Most of us, I am sure,do not think of choral singers as being professional.  They may be very talented but how would they earn a living in that musical genre’?

Well, Oregon Music News has provided us with an insight to the life of one such person, Stephanie Kramer.  She is a member of a great many groups including Cappella Romana which performed to great acclaim here on Paros this last September.  Stephanie is second from right in the photo.

Here is one quote from the article:

“And of course it’s always frustrating when you have to stop in the middle of a great take because of a motorcycle going by or a rooster crowing.

A rooster crowing?

Kramer: That happened on the Greece tour. We were recording in a lovely little country church on the island of Paros, and a rooster crowed during one of our takes. We all burst out laughing.”

Read the complete interview at Stephanie Kramer tells about life as a professional choral singer

By the way she states she has recorded in over 60 CD’s!

From deTraci Regula of About Greece Travel:

“While financial support for Christmas cheer is nearly absent at the national level, the municipalities are stepping up to fill in the gaps. Athens has a rich slate of Christmas activities, many of them staffed by volunteers. Many decorations will be provided by schoolchildren and art students; empty shop windows near Syntagma Square will be filled with Christmas displays. It should be a bright holiday season in Greece. If you've been deriding the "commercialism" of Christmas elsewhere, maybe a visit to Athens this year will be just the antidote.”

And even more so on Paros!  Yes, I am confident the Greek people and especially the islanders will overcome the difficulties and economic depression to still celebrate Christmas in style as they do all other holidays.

Read about our past Christmases on Paros and in Athens.