SNF Center for Hellenic Studies co-presents performance by Cappella Romana vocal ensemble
Rich Schmitt Photography
The Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Pico-Union provided a stunning backdrop for the sacred music performance.
| October 31, 2024
On Sunday evening, about 400 audience members were treated to a unique performance of ancient hymns honoring St. Demetrios, the patron saint of Thessaloniki, Greece. The event commemorated the annual Feast of St. Demetrios, which falls on Oct. 26.
The concert, held at the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Los Angeles’s Pico-Union neighborhood, was co-presented by the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Cappella Romana, the acclaimed sacred music ensemble, were the featured performers; the group was joined by the UCLA Chamber Singers under the direction of Professor James Bass. All of the music for the 75-minute program was drawn from unpublished editions of medieval chants, and much of it was receiving its first modern performances during a trio of weekend performances. (Cappella Romana presented the same program in Portland, Oregon, on Friday, and in Seattle on Saturday.)
Among the attendees at Sunday’s performance were Christina Valassopoulou, consul general of Greece in Los Angeles, and Alexandra Minna Stern, dean of the UCLA Humanities Division.
The performance was held under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco and the Consulate General of Greece in Los Angeles, and made possible thanks to generous support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Peter J. and Caroline B. Caloyeras Endowment for the Arts and the Mary Calfas Janos Program Fund. It was co-sponsored by Gefyra (Bridge), the UCLA Humanities Division, the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion and the UCLA CMRS Center for Early Global Studies.
Learn more: View the entire concert program, including the story of St. Demetrios and the hymns’ Greek and English lyrics.
From left: Christina Valassopoulou, consul general of Greece in Los Angeles, with Professor Sharon Gerstel, director of the SNF Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture, and UCLA Humanities Dean Alexandra Minna Stern.
The UCLA Chamber Singers, led by Professor James Bass (third row, far left), chair of the music department at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.