Be the first to own the MP3 download or the recorded CD!  Newly available by the Amazon links below is the music that Cappella Romana recorded in the church at Aspro Chorio and the Church of 100 Doors(Ekatontapyliani).  The accompanying book includes photos of the group on Paros and Patmos.  Read more about their appearances on Paros Magical Music & Oregon to Paros Link Revisited
U.K. Amazon:    CD                                 MP3
                          

U.S.A. Amazon:
                     CD                                   MP3
                          

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!

As usual the summer Paros Life is chock-a-block full of music concerts and art events.  One that did not make the listing deadline has an Oregon connection. Also it is coming to Paros at the instigation of our American friends of Scooter Rally fame, Al and Ardy.

The Cappella Romana from our home city of Portland, Oregon is celebrating its 20th Anniversary by singing at the Patmos Sacred Music Festival and on Paros at the Church of Panagia Ekatontapilliani  which is one of the oldest and most important churches in Greece.

The group will sing music ranging from Medieval Byzantine chants to modern choral works by Californian Greek composers, including rhapsodic works by modern Greek composer Michael Adamis.  The Paros concert on 5 September at 8:30 P.M. will be recorded by a Grammy winning record producer.

We are really looking forward to this event.  The first concert that I attended on Paros was held in the courtyard of Ekatontapilliani and I still remember the magic.

This is just one example of the type of quality events held on Paros each summer.

“Vassilis Tsabropoulos belongs to the elite of European piano soloists. He has given piano recitals in international centres of Europe and America, participating in important orchestras with renowned conductors.”

However, what makes this concert outstanding is the location:  an open air theatre at the beach!  Its all in the atmosphere of a Greece idyll.

Read more about typical summer events

Read about Taste the Place

Greekophiles are all familiar with Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis as well as  the annoying little ditty played on many sites. Play  Nothing against the music, I like Mikis Theodorakis, just not while trying to gather info from a web page.

Now the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum in Myrtia, Crete, near Iraklion has opened a permanent exhibition on Nikos Kazantzakis.  He lived a fascinating life so I am sure this museum would be worth a visit. 

While I found Zorba the Greek a great read with insight to Cretan culture, most of Kazantzakis’ literature is heavy going. For a quick and easy lesson buy the video.  Cheers.

On Paros we are fortunate to have the world’s best gelato—in my world anyway—that is made on site by Denise of Gelato Sulla Luna.

Now Denise is sponsoring a Paros visit by Mimi Santapa, an internationally celebrated Tango instructor from Buenos Aires.  Mimi has been teaching for many years in Argentina, USA and Europe.  She was recently invited by UNESCO to teach in Paris.

On Paros the lessons will be from 21 through 25 April at 15:00 and 21:00.  Each session will be 10 Euro or 3 for 25 or the best deal:  a pack of 9 lessons comes with a full kilo of Denise’s gelato!  Contact Denise at parosgelato at hotmail for bookings and location.

For tango on Paros in the summer read about Ballroom Dancing

                      Do it better on Paros

Yesterday was a quiet day; a little on the warm side and humid.  Karin wanted to get out and do something but riding our scooters on the asphalt would be hot during the day.  So we decided to have an early dinner and then in the evening ride over to Prodromos, a small village that I had only passed by in the last eight years on the island.

When we turned off the highway and into the main village square we discovered a sound system and chairs being set up for a concert that evening.  So we decided to kill some time and wait the hour or so before the music started to see if we wanted to stay.  There is a local group that we don’t particularly care for, but a friend had told us they liked this one. 

A Greek village welcome

To start we walked through the narrow footpaths—no cars allowed—admiring the details of the old, traditional Greek village.  Around one corner we were suddenly looking through a large glass window at an open hearth oven as a man and woman were loading several pots of various size and shapes into it.  Karin used a little Greeklish to discover that this was a community oven that would now be sealed for 12 hours until Sunday morning.  The main thing being cooked was Revithia, a bean soup, that is best when baked in this traditional method.

Well used oven

When we finished wandering the streets it was dark so we headed back to the main square and went into the one village taverna for an ouzo.  Just as we finished we heard the music starting so quickly grabbed the free suma and nuts on offer and sat down.  We were surprised to see not only a friend from Aliki who plays the drums, Yannis Paroussis, but also another friend and hotel owner, Ioannis Xydis.  We knew he was an ex-professional singer but had previously only heard about his impromptu performances after the fact.  So this was to be our first time hearing him perform.

Ioannis Xydis in Prodromos

We were shocked.  He is very good!  I won’t give a concert review but this group of about 5 musicians and another 5 singers put on a fantastic show full of Greek themed music without much of the heavy folk music that we usually hear.  The audience was really into it and several gave impromptu dances which were also good.

Feeling the music

This group is good enough to be performing at a night club with a cover charge and expensive drinks.  Here we were in a pleasant village square full of people who knew each other and served free drinks and snacks.  Thank you Paros.

Yesterday August 6th conflicted with the full moon.  I say conflicted because the annual festival for our village of Aliki is held on 6 August; a busy night of music, dancing, food, drink and people watching.  But Karin and I decided that this year we would rather go the Full Moon celebration on Antiparos.
The above photo is before the group “L’anima”  arrived.

We were glad we did; this was one of the best string quartets that we have heard in years of attending concerts in three countries.  There was no program so I can’t tell you about the group or the music they played other than it was obviously very well done.  It seemed their instruments had better tone than others that I have heard.  Their web page


This photo is of the moon rising over the south end of Paros.  Why is it always smaller in photos then in real life?

The location and atmosphere might have had something to do with the enjoyment of the music.  Although I was quite annoyed on a few occasions when some of the crowd to my left and rear, my good ear side, thought it was an audience participation event and proceeded to hum to familiar tunes.  Believe me, their voices were not in good tone.

Not only was this high quality concert free but the committee served free wine—out of glass bottles, not the typical plastic jug.  Then to top it off when we went to the Nautica Cafe to have an ouzo while waiting for the ferry home they served an antipasto plate with it.  This used to be traditional but lately the cafes and bars have cut costs by serving nuts or nothing.

My conclusion:  Everyone who visits Paros should make a jaunt to Antiparos.