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.
Hymns of Holy Week and the Resurrection | 23 October 2026
Featuring:
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.
