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 Festivals 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.
Christmas Hymns | 21 October 2026
Featuring: "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.
