History of the Federation
The initial meeting of the The Chicago Diocese Federation of Greek Orthodox Church Choirs was held at St. Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago on November 2, 1957. The Chairman, Miss Peri Pandazi, was assisted by his Grace, Bishop Ezekiel, Ernest Villas and consulting clergy. There were twenty-three choirs represented as the charter members of the Federation.
The constitution was drafted by the Rev. Evagoras Constantinides and the Rev. John Hondros. The purpose of the Federation was to:
- foster and maintain a high standard of performance among all choirs
- to promote and study, development and performance of our traditional ecclesiastical music as well as our folk music
- to provide means of integrating the works of the member choirs in order to increase the interst and enthusiasm of the individual members
- to promote the general welfare of the Greek Orthodox Choirs in the Federation
The music presented at the various conferences has been diversified and is very extensive. The arrangers and composers of the Liturgical settings include: Kanaracas, Papaloizou, Roubanis, Bortniansky, Gallos, Desby, Stamos, Spathis, Zes, Petrovich, Revezoulis and others. The workshops have been informative and helpful in dealing with the challenges of the choir and methods of improvement.
Charter Members of the Federation
All Saints: Joliet, IL
Annunciation Cathedral: Chicago, IL
Annunciation: Decatur, IL
Annunciation: Milwaukee, WI
Annunciation: Muskegon, MI
Assumption: Madison, WI
Assumption: St. Louis, MO
Holy Trinity: Fond du Lac, WI
Holy Trinity: Tulsa, OK
Kimissis Tis Theotokou: Racine, WI
St. Andrew: Chicago, IL
St. Demetrios: Chicago, IL
St. Demetrios: Hammond, IN
St. George: Chicago, IL
St. George: Moline, IL
St. Mary: Minneapolis, MN
St. Nicholas: Chicago, IL
St. Nicholas: St. Louis, MO
St. Spyridon: Sheboygan, WI
Sts. Constantine & Helen: Chicago, IL
Sts. Constantine & Helen: Gary, IN
Sts. Constantine & Helen: Milwaukee, WI
Twelve Apostles : Duluth, MN