NEW YORK, NY – Greek News USA
The Archdiocesan Cathedral Choir and Youth Choir accompanied by the Archdiocesan Cathedral Orchestra brought once again their storied Christmas Concert “The Sounds of Christmas” to the Cathedral’s congregation and audiences from across the tri-state area on December 16.
Held under the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral’s dome, the concert was graced by the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, formerly of America and Consul General of Greece in New York, Dinos Constantinou.
V. Rev. Archimandrite Chrysostomos Gilbert, Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, welcomed the hierarchs and all the attendees.
The concert opened with Beethoven’s immortal Ode to Joy, sung in both Greek and English.
Featured pieces included Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with baritone soloist Eleftherios Chasanidis, the New York premiere of Amy Messenger’s God Is With Us, Mihális Adhámis’ setting of the Christmas Idiomela Δόξα εν υψίστοις – Εν Βηθλεέμ, and the premiere of Dawn Helene’s arrangement of the traditional and beloved Good King Wenceslas, featuring the Cathedral Youth Choir and bass soloist Stephan Kirchgraber.
Works by Georges Bizet, Theodore Bogdanos, Paul Maritsas, and Pavel Chesnokov were also included, to general acclaim. The program closed with the now-traditional sing-along of favorite Greek and American Christmas carols.
The concert was under the baton of Maestro Costas Tsourakis, the Cathedral’s Director of Music. The concert particularly highlighted the work of the Cathedral Youth Choir, which was started by Maestro Tsourakis in September 2021 to teach the Cathedral youth community about music and the hymns of the church. Associate Conductor Hilary Baboukis also took the podium, and her orchestrations were featured for several pieces. Choirs were accompanied by organist Dawn Helene.
The annual Christmas Concert at Holy Trinity Cathedral is a staple in the New York holiday concert scene, continuing a tradition that began with the first Cathedral Christmas Concert under the baton of the late maestro Dr. Dino Anagnost in 1976.
A “virtual concert” recording of “The Sounds of Christmas” was also made available to ticket-purchasers and was enjoyed by viewers around the world.
Following the concert, The Flavors of Christmas reception, a festive gathering to celebrate the season’s delights, took place in the Chiotes Family Cathedral Hall.
