This year, the ΑΝΩ International Organ Festival celebrates its 10th year of successful and uninterrupted – even by the Covid-19 pandemic – presence in Greece’s cultural stage and will be supporting the initiative of the Municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis as it observes the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Hermoupolis.
Under the title “10 years of ΑΝΩ – 200 years of Hermoupolis”, the anniversary staging of the Ano Syros festival will present a rich programme of events of distinctive quality, with the participation of world-renowned artists that will attract audiences both within and outside Greek borders. The event aims both at fostering its international character and at promoting the unique cultural identity of the capital city of the Cycladic Islands.
With free admission and simultaneous online live transmission of the concerts taking place at St George’s Cathedral in Ano Syros, the ΑΝΩ Festival continues to bolster tourism development and increased visitor traffic to the island’s medieval settlement, helping to strengthen the local community and economy.
Under the artistic direction of internationally recognised maestro Stefanos Tsialis and the familiar and consistent presence of the concert’s presenter, music producer for ERT broadcasting and “Trito Programma” radio station Nikos Kanellopoulos, the schedule of events for the 10th edition of the ΑΝΩ Festival being planned and implemented by the multi-member and experienced organising committee hopes to put the Syros event on the map of European organ festivals.
Starting off with a strong performance at St George Cathedral in Ano Syros, with an organ recital by famed Notre Dame organist Olivier Latry, the festival will move the following day to the Orthodox Church of Agios Nikolaos of Hermoupolis for the first time, as part of the combined appearance of Capuchin Friar Giulio Gramegna on the harmonium, Orthodox Deacon Father Vasilis Fratziskos on the piano, and two choirs – one from an Orthodox church and one from a Catholic church in Hermoupolis. They will present a concert titled “The musical encounter of two religious traditions”, testifying to the centuries-long harmonious coexistence of Catholic and Orthodox inhabitants of Syros.
The third event of this year’s Festival, titled “Syros in literature”, will showcase the history and influence of Syros – as a place and as a society – on the arts and letters through texts written by Greek and foreign authors. In-between the selected musical works to be heard at the Cathedral of Ano Syros, as performed by the award-winning 18-year-old organist of the Australian diaspora, Savvas Sousamidis, the established organist Eleni Keventsidou and famed Greek soprano Vivi Sikioti, international actress Melia Kreiling will read literary works chosen by researcher, author and journalist Michalis Gelasakis.
The programme for the concert by the ΑΝΩ FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA, appearing for the first time at the Apollon Theatre in Hermoupolis, will highlight the unique character of Hermoupolis as the cornerstone and driver of cultural development in the newly established Greek state by presenting rare works by 19th-century composers from Syros. Titled “From Ludwig van Beethoven to Ludovico Spinelli”, the 20-member Festival orchestra with musicians from Greece, Poland and Czechia, under the direction of maestro Stefanos Tsialis, will present Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.2, featuring the charismatic Polish soloist Krzysztof Wierciński on piano. This will be followed by works of composers from Syros, Ioannis Foustanos (1856-1933), Georgios Nomikos (1866-?), Antonios Bifernos (1858 – 1940) and Ludovico Spinelli (1871-1904), with the participation of soprano Vivi Sikioti. Preceding the concert will be a lecture on “Syros composers of the 19th century”, presented by Stella Kourbana, curator of the Historical Archives and director of the Centre for Research, Publishing and Archives at the Athens Conservatory.
The 10th ΑΝΩ Festival will come to a close with a remarkable finale at St George’s Cathedral in Ano Syros with distinguished Czech organist Petr Kolař and the Youth Orchestra of Ile de France, under the direction of Pierre-Louis de Laporte. This will bring to a close the events for the year in which Hermoupolis observes the 200th year since its founding with a performance, in Greek, of the “Hymn to Syros” by Antonios Bifernos (1898).
Lastly, continuing the successful staging of parallel exhibitions, such as the photography exhibition “Organs of Greece” (presentation of all organs currently in Greece), which toured the Catholic churches of Athens, this year’s show titled “10 years of the ΑΝΩ Festival”, curated by artist and modern art curator Agni Roussou, will feature posters, photographs, videos and other items documenting the institution’s 10-year history and its connection to the local community.
