At the request of certain youth of the parish, Fr. Savvas Anastasiou has begun lessons in Byzantine Music at the church of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Clearwater, Florida. Still in its infancy, the program has as its aim the training of young chanters from the parish in order to continue the age-old tradition of chant which the Orthodox Church has preserved for centuries.
Although the program is open to all members of the parish, the youth—girls as well as boys—have shown the greatest interest in learning. They intend to take part incrementally in the Divine Services starting with the chanting of the Polyeleos (Psalm 135) during the Koinonikon of the Divine Liturgy and the Lamentations of Great Friday (Ἐπιτάφιος Θρῆνος). At the request of the students, all American-born, Ecclesiastical Greek will be used exclusively in the chanting.
A conservatory-trained classical musician and former elementary school music teacher, Fr. Savvas began informal Byzantine music studies with the Protopsaltis of the Cathedral of St. Markella in Astoria, NY, Mr. Stergios Papadopoulos, after entering the ranks of the clergy of the Metropolis. Being bi-lingual and schooled in both European and Byzantine music has allowed Fr. Savvas the flexibility to meet the needs of his students regardless of their musical or linguistic background.
