodox Church music ministry is to come before God’s presence in liturgical worship,
singing to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. The Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians
is established to provide an organized forum for all involved parties in Orthodox liturgical worship: the Metropolitans
of Pittsburgh and Detroit, priests, chanters, choir directors, choir members, youth musicians, organists, composers/
arrangers, and translators.
Other items accomplished by the committee were to revise the roles and meetings of the governing bodies, including the
executive board, to implement a new state model governance structure, and to create the new positions of Metropolis
Liaisons. All of this has been done with the goal of improving communications and efficiency within the Federation. These
revisions in governance are an ongoing process.
The Federation is also considering a change in the format for the annual convention which would include more educational
workshops, including chanting, a more efficient rehearsal schedule, a switch of the Vespers service from Friday to Saturday
evening, and convention choir participation in Sunday morning Orthros, in order to emphasize the ties of the Resurrectional
Vespers and Orthros services to the Divine Liturgy.
FALL FEDERATION COUNCIL MEETING
The next meeting of ALL MEMBER PARISHES of the Mid-Eastern Federation will be held on Saturday, October 25th, 9:30
to 4:00. We will meet around 9:00 am for coffee and social time and then get on with business. The meeting is being hosted
by St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church, 4548 Wallings Rd. North Royalton, OH 44133, Father Costas Keares. Please send
attendance plans to Kathy Doulgeris (page 9) so we can send lunch information to the church.
FEDERATION MEMBER HONORED BY ARCHBISHOP
On Church Music Sunday, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America presented Years of Service Awards to five choir
directors across the Archdiocese. One of our Mid-Eastern Federation members, Michael J. Orphanopoulos of Ypapanti in East
Pittsburgh, was a recipient. Congratulations, Michael, on your long years of dedication to Church music!
USED CHOIR ROBES AVAILABLE
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in St. Clair Shores has 22 used choir robes available to be donated to a choir that wants
them. They are light blue satin with reversible white or gold stoles. If you are interested in acquiring these robes, please
contact Peter Phillips at 39728 Dorian Dr., Sterling Heights, MI 48310, phone: (586) 979-5780, email: [email protected].
STEWARDSHIP REMINDER Your pledge is due now.
Stewardship contributions can be made payable to MID-EASTERN MUSIC FEDERATION, C/O Treasurer, 68 W. Cooke Rd., Columbus, OH 43214
PAGE 9 THE BYZANTINE ECHO OCTOBER 2008
Mid-Eastern Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians Serving the Metropolises of Detroit and Pittsburgh
