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 the All-Night Vigil | 24 October 2026
Featuring:
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.
