April 12th, the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York held a Concert for Religious Freedom dedicated to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at Astoria 's Stathakion Center, to a full house of music enthusiasts and government officials. The program included the works of Greek-Canadian composer, Panayoti Karousos, who presented his symphony The Spirit of Liberty last year courtesy of the Federation and dedicated to his eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America at Long Island City High School with great reception.The concert's Master of Ceremonies and organizer, Vassilios Chrissochos, opened up the evening with a few words, introducing the composer and the conductor for the evening, Grant Gilman. Nikos Diamantidis, the president of the Federation followed, as well as Ioannis Tragakis, the vice-president of the Greek Parliament. As they spoke, other members of the Greek Parliament, such as Grigoris Niotis and Evgenios Chaitidis, along with parade organizer Dino Rallis and Federation cultural committee president Panayiotis Pavlou anxiously waited for the concert to start.
Mr. Gilman served as the maestro for a brilliant orchestra that lifted the spirits of the hall with the sounds of several pieces reflective of the themes of liberty, freedom and perseverance. The first two songs, "Religious Freedom" and "Hellenic Eros" were performed by Lina Orfanos, a noted lyrical soprano who has worked with Mikis Theodorakis. Reverend Stephen Smith of the Canadian Greek Orthodox Archdiocese wrote the wonderful hymn, "Religious Freedom" especially for the concert and Mr. Karousos. Brimming with nostalgic romanticism, poet Dimitris Iatropoulos also collaborated with Mr. Karousos on "Hellenic Eros" for this concert. Following was a dynamic performance by Russian virtuoso Leo Adamov of the Karousos' Violin Concerto. Later on, Mary Mackenzie stunned the audience with her powerful voice in two arias of "The Olympic Flame." She was accompanied also by mezzo soprano Jessica Klein in the third aria from the same opera, entitled "Deianeira & Alcmena."
The culmination of the program was a brass-laden performance of the finale to The Spirit of Liberty. The timpani roused the crowd like a marching band proceeding on the streets, much like they would be in the Greek Independence Parade the following weekend. In all, the concert was a great success with many leaving the hall buying copies of the composer's CDs and praising the copious amounts of talent they saw that evening.
Mr. Gilman served as the maestro for a brilliant orchestra that lifted the spirits of the hall with the sounds of several pieces reflective of the themes of liberty, freedom and perseverance. The first two songs, "Religious Freedom" and "Hellenic Eros" were performed by Lina Orfanos, a noted lyrical soprano who has worked with Mikis Theodorakis. Reverend Stephen Smith of the Canadian Greek Orthodox Archdiocese wrote the wonderful hymn, "Religious Freedom" especially for the concert and Mr. Karousos. Brimming with nostalgic romanticism, poet Dimitris Iatropoulos also collaborated with Mr. Karousos on "Hellenic Eros" for this concert. Following was a dynamic performance by Russian virtuoso Leo Adamov of the Karousos' Violin Concerto. Later on, Mary Mackenzie stunned the audience with her powerful voice in two arias of "The Olympic Flame." She was accompanied also by mezzo soprano Jessica Klein in the third aria from the same opera, entitled "Deianeira & Alcmena."
The culmination of the program was a brass-laden performance of the finale to The Spirit of Liberty. The timpani roused the crowd like a marching band proceeding on the streets, much like they would be in the Greek Independence Parade the following weekend. In all, the concert was a great success with many leaving the hall buying copies of the composer's CDs and praising the copious amounts of talent they saw that evening.
By Theresa Gaffney
