Metropolis of Chicago Church Music Federation

The Federation of  Greek Orthodox Church Musicians of the Chicago Metropolis was founded on November 2, 1957.  The initial meeting was held at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago, Illinois. The chairman, Miss Peri Pandazzi, was assisted by His Grace Bishop Ezekiel,  Ernest Villas and consulting priests. There were 23 choirs represented. The charter members are: All Saints of Joliet, IL, Annunciation Cathedral of Chicago, IL, Annunciation of Decatur, IL, Annunciation ofMilwaukee, WI, Annunciation of Muskegon, MI, Assumption of Madison, WI, Assumption of St. Louis, MO,  Holy Trinity of Fond Du Lac, WI, Holy Trinity of Tulsa, OK, Kimissis Tis Theotokou of Racine, WI, St. Andrew of Chicago, IL, St. Demetrios of Chicago, IL, St. Demetrios of Hammond, IN, St. George of Chicago, IL, St. George of Moline, IL, St. Mary of Minneapolis, MN, St. Nicholas of Chicago, IL, St. Nicholas of St. Louis, MO, St. Spyridon of Sheboygan, WI, Sts. Constantine and Helen of Chicago, IL,  Sts. Constantine and Helen of Gary, IN, Sts. Constantine and Helen of Milwaukee, WI, Twelve Holy Apostles of Duluth, MN.

 Our organization is a ministry arm of the Chicago Metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church.  We represent the church musicians of our Metropolis, whether they are member choirs, individual stewards, or chanters.   Our aim is to sustain the music ministries and traditions of the Orthodox faith, enhancing the spiritual experience for our congregations.  We provide the expertise, support and resources needed to form new choirs and allow established choirs to grow in our parishes. 

The responsibility of the day to day operations of the Federation falls to the board, comprised of 15 individuals from throughout the metropolis, elected by the general assembly which is held each year at our annual conference.  The ultimate governing body is the general assembly, comprised of individual delegates selected by each member parish of the Metropolis.  Our Federation, in turn is a member of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Musicians along with the other Metropolis Federations in the United States.

Our programs include the annual youth and adult conferences, round table discussions, flash choirs, workshops, church music institutes and participation in a variety of metropolis events throughout the year. Our organization was instrumental in the addition of Sacred Hymnology as a new discipline within the St. John Chrysostom Oratorical and Fine Arts Festival and is entrusted with its development and implementation. The Federation is in the process of creating a Director’s Guidebook which will aid in the training of our current and future choir directors in our Metropolis .  We have also established a scholarship fund for metropolis members seeking a college degree within a music discipline. The “Choir Loft” is our quarterly newsletter publication and is sent to all of our members and can be found on our website. Information about these programs can be found throughout our web site.

For further information about our organization and our programs please access the Chicago Metropolis of the Greek Orthodox Church “Contact Us” page found in this web site under “Metropolis” who will, in turn, put us in contact with you.

Nick Chimitris, President

Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians

Chicago Metropolis

01 Jan 2019